Download Press Release - Music from Hair at Cotuit Center for the Arts

For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email: [email protected]
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
Music from “Hair” at Cotuit Center for the Arts
Cotuit Center for the Arts presents “The Music from ‘Hair’” on Saturday, October 25, at 8 PM. The
show, co-produced by Tedi Marsh and Bart Weisman, features singers and instrumentalists from
New York, Boston, and Cape Cod in concertized production of “The American Tribal Love-Rock
Musical.” Louis Sacco, of New York, is music director.
Controversial and daring when it opened on Broadway in 1968 for its portrayal of the hippie
counterculture, its themes of antiwar protest, free love, racial integration, and hallucinogenic drugs,
and its use rock music, “Hair” has not lost its edge, or its appeal for today’s audiences.
“It is a revolutionary piece of theater that is still timely over 40 years later,” said Tedi Marsh, a wellknown Cape Cod entertainer. “It is about young people standing up for what they believe in and
taking control, something we can all relate to. For me as a producer, it is an opportunity to work with
some fine young singers and actors, the stars of tomorrow.”
Marsh said that her goal in casting the show was to introduce New Yorkers to the Cape, and to
introduce Cape audiences to talented singers from New York and Boston, and she has brought
together an exceptional cast for this production.
Kasie Gasparini and Justin Luciano are from New York, where they have numerous musical and
theatrical credits. This will be the first appearance for both on the Cape.
Kaedon Gray is a singer/actor from Boston who also has his own rock band. He recently appeared in
“Once on this Island” at Harwich Junior Theater. “Hair” will be his second Cape performance.
From Cape Cod are Hannah Carrita, Anthony Teixeira, and Cerise. Teixeira has appeared in many
plays and musicals at Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cape Rep Theater, Chatham Drama Guild, and
Theater Under the Stairs. Recently, he was in "What the World Needs Now—A Musical Tribute to
Burt Bacharach,” “Company,” and “A Grand Night for Singing” at CCftA.
Carrita is a singer, dancer, and actor from Sandwich who has appeared in productions at Falmouth
Theatre Guild, Harwich Junior Theater, and Cotuit Center for the Arts. She won the Cape Cod Cabaret
Festival produced by Marsh and Weisman at CCftA in April.
Cerise Bynoe, known professionally as Cerise, is a jazz vocalist from Orleans. She sings frequently
with the Charlie Jamieson Trio featuring Cerise and has appeared with the Cape Symphony. She sang
in "A Musical Tribute to Burt Bacharach” at CCftA.
Marsh has selected the songs for the show, which include favorites such as “Hair,” “Aquarius,” “Easy
to be Hard,” “Good Morning Starshine,” “Let the Sunshine In,” and many more.
“The music has really stood the test of time,’ said Bart Weisman. “They are wonderful songs, wellwritten, both in terms of music and lyrics.” The show includes a wide range of rock styles—rockabilly,
folk rock, rhythm and blues, and acid rock—that capture the late 1960s.
“For those who remember the show, the music will bring back great memories,” said Weisman. “I
know it will for me.”
“’Hair’ was the first musical I was exposed to, back when I was 13 or 14 and just learning to play the
drums,” said Weisman. “The drummer at the National Theater in Washington DC took me under his
wing and introduced me to the drum set. I have wanted to do ‘Hair’ ever since.”
In addition to Bart Weisman on drums, the band will include the Grab Brothers from Provincetown—
Marc on guitar and Larry on bass—known on and off-Cape for their high-energy blend of “Retro for
Today” guitar rhythms and memorable lyrics.
Drew Gasparini will play piano. Gasparini, Kasie’s brother, is a pianist, singer/songwriter, lyricist, and
composer, whose compositions were featured on NBC musical drama, “SMASH.” This is his second
show on the Cape; he also appeared in the Cape Cod Cabaret Fest.
Music director Louis Sacco has worked with Tedi Marsh in the past, most recently at the Cabaret
Fest. Sacco is a singer, vocal coach, composer, lyricist, actor, and pianist. Having recently seen a
revival of “Hair,” he, too, is excited to bring the music to the Cape.
Sacco, Weisman, and Marsh are taking a team approach to the show. “It’s a collective of incredible
minds and talents,” said Marsh, who also credits David Kuehn, executive director of CCftA for his
support. “It’s a great project to work on, and I really think the audience is going to enjoy this
concertized version, which includes a bit of narration about the show, costumes, backdrops, and
lighting effects.”
Tickets for “Hair” are $25, $22 for seniors, and $20 for members. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404
Route 28 in Cotuit. For more information, visit artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.
# # #
What:
“The Music from ‘Hair’”
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
Saturday, October 25, 8 PM
Admission:
$25, $22 for seniors, and $20 for members
END