The Manship Theatre will host “HAIR,” a production about drug use and the sexual revolution, this weekend to benefit local animal shelter Yelp!BR.
This production is put on by an acting “tribe” from Puerto Rico, said production director Yinoelle Colon.
“We did a couple of shows in Puerto Rico and shot a DVD video of it,” Colon said. “The DVD got around and [Yelp!BR] thought the theme of the show would attract a lot of people,
The show has the humanitarian peace and love cause in it, and we want to spread that to the doggies.”
Yelp!BR is a nonprofit organization in Baton Rouge, said Betty Hullinger, director of Yelp!BR.
“We pull dogs that will be euthanized from places like animal control,” Hullinger said.
All proceeds from the show are being donated to Yelp!BR, Colon said.
“We have met the Yelp people, and they are great with the dogs,” Colon said.
Working with charities makes these productions more enjoyable, said Armando Viota, producer of this “HAIR” production.
“For us it’s a validation of the work we have done,” Viota said. “We are doing this because we love what we do — not for money, but for the dogs.”
Protection is part of the central message of “HAIR,” Colon said.
“We are just respecting what we are standing for,” Colon said.
The tribe from Puerto Rico has performed “HAIR” since March.
“We chose the show because of the themes and messages and we had actors that could fulfill the stereotypes shown in the play,” Colon said. “We’ll always have economic issues, social issues. … That’s what makes it an immortal production.”
The Manship Theatre is facilitating the production.
“When we learned about the Manship Theatre and its quality, there was no other place that could have housed such a complicated montage,” Colon said. “It’s a mini-opera house, and we have great music and great voices, and [Manship Theatre] is just so impressive.”
The production will be different from most because it takes place in 1968, Viota said.
“Most productions of ‘HAIR’ are modernized,” Viota said. “There is a Caribbean twist that our group brings to the table.”
The Caribbean twist is what separates this show from others, Colon said.
“We are Puerto Ricans, and we’re not from the original ‘hippie’ movement culture,” Colon said. “We can bring that freshness, that crispness. … We are warm, we are heated up people, and how they socialize will show our culture.”
This show will not deviate from the original production, Colon said.
“We are telling the story just as it happened,” Colon said. “It’s only that we are telling it biased by our Caribbean circumstances.”
“HAIR” is a boundary-breaking production with its nude scenes, including the one at the end of act one, which was a hit when the troupe performed in Puerto Rico, Colon said.
“Having 16 actors on stage getting naked in front of your eyes is a huge deal,” Colon said. “The second act started with applause from the audience because it was so well-received.”
Viota said the production is a spectacle not to be missed.
“You will feel that warmness from the beginning to the end,” Viota said.