Andre de Shields to Direct 'Hair' at Buffalo State College

Two-time Tony Award nominee Andre De Shields will direct a production of Hair - The American Tribal Love Rock Musical at Buffalo State College. Performances are March 13-15 and March 20-22 at Warren Enters Theatre, Upton Hall in Buffalo, NY.

De Shields is no stranger to this ground-breaking musical as the Chicago production of Hair was his first professional job.  Hair author James Rado will attend rehearsals and work with the 28-member company in Buffalo on Saturday, February 9. Original Broadway cast member Robert I. Rubinsky and original Broadway publicist Merle Frimark will also attend, giving the cast members insight into the show and the era.

The musical broke new ground in musical theatre and the genre of the "rock musical" was born.  The show utilized a racially-integrated cast and invited the audience onstage for a "Be-in."  After an off-Broadway opening in October, 1967 at Joseph Papp's Public Theater, the production opened on Broadway in April, 1968 and ran for 1,750 performances, followed by a successful London production which ran for 1,998 performances. Numerous productions have been staged around the world since then, and numerous recordings of the musical have been released. Several of the songs from its score became Top 40 hits, and a successful film version was released in 1979.

Andre De Shields recently starred in the successful holiday engagement of The Classical Theatre of Harlem's production of Black Nativity and the title role in King Lear.  He was nominated for a Tony Award for the Broadway productions of The Full Monty and Play On!  He was in the original Broadway cast of Ain't Misbehavin' (Emmy Award) and is probably best known for creating the title role in the original Broadway production of The Wiz. He is an actor, singer, dancer, director and educator.

Hair, directed by Andre De Shields, is presented by the Buffalo State College Theater Department and Casting Hall Productions.  Performances will be March 13-15 and March 20-22 at Buffalo State College Warren Enters Theatre, Upton Hall.  Tickets are $10 and available by phone 716-878-3005 or on line at www.buffalostate.edu/theater

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