Director James Vásquez on what inspired The Old Globe’s production of Hair.

Interview by Danielle Mages Amato

Director James Vásquez. Photo by Mark Holmes.

 

What drew you to working on Hair? What made it a piece that you were excited to work on?

Not to date myself or my parents, but this piece represents my dad’s generation. I’m finding an interesting kind of connection to him in working on it. My dad joined the Air Force when he graduated high school. But I think what he probably really wanted to do was take to the streets and write poetry. I have memories of my dad when I was four or five, and he used to host poetry readings in our apartment. I grew up in this world of artists coming over and speaking their truths from a young age. And in that way, the ideas behind Hair are something I grew up with.

What are the challenges of tackling such an iconic and landmark piece, especially one that’s so specific to the time period in which it was written?
There’s always a little bit of—I wouldn’t call it fear—but more of just a question about what the audience will think. Especially audience members who know the musical so well and lived through the period. What are they going to think of this version, which is still set in 1967, in the period in which it was written, but in this production is definitely told through the eyes and the stories of 2020 and 2021? I think that’s exciting. 

What have been some of the surprises and challenges along the way? 
One thing I’m really surprised and grateful for, as the director of the piece, is that I was able to discover the through-line, the story that runs underneath the whole show. Because Hair is very Brechtian in structure—there are a lot of separate elements piecemealed together. Then I discovered that the whole show is about community. I started seeing Act I as introductions to the community, to the different parts of the community and how they come together for a common goal. There is something really deep and beautiful in that story, mixed in with this great music.

In terms of challenges in bringing Hair to the stage in 2021, it became clear that there are moments of the show that may not play as well as they did in 1967, that may actually be offensive, or hurtful, or even damaging. So, there have been a couple moments that we had to adjust or rethink in order to honor the musical’s intent and also celebrate the people in our community.

What have been your inspirations for the physical production?
I drew a lot of inspiration for the show from my youth: when I was 19, living in New York, and visiting the clubs with a bunch of the other club kids, seeing outrageous costumes and outrageous personalities. That opened my eyes and showed me that I could be whoever I wanted to be, authentically. I find right now there’s a big moment of awareness of gender, with people celebrating their authentic selves, be that queer or nonbinary or transgender. With this production, it’s a special thing to be able to celebrate queer lives on stage in an authentic way. And then add to that Black lives and Mexican American lives and Asian American lives—we have a beautifully diverse company that represents the world.

What kind of experience do you hope the audience will have when they come to see the show?
You know, I always have big hopes for Act III of every show I direct. Act III, to me, is the conversations that happen on the car ride home. So I hope that the show continues after curtain call, that it brings up conversations about the world and hopefully gives those in the audience a little more confidence to celebrate their authentic selves. There’s a lyric in the show where they sing, “Our eyes are open; our eyes are open.” That hits me so deep. This Tribe is able to see each other, they take the time to actually stop and look and listen to each other. And we can always use more of that.