25 artists on stage at the same time, for around thirty numbers in an atmosphere reminiscent of a 1960s hippie camp; Musical comedy To hate promises not to be boring.
“It’s very sporty [comme pièce]”It's a big and beautiful challenge!” admits Pierre-Olivier Grondin, an actor from Quebec, during the media visit behind the scenes of Hair on Monday. “Seeing all these people on stage and actively participating is something we don’t see often,” explains the man who will be performing in front of family and friends at the Albert Rousseau Hall.
“Hair” by Serge Denoncourt is about a group of hippies who seek refuge in an abandoned theater. The play takes place in 1968, in the middle of the Vietnam War, when Claude Bukowski (Philippe Touzel) receives his draft notice and has to enjoy his last moments with his friends before going to the front.
“It's a funny thing [cette pièce] in our directory; It’s more of a performance than a classic musical,” notes Pierre-Olivier Grondin, who will play the role of Berger. “The main character realizes that he is a gang of people; I’ve never done anything like this before.”
The setting of “Hair” will take the form of a hippie camp set up in an abandoned theater. Photo Alexandre Caputo
Still relevant
When “Hair” debuted on Broadway in 1968, the New York Times commented: “It is finally the first musical to touch on the present.” Even 55 years later, the themes it covers are still relevant today.
“In 2023 we would have hoped that the issues discussed there would be resolved: parity, sexism, racism, religious wars. But no, that’s still the case today,” complains director Serge Denoncourt. “Young people still recognize themselves in this space, and that's one of the things I wanted to address too; we are still at the same point [qu’en 1970].”
Actor Philippe Touzel Photo Alexandre Caputo
Actor Philippe Touzel also believes that Hair has the power to raise questions and arguments related to current events and the wars raging in 2023.
“That is often said [dans la pièce]: Make peace, end the war. It is impressive to say that it was founded in 1968 and that we are still experiencing the same thing in 2023.”
With 40,000 tickets already sold in Quebec, “Hair,” this musical with a powerful, hopeful soundtrack, opens at the Salle Albert-Rousseau on December 12th and runs there until January 7th.