I must be old, because the presence of hippies in the lobby of the Tower Fine Arts Center at SUNY Brockport didn't strike me as strange until some of the more outlandish costumes and afros began to appear. I then realized they were the actors. The play "Hair" actually begins there -- in the lobby -- and continues within the theater, where the actors lounge around, blowing bubbles, juggling balls, joking, and interacting with the audience. On stage, girls do spaced-out tag dancing while a young man meditates to a singing bowl's song. It is only when a woman with a very large ‘fro strolls down the aisle asking us how we're all doin' and proceeds to tell us to silence our new-fangled phone devices, directing our attention to the exits in case we have to blow the joint -- no pun intended -- that the crowd settles down to watch. But not for long, as this is a participatory play, whether designed to be so or not.

"When the moon is in the Seventh House..." I wasn't the only one who got chills when Ronny began singing "Aquarius." Played to death and sounding like Muzak on the radio, the song is really an eerie and swelling gem done live. With the arrival of Claude in his British flag bikini skivvies and Berger in his loincloth, my two female friends turned to me and said, "Totally worth coming!" There is a lot of male skin in the show. It's totally worth seeing. Which is why, I must admit, I totally forgot to take notes during the first act.

Thank dog I'm not so old that my memory fails me. Seeing the old pro-love and anti-war protest signs sent me on a stroll down Memory Lane. Not just pretty gimcracks, these spoke for very troubled and turbulent times, the present political maelstrom almost being a mirror, except for the lack of public uprising and national demonstrations of outrage.

I don't want to serve up any spoilers, because this show has some surprises, but be prepared to participate. This show begs for you to engage. I was surprised at how many songs I knew, some well enough to even sing along. But more than that, the show made me feel patriotic. Patriotic in that heart-swelling way. You know, like back in grade school when you stood with your hand over your heart reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Proud to be in America, the greatest country in the world. Where purple mountains' majesty and amber waves of grain were part of living the American Dream, not the fodder of new "Green" merchandizing. And, most importantly, before the PATRIOT Act made patriot a dirty word.

Gliddy glub gloopy

Nibby nabby noopy

La la la lo lo...

Next up: Rochester High Falls International Film Festival