Hair Apparent
Keegan Theatre lets the sunshine in with a rousing, energized revival of the provocative 1968 musical
Cast of ”Hair” at Andrew Keegan Theatre
(Photo by Julian Vankim)
And the sense of family that’s developed among the cast is why Rhea’s pride goes beyond the typical directorial delight in seeing a complicated show come to fruition.
”I just love and respect our cast so much,” says Ian Anthony Coleman, who plays the hyper-sexualized ”Colored Spade” Hud. ”Everyone’s so talented and so loving. It’s been a judgment-free space. It’s been very therapeutic and incredible to be around people that you can love and trust so quickly.”
Coleman, 23, is far from alone. Interviewed on Keegan’s stage immediately before an early dress rehearsal, several others in the cast heaped praise on the bond that they’ve formed working on this ensemble-based show, where nearly everyone is on the stage or in the immediate periphery for most of its nearly three-hour length. ”The cast has been absolutely fantastic. It’s definitely one of the friendliest, most open groups of people I’ve ever met,” says Ryan Patrick Welsh, who plays ”big ole homosexual” Steve and also serves as dance captain. ”We all kind of went out of our way to hang out a lot outside of the show, outside of rehearsals, so we could all kind of get familiar with each other and know each other so that we could bring those personal relationships on the stage.”
”As cliché as it sounds, we’ve become this big community and this big family. We’re all so comfortable with each other,” says Paul Scanlan, who plays the lead, Claude, struggling to weigh his opposition to war and love for tribe with duty to his country. Since graduating from Catholic University, Scanlan has been seen on many of the leading stages around D.C., including Signature and Ford’s. But he gives Keegan credit for pushing him further. Hair is the second show in a row with the company in which he didn’t try out for the lead, starring as the emcee in last year’s Cabaret. ”They’ve put me in these parts that I never see myself doing, that I learn a lot from and I think I benefit from because it gets me out of what I’m used to doing.”
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
