Hair - And Broadway Impact

The musical Hair last night was wonderful and played to a sold out house. Having been in my mid to late teens in the late 1960's I identified with the issues raised, particularly opposition to the Vietnam War and my own days of having shoulder length hair that I often wore in a ponytail. I also recall sweating bullets over maintaining a student deferment and then where one fell on the draft lottery - I was lucky and my birth date that year landed as 269 and safety from being drafted. The cast of the show was great and there was a great deal of cast interaction out amongst the audience and at the end of the show the stage was crowded with the cast and audience members.

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One cast member, Gavin Creel (pictured above), who played the role of Claude, stood out for a other reasons besides his terrific voice and looks: he is openly gay and has helped co-found Broadway Impact, which supports marriage equality for all citizens, gay or straight. The organization describes itself as follows:

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We are a community of actors, directors, stage managers, fans, producers — pretty much anyone who has ever seen, been in or worked on a Broadway show — united by the simple belief that anyone who wants to should be able to get married. Excited by the election of President Obama and angered by the passage of Prop 8, a group of friends came together with a hope to educate and inspire our community into action towards equality.

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We hope Broadway Impact can be a place for anyone and everyone out there who loves theatre, is passionate about equality, and wants to know how to sing out and make their voice heard. It's time for us to join together and use that voice in a way to make a huge difference. Join us on this journey to equality. It's time for action. We are ready. Are you?

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One of the activities that Broadway Impact is working on currently is organizing transportation from New York City to the National Equality March on October 10-11, 2009. Tickets are $20.00 round trip and are available through September 25, 2009. I hope people will take advantage of this option to join us all in Washington, D.C.