Hair Cut: L.A. Return Cancelled at Wilshire
by Christine Ehren
Playbill Online - July 5, 2001



Hair has been nothing but trouble this season. First the New York Encores!
production was batted about as a Broadway transfer, but interest more or
less disappeared in recent days. Then Los Angeles' Reprise! series announced
their revival of the rock musical (including the infamous nude scene) would
transfer, with Fran and Barry Weisslers as their producing arm.
Now, according to the Nederlander Organization, owners of Los Angeles
Wilshire Theatre where Hair was to have transferred, the July 24 Sept. 2 run
is cancelled. No official reason for the cancellation was given at press
time.

The Reprise! cast featured Sam Harris, Jennifer Leigh Warren and TV's Steven
Weber for Reprise!'s revival of the Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni and James
Rado rock opera. Harris, who stars as the drafted hippie Claude, was
Tony-nominated as JoJo in The Life. An L.A. Ovation Award winner for Hello,
Again, Warren (Shelia) performed in South Coast Repertory's world premiere
musical The Education of Randy Newman and in Broadway's Marie Christine and
Big River. Weber (Berger) is best known for his work on "Wings" and the
current sitcom "The Weber Show." His theatre credits include Death of a
Salesman, The Real Thing, directed by Mike Nichols and The School for Wives
directed by Olympia Dukakis.

Also in the cast were Rod Keller (Woof), Allan Louis (Hud), Stacy Francis
(Dionne), Marissa Winokur (Jeannie), Alisan Porter (Crissy), and Dan O'Brien
(Margaret Mead).

Frequent Reprise! helmer Arthur Allan Seidelman directed. He staged last
season's Reprise! staging of Mack and Mabel, now headed to Broadway, and is
currently at work on Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks for the Geffen
Playhouse.

Travis Payne choreographed with musical direction by Peter Matz. Payne's
credits include the WB series "Popstars," Naked Boys Singing and the famous
swing dance Gap Khakis commercial.

Hair rocked Broadway when it transferred there from the Public Theatre in
1968. The loosely-plotted musical follows a group of young hippies as they
live, love and then lose one of their number to the Vietnam War. "Aquarius,"
"Hair" and "Let the Sunshine In" were big pop hits; the score also includes
"Frank Mills," "Easy to Be Hard," "Where Do I Go" and "Good Morning
Starshine."

Refunds for tickets to the Wilshire Theatre staging of Hair are available at
the point of purchase.

Copyright Playbill Online.

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