The Broadway Impact press conference with cast members of the Broadway revival of HAIR, held in front of Broadway’s St. James Theatre, revealed that several prominent same-sex Broadway couples are getting married at the St. James Theatre on July 25, immediately following that evening’s performance of the Tony Award-Winning revival of HAIR.
PR gimmick? Perhaps. But who gets married for marketing? That being said, this announcement did come just days before the opening of HAIR’s return to Broadway. The teary-eyed cast (including Matt DeAngelis, Paris Remillard, Larkin Bogan, Allison Guinn, Josh Lamon) and Rory O’Malley, actor Joel Grey as well as members of Broadway Impact were as jubilant (and completely sincere) as the crowd celebrating in Sheridan Square after the marriage equality bill was signed. Jordan Roth, president of Jujamcyn Theatres, declared that “the theater is the place where we come together to celebrate and affirm who we are. It is the place where we stand in front of our community to speak our truth. That is theater. And that is also a wedding.”
These unions will be some of the first legal same-sex weddings in New York State. Oskar Eustis, artistic director of The Joseph Papp Public Theater, stood beside a teary-eyed Joel Grey and said: “HAIR has always been more than just a show – its spirit of activism means changing the world, not just entertaining it. The entire company of this amazing production went to Washington to march for marriage equality and we are honored to be back on Broadway helping New York show the world what real equality means.”
With HAIR back on Broadway, and couples getting hitched all over town, this really is the summer of love.
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HAIR is running on Broadway for 10 weeks through September 10
Press conference photos by Jeffrey James Keyes
Production photos courtesy Joan Marcus
JH
Not a marketing gimmick. Broadway Impact, who did a lot of phone banking in support of marriage equality in NY State was co-founded by Gavin Creel, who cited his participation in the Broadway production of Hair as a big part of the inspiration for starting the group.
Notice that Rory O’Malley, who is one of Broadway Impact’s other co-founders, is featured prominently in the picture wearing the group’s tee.
Please don’t be so cynical!
James Linsey
My partner (to be “husband” this Sept. 29) marched along with the Broadway cast of Hair in the last, very big demonstration in Washington, D.C.
They worked out a deal with the theater to swap in a new date so they could march in D.C. and leave the the show “dark” for that Saturday matinee. What fun!!
Hair–and all of theater–is and always has been seeing things from a different angle. 🙂
James Linsey
sorry, wedding is Sept. 10. 🙂
John
girl in the blue shirt is cute
Josh
Totally legit. Broadway IS gay people. This is a real issue to them, not just a news story. Back in 2009, the entire cast of HAIR went to Washington DC on their one day off that week to march for Equality.