"HAIR" today

I'm talking about the musical "HAIR" and actually it was last night - and man, was it fun!

We arrived home late Saturday night after a really fantastic week in northern California. Berkeley was great, our five days at the land were excellent, and then we spent a night at the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco (a real splurge) and together with L&L and old friends from LA, H&A, we walked all around the city (as my friend Mia says, San Francisco is better than a thighmaster and she isn't kidding.) We had dinner at a fantastic restaurant in the Mission district - Range - and then the next day we flew home. I assumed, as often happens to me, I would get home and be happy to see Zoe, and the dogs and then would get mildly depressed about my real life, which is well...real.

But then yesterday was a gorgeous day and I was walking through Central Park when I noticed that the line was moving for the Delacorte theater (the Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park venue- which is now playing "Hair"). Usually you see people sitting on the ground from 6 o'clock in the morning, with beach chairs and blankets in a line that often snakes for a quarter of a mile. (Or something like that. Long enough to discourage lazy people like me from joining them.) But the line was moving, fast, so I walked up and asked the woman in front of me, "Is this the line for HAIR? Are they actually giving out tickets?"

And she said, "I think so! I think maybe we might get some!" And then a young woman who works for the Public said, "Even if you don't get tickets, you may get vouchers. And then your chances are really good that you will get it."

I read the review in the Times a few weeks back while I was in LA and I thought, "Damn, I want to see that show, but it will close before we get back." It turns out that it has been so popular that it was extended to September 14th and I did get a voucher. I tried to reach Zoe, who was home sleeping, and I couldn't reach her. So I thought of one of my friends in the woman's group - Annette - and I actually ran into her later in the afternoon and invited her. She was thrilled, we arrived at the theater at 6:30 pm with sandwiches and waited for our number (#33) to be called and then we got (I'm embarrassed to admit) really good seats (I think they were corporate) and the show was so much fun and brought back so many memories. We knew every song and it couldn't have been more pertinent to the times today. They are bringing it to Broadway and I would like to be one of the backers. Annette and I got on stage at the end and danced and jumped around like we were 18 and I can't wait to see it again. We hugged the lead actor and one young man said to him, "Man, thank you! You changed my life!"

The entire theater emptied out and headed in different directions, singing and humming and talking about the 60's and what that time meant to this country and to the world.

New York, I love you. And thanks Oskar Eustis, the new director of the Public. Great show!