From the Mount Tabor Arts Collaborative
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. Stars from the international tour will come together in concert this Saturday, June 3, 2017, to present iconic songs along with an historical and political commentary script by Michael Boyd.
The setting is Mount Tabor, in The Tabernacle, a historic building from the late 1800s. This large yet unassuming octagon has contemporary equipment, incredible acoustics, and a powerhouse stage about to explode with talent.
Tickets are available online and, cash only, at the door. The show starts at 8 pm.
It’s the second fundraiser for the newly launched Mount Tabor Arts Collaborative, a 501-c3 organization with a mission to “ignite and foster the visual and performing arts in Mount Tabor… dedicated to enhancing appreciation of the arts in Morris County.”
Earlier this month, the collaborative brought Broadway stars to the Tabor hometown stage.
Broadway In Your Backyard featured stars from Broadway, national tours and regional theaters.
This one-of-a-kind performance included Paul from Kiss Me Kate, Belle from the national tour of Beauty and the Beast, the Witch from Into The Woods, and a core of the tribe from Jerome Ragni and Jim Rado’s HAIR.
The Mount Tabor Arts Collaborative brings together decades of artistic and teaching excellence in the visual and performing arts. The nonprofit is dedicated to making these arts accessible and enhancing their appreciation in Parsippany Troy Hills and Morris County.
New artists can emerge and flourish through this organization. To kick-start the MTAC’s vision of stars reaching out to students, the Tabernacle opened its stage this month to 31 kids, who danced and sang with Broadway legends.
‘MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR’?
HAIR still resonates today, said Dawn Ward-Lau, a cast member and co-founder of the Mount Tabor Arts Collaborative.
“It used to be ‘Make Love Not War.’ Now, it’s ‘Choose Love, Not Fear,’” she said.
HAIR’s themes– racism, anti-war protests, peace preaching and youthful soul-searching–have not faded, Ward-Lau said.
Thirteen members of the international tour are coming to Morris County from across the country to unleash this musical’s might once again.
HAIR premiered off-Broadway in October 1967, hit Broadway the next year, and ran until 1972. The original Broadway cast sold 3 million copies by December 1969, winning a Grammy that year.
Soon, pop artists were topping the charts with the same songs. Three Dog Night’s version of Easy to Be Hard went to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and Oliver’s rendition of Good Morning Starshine reached number 3.
The Cowsills’ recording of HAIR’s title song climbed to number 2 and The 5th Dimension won the 1970 Record of the Year for Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.
Find a friend, find a tie-dyed tee shirt, and time-travel for a night. The $25 ticket price funds the area’s newest arts collaborative. The Mount Tabor Tabernacle is at 26 Simpson Ave.
