Psychedelic and free-spirited, it was "the dawning of the age of Aquarius"-it was the 1960s. Hillel Theater Group's adaptation of the musical Hair, which opened Sunday night at the Shapiro Theater and runs through Saturday, hopes to paint a portrait of that era-or at least how the playwrights recorded it.

Written in the mid-60s, Hair's extremely loose plot explores not only the hippy subculture of the era, but also the impact of the Vietnam War on America's rebellious youth.

The musical lends little thought to character development and cohesive narrative structure. That, however, did not detract from Hair's goal of capturing the idealism of the '60s.

Hair's cast is torn by romantic conflict expressed through heartfelt songs. Almost the entire tale of the tribe is told through song and dance, making the origins of the show's subtitle, The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical obvious.

Claude Bukowski (Jon Weinstein '07), a charismatic young man torn between values of peace and love and the threat of a military draft, personifies these inner-struggles.

In a similar way, Woof (Assaf Ben-Atar '07) was particularly captivating, especially in the song "Sodomy," during which psychedelic drugs were distributed freely to cast members.

His eyes and face exemplified his emotions, and his character seemed particularly realistic.

Weinstein's Claude and Shelon Best's '08 portrayal of Hud were also enthralling. The two actors developed their characters to the fullest extent possible with the show's limited plot, and gave impressive vocal performances.

Jason Fenster's '08 performance as George Berger featured dynamic facial expressions, but his singing was not up to par with the rest of the cast.

This particular adaptation channeled the musical's free-spirited theme by effectively using the entire space of Shapiro Theater. The actors often ventured beyond the stage, dancing through aisles and bringing the audience along for their wild ride.

Daring, multi-colored costumes designed by Courtney Rand '07 were donned not only by the lead soloists, but also by the chorus and even some members of the orchestra. Some wore tie-dyed T-shirts, while others sported period slogans like "Take LSD" and "The System is rotting."

Aside from a middle-fingered salute to then-President Lyndon B. Johnson, Hair's most provocative moment was a bedroom orgy scene. In the orginal version by Joseph Pap there was full nudity in several scenes.

Hillel Theater Group's adaptation opted instead to strip its cast down to its underwear. Although avoiding the intentional excess of the original, this interpretation was still effective, and the scene remained tasteful while still preserving the spirit of the play.

Those free-spirited and fearless attitudes have characterized Hair for three decades, and Hillel Theater Group's adaptation of the infamous musical certainly maintained the show's always-controversial influence. The cast and crew succeeded in drawing the audience to the psychedelic atmosphere of the 1960s.

For the members of Sunday night's audience, Hair was the perfect opportunity to lose themselves to a time when anything seemed possible.

Editors' note: Brian Paternostro '07, who directed Hair, is the assistant layout editor of the Justice.