The musical “Hair” opened the fall theatre programming at Columbia on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Getz Theatre Center with its preview night. Excited crowds of students, parents and friends filed into the theatre as doors opened, enjoying a button creation station where guests could create their own custom protest pins.
“Hair” explores the tensions in the United States during the Vietnam War and follows the “tribe,” a collection of politically conscious hippies who fight against conscription. One of these hippies is portrayed by junior acting major Thomas Toohill.
“I was in a Vietnam class, actually, for literature, and the material just kind of broke my heart,” Toohill said. “They don’t teach Vietnam history in high school, really. It goes to World War 2, and then they just kind of give up, and it really annoyed me. So once I learned about Vietnam, I was like, I got to do this show,” he said.
Even though Toohill has been performing on stage for 10 years, he said the production process of “Hair” was one of the most intense.
“Mainly because this show is such a marathon. It never stops,” he said. “It just never stops, never sleeps. It’s constantly going, constantly singing, constantly dancing. But this is a great cast; luckily, everyone gets along,” he said.
Socorro Park, a senior theatre design and technology major, helped bring “Hair” to life through its set, which included a replica of the General Logan Memorial in Grant Park, pit orchestra music and rolling ladders that actors danced and climbed on.
One of the key players in creating the choreography was senior musical theatre major Maya Lee who co–choreographed the production with Columbia dance instructor Wilfredo Rivera. Lee had choreographed “On The Town” last year and applied to help with “Hair” as an assistant choreographer, which later evolved into her current role.
“I got to do whatever I wanted to do, which was really nice,” she said. The show’s director, David Fiorello, a part-time instructor and Jeff Award winner, would give her notes about the vibe he wanted. “But I had pretty much free reign, which was really nice, because I felt like I was able to be myself and not overthink it, and just like, play the song and do the thing, and give it to them,” she said.
The show opens with a content warning before images of wartime throughout the years are flashed upon a paint splattered drop cloth, before the cloth is dropped and the opening number creeps in. “Hair” keeps you on the edge of your seat through its electric choreography, some of which involves cast members running into the crowd, and its themes that still ring true today.
“It is not about today starkly, but there are so many things that you can take about today,” said senior musical theatre major Tyler Ehrenberg. After an emotional final number, the entire audience stood and clapped and cheered.
“If you love to sing and dance and cry and feel everything that is to be human, I recommend coming to see Hair,” Lee said.
Junior fashion major Mickayla Khantivong had gone into “Hair” with some prior knowledge as one of her best friends was in a lead role, but she hadn’t expected such a complex dive into complex themes. “ Oh, I feel so emotional and vulnerable. Not only does it speak to the current times right now, and seeing that reflect years ago and how that still resonates now is really, really personal,” she said. “Also I’m Asian American, and seeing anyone talk about the Vietnam War kind of hits home. Because for me, personally, my parents are from Laos, and Laos is right next to Vietnam, and my parents came to this country during that time, so I can’t imagine what that was like for them.”
“Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical runs through Nov. 16 at the The Getz Theatre Center at 72 E. 11th St. Tickets are $5 for students.
Copy edited by Doreen Abril Albuerne Rodriguez
