Theater Preview | Torn Ticket II revisits the dawning of the age of Aquarius

Have you ever wondered what it was like to experience the 1960s firsthand? Torn Ticket II brings the decade to life tonight with the opening of "Hair," a spring musical that invites you to be "a visitor from another generation." Led by director Jess Fisch, a senior, and musical director Bridget Reddington, a sophomore, the cast and production staff have truly created an atmosphere to transport the audience to a bygone era and make them believe they are living in 1968 with a tribe of hippies that fight for what they believe in. Created by James Rado and Gerome Ragni with a score by Galt MacDermot, "Hair" was originally produced on Broadway in 1968. The musical chronicles the life of a tribe of hippies in contemporary New York City. The group of teenagers it follows is an appropriate example of the youth of America at the time, and their story is a social commentary on the time period that touches on issues of race, anti-war protests, free love and the drug movement. Upon their entrance to Balch, audience members will be immediately immersed in the world of "Hair." A brightly painted bus on stage, psychedelic designs on the floor, colorful lights and full-fledged vintage costumes transform the space into a 1960s hippie world. The set's central visual focus, the 1972 Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter bus, was found on craigslist and had to be cut in two before it was painted and transported to the Arena, explained technical director Jason Karp, a senior. The plotline circles around the characters of Claude (played by senior Greg Fujita), a conflicted hero who has been drafted to fight in Vietnam, Sheila (junior Stacy Davidowitz), a political activist and NYU student, and Berger (sophomore Joel Perez), the leader of the tribe. A love square emerges as unwed mother Jeanie (senior Lauren Murphy) pines away for Claude, who loves Sheila, who loves Berger, who loves everyone and no one. The show is all about believing; the characters believe in love, in the time, in a cause and in themselves as a tribe. The cast and production staff put a lot of work into creating a true tribe mentality. Throughout the play, the tribe acts as one, loving each other and working together. "Every production of 'Hair' has their own tribe name; ours is Monemali. It is documented online, and you can submit your production so people will be able to track it and go see it. It's almost like a cult," explains Davidowitz. Freshman Josh Altman, who plays a tribe member and is a soloist, explains the meaning of Monemali: "It is a phonetic synthesis of the words 'peace,' 'love,' and 'happiness' in Cherokee." Fisch encouraged her cast to collect stories from their parents' generation, bringing in clippings from her own father's college newspaper that documented protests as well as inviting a student to speak to the cast about being involved in a war protest. "We, as a tribe, had to figure out how to be in the mindset and be in the 1960s and still be able to ask ourselves what this play means now," Fisch explained. Decades after it was first written and produced, the show still has meaning today. Said Perez, "Given the social climate, it is still pretty current. We kept the script exactly how it was written; we didn't add any modern anachronisms." Fisch said that though the musical worked well at the time, "they didn't have the retrospect that we do now. We have a lens that is thirty-plus years; we can see what worked and what didn't." Said Fujita, "Our generation didn't have to experience the Vietnam era, but as a period piece, ['Hair'] does a good job of putting people into that mindset." Fisch agreed, saying that she wants the audience to be able to feel a part of the historical setting and to be "entertained and invigorated. Think about the 1960s and the notion of protest and believing in a cause." To that end, Fisch uses "groupie seats" to connect the audience with the show. This was accomplished by taking out the first row of seats in the arena and replacing them with "pillows and blankets, so [that] the audience becomes part of the tribe," explains junior Brian Smith. Davidowitz agrees with the choice of this unorthodox seating arrangement because it "breaks the fourth wall, clarifies moments, and includes the audience." Fisch describes the production as a "fun, happy, campy musical with a political edge" with "something for everyone," while Fujita encourages people to "come for the hippies and stay for the great feeling that the show gives."