How to Draw a Crowd!

Cast members of AIC’s theater arts department gave shoppers an unexpected treat at the Holyoke Mall this weekend with a flash mob singing the title number from their upcoming production of Hair, the musical. Three floors of shoppers lined up to get a view of the performance in the food court area.

Hair depicts the birth of a cultural movement in the 1960s, telling the story of the tribe, a group of politically active, long-haired hippies living the flower child, free spirit lifestyle in New York City. The controversial play deals with issues of race, gender, free love, peace, protest, vulnerability, and finding oneself.

The production broke new ground in musical theater as a rock musical. According to AIC’s Director of Theater Arts Frank Borrelli, “This is a play about a richly diverse group of people. In addition to our talented and diverse group of theater arts students who will perform, we have several AIC alumni who have returned to join the cast. We wanted to reach out to the in casting the musical. The production will feature live music under the direction of Michael Rheault. This is new and very exciting for us.”

The musical will run April 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. and April 24 at 2 p.m. in the Griswold Theatre, Karen Sprague Cultural Center on the AIC campus. Due to strong language and adult situations, this production is suitable for mature audiences. There is a $5 admission for the general public which helps support the theater arts department. Seniors (65+) and students are free. More information calling 413-654-1486.

The production broke new ground in musical theater as a rock musical. And judging from the applause at the mall, the production…and the students…have a new group of fans in western MA.

You can read more about the surprise performance at the Holyoke Mall here: http://wwlp.com/2016/04/09/flash-mob-outbreak-at-the-holyoke-mall/.