Rock musical Hair, directed by Tony Award winner Ben Vereen, sets sales record for Venice Theatre
(Venice, FL) Hair, The American Tribal Love Rock Musical, will be performed on Venice Theatre’s MainStage Tuesday, Nov. 10 through Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. Tickets are $32 for adults, $20 for students (recommended age 18 and up), and are on sale now at www.venicestage.com, 941-488-1115 or in person at 140 W. Tampa Ave. on the island in Venice. The theatre released single tickets for the show this Tuesday, May 26. Sales that day shattered box office records. Venice Theatre’s Executive/Artistic Director Murray Chase reports that over two houses of Hair were sold on Tuesday: a total of 1,018 tickets in one day. Over 70% of those sales were online, although there was a line of patrons at the box office when it opened for business at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Sales have remained strong through the week. Chase says he will be adding at least two performances to the run, dates to be determined.
Aside from the appeal of the popular musical itself, Chase attributes the excitement to the fact that Ben Vereen is directing the production. The Tony Award winning Broadway, film, and television legend held auditions earlier this month and has selected a large cast of local singers, actors and dancers. Vereen said he was looking for, “creative performers with heart and passion of all ethnicities and ages.” Vereen’s artistic team includes Music Director Michelle Kasanofsky, Choreographer Geena Ravella, Assistant Director Kristofer Geddie, and Stage Manager Lisa Million.
A product of the 1960s peace movement, hippie counterculture, and sexual revolution, Hair won the 1968 Tony Award and broke new ground in theatre by defining rock musicals. Book and lyrics are by James Rado and Gerome Ragni with music by Galt MacDermot. Musical numbers include Aquarius, Good Morning Starshine, Easy to Be Hard, What a Piece of Work Is Man, Hair, and I Got Life. Several were crossover hits on 1960s radio.
Again, Hair will be performed Tuesdays through Sundays Nov. 10 – Dec. 12, 2015. Single tickets are available at the box office at 941-488-1115, online at www.venicestage.com, and in person at140 W. Tampa Ave. on the island in Venice. Money-saving subscriptions are also available for the 2015-2016 Season. Summer box office hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before all performances.
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CAST: Joseph Visaggi, Ted DeVirgilis, Nancy Pasternack, Henry Lawrence, Kaitlyn Terpstra, Brian Finnerty, Josue Rivera, Khamor Lyons, Zach Wasson, Samuel Echevarria, Patrick Mounce, Logan Junkins, Jamon Buie, Anthony Jacot, Krysta White, Valentine Tarisse, Corinne Woodland, Tahlia Byers, DaNiesha Carr, Casey Kelley, Liz Pascoe, Kim Gaesser, Vera Samuels, Leah Woodsum, Jessica Babcock, Amanda Heisey, Samantha Centerbar, Ariella Pizarro, Mirra MacDonald, Kaitlyn Rosen, Jamie Millan, Charlotte Crowley, Annika Bush
Tickets: 941-488-1115
Venice Theatre’s mission is making a dramatic impact on all stages of life. The second-largest out of 10,000 community theatres in the United States, it is located at 140 W. Tampa Ave .on the island in Venice, FL. Its MainStage offers seating for 432 patrons and features musicals, plays, concerts and special events. Its Yvonne Pinkerton Theatre seats 90 patrons and is home to the theatre’s “Generations”, Stage II and Cabaret Series. In addition to providing entertainment to the community, Venice Theatre has a wide range of education and outreach programs for children and adults.
