In his directorial debut, Adonis Perez-Escobar hopes to leave audiences moved and inspired by his recontextualized version of “Hair,” showing at Renaissance Theatre through July 26.
“Hair” follows a group of politically active young hippies in New York City as they explore identity, love, sexuality and anti-establishment ideals amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War during the 1960s.
“I think this play is a protest, an act of rebellion,” Perez-Escobar says. “I think it’s an act of love.”
More than 50 years after its debut, “Hair” remains relevant with its story marked by political division, social unrest and renewed fights for justice and identity, according to Renaissance Theatre Company’s website. The play reminds audiences that the fight for a better world is far from over.
“We are at a place where things are starting to get a little scary, and it’s time to get up and raise your voices and do something about it,” Perez-Escobar says. “I think that’s something that this show does and should inspire a Florida audience.”
He thinks people may need that more than ever before. On the opening night of “Hair,” Perez-Escobar says he was racially profiled. In a Facebook post, he wrote about a police car following his car after he left home. He was on his way to the show, but he decided to pull into a shopping plaza since he felt something was off.
The car followed and he went into a retail store to wait. He says two men dressed in jeans, black athletic polos and black hats followed him around the store, and one whistled at him.
Perez-Escobar felt anxious and called his friends for help. Donald Rupe, founder of Renaissance Theatre Company, came to escort Perez-Escobar out of the store while Blake Aburn, actor for Renaissance Theatre Company, kept a lookout.
He says Aburn saw one of the men talking to himself in what could have been an earpiece.
“You have to start being more aware of your surroundings,” Perez-Escobar says. “I don’t want to cause paranoia or anything, but I do think we live in a bubble where we’re in a very open, loving community that we forget that there are people out there who aren’t, whose natural inclinations aren’t that.”
The musical calls for unity, resistance and radical love. The characters must grapple with what it means to be free and American.
Abby Cash, choreographer, says the play is a call to action. She says getting to work on “Hair” was cathartic and has helped her reconnect with political issues and her beliefs.
“We’re seeing how we can take care of each other, how we can help each other and just coming and participating in things at the Ren is an act of protest,” Cash says.
In 1967, “Hair” had a six-week limited run and then opened on Broadway. The musical played 17 previews and 1,750 performances before closing in 1972 and earning Tony Award nominations for Best Direction and Best Musical.
Following the original production, a movie version of “Hair” was released in 1972. While it received mixed reviews upon its release, the film has since become a cult classic.
Perez-Escobar says his version of “Hair” is a reimagined one with both his and Cash’s stamp. He thinks the show is best experienced somewhere like the Renaissance Theatre Company.
“I think this is the way that ‘Hair’ should be experienced, in a 360 immersive sort of warehouse,” Perez-Escobar says. “So come, because you’re not going to find ‘Hair’ like this anywhere else.”
“Come see how theater can be in 2025 when you let the new kids try it,” Cash adds.
When it came to approaching the characters for “Hair,” Perez-Escobar says he made it clear to the actors that he wanted them to take ownership of the role, showing who they truly are.
A cast member’s parent told him that she didn’t remember “Hair” being “this gay.” He says it’s always been there.
“Most theaters, they don’t push it, because it’s not directly written in there,” Perez-Escobar says. “But I’m like, ‘it’s a hippie commune, they’re all fluid, they’re all open.’”
If the actors felt the need to add a kiss, even if it wasn’t scripted, Perez-Escobar says he encouraged them to express themselves. He wants the show to have more queerness.
Cash thinks the cast and crew did a great job at creating a safe environment for diversity in age, body types and race.
“They all are so unique as people that it’s not hard to let that shine, you just have to give them permission to be themselves and to express themselves,” Cash says.
“Hair” is billed as “the American tribal love-rock musical,” and Perez-Escobar says the show is a rendition of what it means to be American. He sees his parents and himself in the characters who are fighting for their rights, to stay in a country that’s oppressing them.
He came to the U.S. when he was five, and he says some people think that doesn’t make him an American.
On June 14, Cash received a comment from a patron who couldn’t go to the national “No Kings” protest because of mobility issues. He told Cash that coming to the show was his form of protest by contributing to the arts.
“I thought [the patron’s comment] was really powerful and special,” Perez-Escobar says, adding that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to reach liberation and freedom.
Cash thinks audiences should feel hopeful when watching “Hair.” She says there’s a lot of hope when people can come together with love and unity in mind.
“It is a show that… will make you feel inspired,” Cash says. “I think it kind of helps you have ownership of your own situation, of knowing that you can go out and make a difference, even if it’s in an unconventional way. Maybe you can’t protest but you can create something artistic, just to express yourself in your own way, and to contribute in your own way.”
Perez-Escobar says there is a lot to be grateful for when he thinks of all the hard work the cast and crew have put into the show.
“There’s just so much love there,” Perez-Escobar says. “I see them helping each other out. I see them … really relying on each other to get through the show. I think it’s one of the most beautiful things.”
“Hair” plays at the Renaissance Theatre Company in Orlando through July 26. Tickets start at $33 and are available at RenTheatre.com.
