Kensington Arts Theatre Brings 'Hair' to Town

The musical playing at takes place at a time of rampant protest, civil unrest and prolonged military conflict.

That, of course, would be the 1960s.

opened last week, and director Craig Allen Mummey said the response from the crowd has been great.

"There is a strong emotional attachment to the music for a lot of people who lived through the turbulence of the '60s," he said in an e-mail to Patch. "By the end of the show, when the audience is invited to dance onstage, they are up out of their seats in a flash."

"Hair" is the story of a tribe of counter-culture hippies, disillusioned with the ways of the world and experimenting with intoxicants, chemical and otherwise.

Kensington Arts Theatre is putting on the show, and Mummey said they chose "Hair" before Occupy Wall Street made its way onto front pages and evening news broadcasts.

"It is entirely by coincidence that our show and that movement are happening at the same time, but both sprang from the same sentiment that we are allowing hate and ignorance to divide us, and that we are failing to do our best for the country, for the world, and for each other," he said.

The show features drug use, profanity and brief nudity, and its subject matter stirred controversy when it opened in 1967. Mummey said the Kensington production hasn't encountered any backlash — instead, audiences have been receptive to its message of hope and acceptance.

"When you see 'Let the Sun Shine In' performed in context in the show, it takes on a whole new meaning," he said. "It is a plea to not allow the darkness of fear and hate to conquer goodness and love. In such vitriolic, hyperbolic times, that message is sadly as relevant and necessary as ever."

You can catch "Hair" at the town hall on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and on Sunday at 3 p.m. The show wraps up Nov. 19. Tickets range from $13 to $20, and you can buy them online on KAT's website.