You can tell it’s the Age of Aquarius by the sounds currently emanating from Lake Worth Playhouse. With the “unofficial” opening of their 2025-2026 season, the community theater has decided to take down their buns and ponytails while picking up joints and tabs with Hair. A musical set in the times of burgeoning counterculture, the production embraces a different way of life; one more familiar with the arts and aesthetics, one desperately needed now.
The kind of person I am, the one who slides into his seat, enjoys the show, and leaves during the bows, I was taken aback by entering Lake Worth Playhouse. Before entering, I was met with a litany of signs that expressed that the show contains brief nudity, therefore all photography and videography was prohibited. This usually goes without saying at performances, although they will tell you in every pre-show ever, but special consideration is given to the nature of the performance. In case you are wondering, yes, Hair contains full frontal nudity of some of its cast members just before intermission, but it happens so fast and the lights are dimmed that if you blink, you’ll likely think to yourself, “Wait… what?”
That’s kind of magical, though, when you ponder the arena. Cast mill about in the aisles, barefoot, as patrons find their seats, oftentimes coming into the audience, interacting with them, touching them. These kinds of performances make my skin crawl, but this Tribe didn’t force it, and I oddly felt elated when my eyes would meet a flower child’s, almost asking them to flick their hair in my face. For such a large ensemble piece, choreographer Brittany Jenkins should be wholly commended for a wild ride. My favorite touch was, in effect, a human pyramid at the edge of the stage, each cast drooping their heads down, letting their hair fall, like it was in the crowd with us.
One of the best parts about attending shows at Lake Worth Playhouse is that you can feel palpable fun in the air, the atmosphere of the place. From Artistic Director Daniel Eilola greeting patrons at the entrance to the main theater, to Billy Hannam as Berger (who has become a staple for the company), everyone just seems to be living their best lives. Maybe this is why I didn’t mind another human’s hair whipped in my face or a hand grazing my shoulder as someone runs by me, through an aisle, up the stairs, to their mark.
Shout outs are in order, and the best comes from the cast. Quinn Doyle as Claude is rich and layered like it should be; conflicted and impressionable. The haircut made my jaw drop. His co-stars Patricia Garcia as Sheila, Desir Dumerjuste as Hud, Sorangel Munoz as Dionne, Dimitri Gann as Woof, Mia Karrh as Jeanie, Elizabeth D’Amico as Crissy, and so many others, each held their own. However, the most memorable performance of the night comes from Rosseroni Parris’s Margaret Mead: hilarious, dubious, effortless. The directing combo from Suzanne Dunn and Elizabeth Robinson is one to watch out for in all upcoming productions. And Donya Lane’s band! Go watch this show for the live band.
