[Mb-hair] Richard Haase Has Come Upon My Idea!

[Jim Burns]

I've been thinking of doing a one-performance, perhaps no more than two
performance, production of HAIR--reuniting as many members of the
original Broadway cast, as possible--for a WHILE now!

I had even begun the earliest possible parts of producing, talking with
two of the directors who specialize in putting these large theatrical
events together--

When Seth Rudetsky announced the Actors Fund HAIR!

(And, I was thinking, you can't be doing two big ticket HAIR fund-raiser
concerts, for charity, at the same time.)

:-)

I should explain for those elsewhere. One of the nice fun New York
theatrical tickets in recent years, has become when an all-star cast,
for one night only, performs a muscal play, in concert version--which
basically just means there are no sets, or costumes, but otherwise, the
play is done in toto, often with a narrator, just to fill in the
narrative gaps created by having no scene/set changes.

(And, if it's THE WIZARD OF OZ, it's done WITH Toto....)

:-)

There were some great fun things to look. with the HAIR project to look
forward to:

Could Jim be convinced to take the stage again, even for one night?

(Seeing him sing Saturday was exciting. I consider "Where Do I Go," a
GREAT song, and recording.)

Could Diane Keaton be persuaded, to participate?

Who would I cast as Berger? In my notes, not remembering if any of the
later actors were still around, I wrote that it could be interesting,
for this one reunion, only,  to cast Ben Vereen....

Reuniting Lorri Davis, and Rubinsky, and
Plimpton, and LiPari, and Mosco and Moore and all the rest would be
thrilling, much as it was, just a few days ago!

The economics for putting this type of show together, even in one of the
bigger venues, is relatively simple, once you've worked things out, with
Equity, and the musican's union, and all the rest.

For those of you who saw Jim and I in tete-a-tete Saturday night, one of
the things I mentioned is that there are certain projects that need to
be done as soon as possible, while there's still time...

Even on our shared isle, of procrasti-nation.

:-)

(The procrastination of the United States of America?)

:-)

So, keep your fingers crossed, let's hear some good ideas--

And please, keep mums the word, for now.

(Or, if not, and, if you're so inclined, at least send your mum, some
mums...)

;-)

Best, Jim Burns