It’s the dawning of the Age of Aquarius – Israeli style. A new production of Hair, in the one and only Ehud Manor translation to Hebrew, will premiere at the Cameri Theatre on January 7, 2015, directed by Moshe Kepten. Why Hair? Why now? To use 60s, jargon – is this still relevant?
“Wherever you may be on the political spectrum,” said Moshe Kepten at the press meeting held this morning in the rehearsal studio at the Cameri Theatre, “no one really wants war. As the father of two children, I hope that their future will be better, more open.”
Hair’s ‘make love not war message’ is one that easily translates into 21st century reality, but it’s the songs that make this musical live and breathe. Aquarius, Let the Sunshine, Easy to Be Hard and Hair – those of us who lived through the 60s may have forgotten everything else, but we remember the songs. Now, the original version of Hair did not have much of a plot, it was more of a happening, and succeeding versions have compensated for this in different ways. The current production will focus on the relationship between Claude and Berger, in the 48 hours before Claude is drafted.
The youthful, energetic (take a look at the photos) cast includes the very talented Oz Zehavi as Berger, and Dan Shapira as Claude. Kepten has a way with musicals, his very rich repertoire includes: Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl, Avenue Q, A Chorus Line, and many, many, many, more. This one promises to be a very large-scale production, with a cast of 45 actors accompanied by a live ensemble of 8 musicians.
Hair will be performed and sung in Hebrew, but it’s message is universal. Performances will begin January 7, 2015 at the Cameri Theatre. Dates, times and tickets are available via the Cameri Theatre website. Within the coming months, Hair will also have performances with English subtitles, check the website for availability.
