Our featured HAIR blogger, Lawrence Stalling sent us over some pictures of some of the cast members of HAIR jamming with the Wailers (of Bob Marley and the wailers) at BB Kings Monday night. They requested us to jam with them after seeing us perform at EARTH DAY 2010. We sang “3 Little Birds”. HAIR Cast Members featured: Larkin Bogan, Paris Remillard, Nick Belton, Terrance Thomas, Erika Jerry, Rashidra Scott, Jeannette Bayardelle, Lawrence Stallings
Doing a Broadway show is one of the greatest achievements an actor can have. It’s the epitome of stage work and the feeling you get from the audience each performance is indescribable. But make no mistakes about it…it is a job! A hard job. One I love, but one that takes a lot of discipline and energy to do.
Each show on Broadway has its rewards and hurdles. Many times, the rewards are pretty similar across the broad (the gratification from the audiences, the glitz and glamour (yeah ok) and all the other plusses that come with being on Broadway), the hurdles can be as well; however, each show has its own set of specific challenges for the Broadway performer. I want to talk briefly about HAIR’s. I call them…THE HAIR EFFECTS!
So first there are illnesses. In a show with a cast this large, someone is always sick.. Trying not to spread your germs (and not receiving others’ germs) is a dance we do daily. During any given show, someone is coughing on you, spitting on you, sneezing by you (all inadvertently). But nevertheless, folks are on meds that range from antibiotics to Echinacea to ibuprofen. Yet the show must go on. In our show, we share cigarettes, passing them from mouth to mouth, so uh…germs will be passed. You just pray that your cigarette buddy is feeling well that day or thinks enough beforehand not to touch it if they aren’t. If you’re sick, you fight through it til you just can’t anymore. You may take a day off or five, depending on the illness, but as soon as you can get back out there (many times before you should get back out there) you are back at it.
Then there are the pains. Body pain in our show just radiates. It moves from one body part to another, weekly, daily, sometimes, hourly. We stay in physical therapy to help with some of the major issues, but you kinda just gotta push through it. We’ve seen it all at HAIR. Busted knees, back spasms, scoliosis, TMJ, cuts and bruises, elbows to the face; if it can happen, it’s happened to someone in our show. When you have that many people on stage throwing their bodies around at high velocities eight times a week, the wear and tear in inevitable. But again, you tape it, ice it, cover it, grin and bear it, and rest it when you can. But the show must go on.
Then there is the voice! Attacked by everything from allergies, to acid reflux, to fatigue and overuse. Yes we have microphones, but we still have to sing, and doing it eight times a week for two-and-a-half hours (five hours on two show days) is a lot of work and strain. The audience doesn’t pay for “singers who sound tire,” so we must do what we can to deliver the goods every show.
Well, “how in the hell do we maintain?” you may ask. Across the board for most b-way performers its simple: Discipline! It means vocal rest when you can (not going out after a show and resting on your one day off a week). It means stretching daily and warming up before a show. It means taking a lot of medicine sometimes. Eating well (which is hard to do and a whole other blog!). There are so many things that happen behind-the-scenes that we must do just to have one good show. And WE DO THEM.
Don’t get me wrong! I am not complaining at all, just sharing. We LOOOVE our jobs, but sometimes people forget that they are just that. Some punch a time clock, we sign in at a call board, but it’s all work. So the next time you see a show, take this into consideration: If the show moves you, you love a particular performer of the way a particular song was sung, think about all that the actor might have gone through to give it to you and clap EXTRA HARD at the end!!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hello hippie lovers! Things are going great here in the HIPPIE HANGOUT! I wanted to give a BIG CONGRATS to Nick Belton who went on for “Berger” for the first time last night! You were awesome dude!! You should be proud of your work mate J Also this week Justin Badger will also make his “BERGER” debut starting tomorrow. GO JUSTIN! I am sure you will be equally fantastic my friend! It’s always exciting to have the swings and understudies go on. The energy changes slightly, and everyone has to be slightly “more” on their game to adjust to the minor changes. It’s great and it’s what acting is about…a sense of spontaneity. Everyone in our show is so talented. When a new person steps in we just surround that person with “hippie” love and watch them soar. It’s a beautiful thing. And if you happen to be at a show where the person you wanted to see is out…first…breathe!-it is going to be okay. I’m sure once you get over your personal disappointments that the person you WANTED to see is not the person you WILL see, you will find that their performance will be quite exceptional. You will learn to appreciate the energy of a swing/understudy who is giving you “opening” night energy in the middle of the week, five months into the run, because they don’t do the role everyday or it may very well be their opening night. So sit back and enjoy. You man just discover a new star!
To all the swings, standbys and understudies on Broadway I say, “ROCK ON!!!”
Peace.
End of April HAIRTICKER…
The president of the country of GEORGIA came to the show, accompanied by about 15 security guards. Intense.
A woman tries to sneak into the show after intermission with the cast as they burst through the outside doors. She is quickly subdued by our security. (Really lady?)
We performed at Earth Day and it was awesome. We were told The Mayor asked that we stick around for his arrival (as he would be there later) because he wanted to say “HEY”. We’re all cool with MJB like that. J Also, rumor has it the Wailers, who also performed, asked the cast of HAIR to join them onstage in an upcoming concert to perform “ONE LOVE”. That would be amazing…fingers crossed.
The recently crowned Miss America, Caressa Cameron, attended our show. Then to my urging, she sang “Listen” which she performed as her talent during the pageant to an empty house on her FIRST Broadway Stage. And, um…she can SANG!
As you probably ALREADY KNOW the cast performed “Aquarius” on LIVE with Regis and Kelly. AWESOME!! (Kelly actually clocked me with her elbow during rehearsal, but she’s such a professional and during the actual taping, there was NO CLOCKAGE. LOL)
Our director, producers, and many other “key” players in HAIR returned from their forced 1 week VOLCATION in London after being trapped since the Aquarius Company opened there.
An IMPOSTER called in to Howard Stern’s Sirius radio show pretending to be Paris (one of our cast members) and lied about being onstage with Diana and was asked questions about her and her involvement in the show which he couldn’t answer because he’s not in the show!!! He’s a fake, a liar, a phony, and a low life with nothing better to do than LIE. I detest LIERS. I really do. Plus he targeted one of the most sincere, professional, honest, and protective tribe members in our company to lie about being. To this jerk I say, “Get a life dude, don’t defame and misrepresent people, and don’t piss off a bunch of hippies—some of them are only “peaceful” 8 times a week. To Mr. Stern, …really??? Check your sources man and if you want to know that bad about Diana and what she’s wearing and/or not wearing COME SEE THE SHOW. Matter of fact, buy some additional tickets for your listeners and send them too—don’t stoop to spying. It’s beneath…well, even you.
Lastly, here we go…AGAIN. April showers will bring MAY reviewers. We are so excited about yet another “We are here world….Groove with us baby!” statement to the public!
Bonus: My birthday is this week and my mom is coming in to town…so I’m super goosey gassy baby! J
The Broadway cast of Hair performed on Live with Regis and Kelly Tuesday morning. Kelly Ripa joined with the cast in a performance of the show’s opening number “Aquarius.” Hair was invited to perform as part of Live’s annual Broadway Week, saluting Broadway’s hottest new shows.
Click Play below to watch the performance.
Hair is currently performing at the Al Hirschfeld Theater, at 302 West 45th Street.
For more information, and how to get tickets. Visit the show’s website by clicking here.
So on Saturday, there was a lady who sat in the front row of our evening show and man was she excited to be there!! She knew ALL the lyrics to all the songs in the show. Now, this is not uncommon for a show like HAIR; however, she was determined to sing and dance from her seat to every number. It was certainly entertaining to the cast onstage and probably more annoying to the audience members on either side of her. But then the strangest thing happened, by Act II she was comatose. Some of us wondered if she was maybe bipolar and suffering from bouts of mania and depression while watching the show; but alas, the culprit of her drastic change in behavior was not a lack of meds but the gentle chastisement of her fellow Hair watchers in the front row and probably an usher or two.
Witnessing her drastic change made me miss the excited lady who was with us during Act I. I preferred her to the barley breathing woman she reverted to, so that got me thinking. Which is better for us and the audience as a whole, the over-enthused audience member who might bother those less outgoing theater-goers or someone who is less involved?
I don’t really know what makes a GREAT audience member, but I compiled a list of things that you CAN do to piss off an entire ensemble of performers trying to put on the best show for you that they can.
So here it is…
Honorable Mention: You defecate in the mezzanine prop closet and then wipe yourself with a curtain in the closet. (This apparently REALLY happened so it’s worth mentioning. DON’T DO THIS AGAIN!
Hello Friends!
It’s starting to feel like home. This was our FIRST week to just do the show and not rehearse for this thing or that thing. Felt great. I think everyone had a lot more energy last week and now we can really get into the rhythm of the long haul. Shout out to Lee Zarrett who went on for Margaret Meade last week for a few performances. He was excellent and FUNNY! It’s always a “visual” shock to see someone else doing a role other than the person you are used to seeing, so I have to say when Lee walked out in that wig and dress, it was hard for everyone to keep from breaking. Then, he stood in this Mary Poppins fifth position when he was speaking…HIGHLARIOUS!
Also, I wanna congratulate our swing Nick Belton who made his Broadway Debut Sunday. It was a great week. Oh and our cast joined the Broadway Bowling League under the team name the “Merkins”. I wont explain what a Merkin is…I’ll leave that to you to find out, but I’ll give you a hint, it’s a Toupee, um…of sorts. (Annaleigh and Diana came up with this one) I’m not so sure how well we scored…but we had TEAM SPIRIT!
Now on a more personal and funny note, I had a minor injury during the Saturday Mat. I stubbed my toe pretty hard coming down the stairwell from the Mez during Hare Krishna. When I got down to the orchestra I realized I needed to get off stage quickly and address my wound. So as I am going to my “Ohms” with Diana, I exit the stage (much to her confusion) and there was NO ONE THERE TO HELP ME! I panicked for about 2 secs then I said to myself: “you’re an adult, there is a First Aid kit, and you have about 4 mins to get yourself together before its obvious that you have left the stage”. Well, for minutes later, big toe in bandage, I was back out there “Taking Trips”. It was a minor laceration but it hurt like hell! Well as Murphy’s Law would have it, wouldn’t you know it, in Act II that same exact toe was crushed (never happened before) by the heel of Kyle’s boot. I THOUGHT I MIGHT DIE!! (And I almost slapped him in one of those involuntary-you-just-caused-me-great-pain-and-you-don’t-even-know-it knee jerk reactions.) It was a traumatic show for my big toe but we survived.
Well that’s about all. We celebrated the One Year Anniversary of HAIR last week, so we are ready to keep rockin’ and rollin’.
Until next time folks.
Here are a few backstage pics. I could caption them, but it’s better to just see them and make up your own story line.
In honor of HAIR one-year anniversary on Broadway, BBS held a celebration giveaway with tons of prizes! We wanted to thank all of you who shared with us how you celebrated the anniversary! We have announced the winners below, and will contact individually. Congratulations to the winners, and encourage all to visit BBS in the future for more great contests and exclusive content/news!
PRIZES:
1 – Emily, “I will let the sun shine in on the anniversHAIRy of the show that continually makes me feel like i can never stop singing dancing and smiling. i wish i could travel close by to manchester england england over to london to see the original cast rock out, but i’m positive that the new tribe will bring the house down like never before!!!!”
2 – TheNYGalavant, “Singing along with the tribe, courtesy of the CD 
“
3 – Sophie Y, “I’m celebrating the anniversary by celebrating the gorgeous weather, the beauty of nature (and the cherry blossoms), and listening to cast recording. nonstop.”
4 – Lauren, “Well, as much as Hair impacts my daily life Today I will celebrate it with spreading the love, breaking out of my “control freak” mind set and ease my way to easy going fun loving Hippie I wish I could be in Hair. I’ll pass time with my lovely hair CD on the beach since I am on break and commemorate all of the wonderful things that the tribe has accomplish in just one short year. From opening and moving to london to the equality march in Washington DC and even the idea of posting the dance parties through their website every day. Little things like that make me personally (Since I dont live in NYC) thankful for the connection I can get to the tribe. Much Love –Lauren”
5 – Brian, “I will celebrate by blasting the soundtrack in my car and singing along (not caring as everyone around me is judging me)!!!”
6 -Dani Litwak, “I am only 14 years old but HAIR has absolutely consumed my life. To say I’m obsessed is quite an understatement. I listen to the entire album everyday and I go around my house singing it (which is not very pleasant to my family because I don’t have much of a voice). I am always on the Hair website, twitter and facebook waiting for new stories and news. Whenever I go to the city I make a point to pass by the Al Hirschfeld. Just the presence of the theater allows me to feel a sense of liberty from my everyday life.
It was devastating for me to find out that the original cast was going to London as I am absolutely in love with Gavin Creel (and the rest of the cast as a whole). However, through the many youtube videos I have seen of the new cast I am able to see how very talented they are and I would absolutely love the opportunity to see them.
So how will I celebrate the anniversary? I will be dressing as Claude because as previously stated Gavin is my favorite. My look will be complete with a blueish-white “v”neck tee-shirt and skinny jeans. I also have the love beads in which I will wear proudly alongside a matching headband and feather. I will also continue my daily ritual of dancing and singing along to the music! I LOVE LOVE LOVE HAIR and everything it has done for me in the past year. Happy one year anniversary! <3 <3 <3″
7 – A. Durham, “I plan on celebrating HAIR’s one year anniversary by listening to the broadway cast recording, wearing my peace sign necklace, and entering the HAIR be-in-box lottery when I go to NYC this spring :]”
8 -Elinor Greenly, “i saw hair for the first time in 1974 when we were celebarting our 10th anniversary..had a beautiful day in new york and really enjoyed the show..hoping to win this contest and see it again…”
9 – Andie Cuevas, “<333 love HAIR. I love the message they send, and how fitting it was then and how it is still so important now. I plan/planned/did celebrate Hair by spreading the love and letting the sunshine in. And of course, checking out all the pictures and videos of the festivities and the beautiful crazy party that the show is, haha.”
10 – Allyson Forsythe, “I’m celebrating by getting a review of “HAIR” published in an online magazine called Krash City, and listening to each of my many versions of the soundtrack…. I’ve got ‘em all, except the original London cast, which I’ll be getting soon!”
1: – Erin, “I’m celebrating HAIR’s one year by letting my own hair down after a long day of classes, listening the cast recording, and dancing in the down-pouring of rain that has become a daily thing here lately. I’m not gonna let this cruddy weather rain on my HAIR parade! 
“
2: – Lauren, “unintentionally have been blasting the hair album over and over again for a month. i celebrate the anniversary by spreading the love to everyone i encounter every day not just on the 30th. peace”
3: – Mary Arruda, “I want to spread love, peace, and good vibes to anyone I meet! But especially those who are suffering through hard times right now. They need our thoughts of hope and unity more than ever. And I’m going to let the sunshine in through the constant rain that poured down on Rhode Island the past few days (including Hair’s birthday yesterday) and keep a positive thought for everyone who had to leave their homes because of the flooding. I’m going to be super grateful for everything and everyone in my life and never forget to smile. And of course, listen to Hair on repeat! Peace and love!”
4: Stephanie Hersh, “Even though I only saw HAIR once, it was an amazing experience from the front row! I always listen to the music! The experience and the message is amazing and I think everyone should see it! It is a Broadway show like no other! I hope to see it again! Happy Birthday HAIR!!!!”
5: Kara, “HAiR, for me has been such an enormous part of my life for the past year. Almost a year ago (wow, time has flown…) I was cast as Jeanie in a tiny production of HAiR, before I’d even seen the INCREDIBLE Broadway cast. Being a part of my own tribe changed, and continues to change my life in millions of tiny and substantial ways. It has helped me to find myself as an artist, a person, and a grateful inhabitant of this beautiful universe. Now having seen both the Aquarius and Starshine tribes, I am continually humbled by their passion, talent, and outpouring of love, and wish them all the sweetest of first anniversaries! In celebration, I will continue to practice (and share!) all of the life lessons this movement has taught me: be grateful; enjoy this moment; stand up for what is right; search for truth and beauty; and of course, spread love- because what could possibly be more important?”
Donna Taylor, “I plan to play my original Hair Broadway alblum on my record player over and over.”
March 31, 2010
At Wednesday’s afternoon matinee, the cast of HAIR celebrated the one – year anniversary of HAIR on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre with special guest original composer Galt MacDermot.
BBS stopped by to grab a few shots to share! Enjoy!
The cast of Hair and the audience celebrate onstage
Jason Wooten (Woof) celebrated out in the crowd.
Rachel Bay Jones (Mother) strikes a pose.
Cailan Rose (Tribe Member), Vanessa Ray (Crissy), Ace Young (Berger), and Diana DeGarmo (Sheila)
The HAIR Tribe with Galt MacDermot
HAIR Celebrates it’s One Year anniversary on Broadway, March 30th!
After one Critically Acclaimed, Love-Spreading, Award-Winning year on Broadway, HAIR celebrates it’s first birthday on March 30th! HAIR won the 2009 Tony award for Best Musical Revival and has been playing to packed houses, and wowing audiences with its timeless message of peace, tolerance, and love!
This production of Hair, directed by Diane Paulus began as a sold-out run in Central Park in July of 2008. The Public Theatre produced the outdoor “Tribal love-rock musical” which also takes place in the park. HAIR quickly transferred to Broadway and on March 30th, 2009, opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on West 45th Street.
HAIR soon received 8 Tony nominations, eventually winning the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. On October 11th, the cast of HAIR led more than 1400 people from the Broadway Community to join the National Equality March in Washington DC to support equal rights for GLBT community members. Before a crowd of 140,000, the HAIR Tribe performed “Flesh Failures (Let the Sun Shine In)” on the steps of Congress.
In November, Producers for the show announced that the entire current New York company of HAIR would be moving to London to originate a second production in the West End. A whole new Tribe took over the Al Hirschfeld theatre on March 9th. The Production now stars Kyle Riabko (Spring Awakening) as Claude, Ace Young (Grease) as Berger, and Diana Degarmo (The Toxic Avenger, and Hairspray) as Sheila.
HAIR on Broadway celebrates its one year Anniversary on March 30th, 2010, and The London production, currently at the Gielgud Theatre, begins performances April 1st.
To help celebrate HAIR’s successful One Year Anniversary on Broadway, Broadway’s Best Shows is having an exciting giveaway of 21 amazing prizes including Posters, Cds and tickets to HAIR!
To Enter, write us a comment below and let us know how you plan to celebrate Hair’s One Year Anniversary!
PRIZES:
3rd Prize (10) – Free HAIR Window card
2nd Prize (5) – Free HAIR New Broadway Cast Soundtrack
1st Prize (1) – Grey Logo T-Shirt, CD, and pair of tickets
Contest will close Sunday, April 4th, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.
Contest Rules & Policies can be found here.
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