Rider University student-actors will recreate the atmosphere of the free-spirited flower children of the '60s in their presentation of the classic rock musical, "Hair." Rider’s adaptation will run November 11, 12, 18 and 19 in the Fine Arts Center’s Yvonne Theater on Rider’s Lawrenceville campus.

The cast of "Hair"

The curtain rises at 8 p.m. each evening. A matinee performance will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 12. A preview performance will take place on Thursday, November 10 at 7 p.m. and a brush-up performance on Thursday, November 17, also at 7 p.m. The play is geared for mature audiences.

Written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, the original musical opened on Broadway in 1968. Rider student-actors first restaged it on the University's campus in 1991. "Ever since, many supporters have asked that we bring it back," said Dr. Patrick Chmel, chairperson of the fine arts department and the production's director. "Although the material has not changed, this production of "Hair" will be somewhat darker, reflecting world circumstances today that were not evident in 1991.

"Though it is a bit darker, it will still be the youthful, energetic, irreverent and playful romp that "Hair" should be," added Chmel. "Ragni and Rado broke every musical theatre convention in the book. The music is the message. It is a celebration, not a story; a collage, not a realistic landscape; an explosion of sound and image, not a narrative with a neat resolution. Its intent is not to push drugs but to push love, harmony and understanding, and to remind us that our "hang-ups" keep us from full realization. The message is ageless."

Featuring "The Tribe," a group of politically-active, long-haired "hippies of the Age of Aquarius," the show follows their protest against conscription to the Vietnam War. Among them are Claude and Berger -- a pair of friends battling against Claude's draft notice, and Sheila, who is in love with both of them. Other characters include Jeannie who is always protesting about something and Woof, Crissy, Hud and Dionne who epitomize the hippy days of the late sixties. Musical numbers include "Aquarius," "Good Morning Starshine," "Hare Krishna," and "What a Piece of Work is Man."

Rider's revival of "Hair" will be a special highlight of a reunion of theater alumni and Alpha Psi Omega - the national honorary theater society - on November 19.

"At the beginning of our rehearsals, the students seemed pretty clueless," said Chmel. "Yet, after considerable historical research and an immersion into the minds of the '60s youth through the observation of documentaries and numerous sensory exercises, they began 'to get it.'" They've learned to love the free spirit of the '60s generation."

The cast consists of 30 Rider students and Nicole Chapman, a freshman from Brookdale Community College. The protagonists are: acting scholar Eddie Egan, a junior communication major as Berger; acting scholar Danny Lane, a junior fine arts major as Claude; acting scholar Kim Hausler, a senior fine arts major/dance and Spanish minor; Bjorn Stowers, a junior fine arts major as Hud; David Yashin, a junior fine arts major as Woof; acting scholar Rachel Messler, a senior journalism and fine arts major as Crissy; and Tunisia Hayward, a music theater/voice major as Dionne.

Tickets are $10 for the general public, and $5 for students, faculty and staff. For the preview performance on Thursday, November 10 and a brush-up performance on Thursday, November 17, tickets are $4 at the door. For more information, call (609) 896-5303.