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"Hair" costumes bring color and creativity to Clarence Brown's groovy production

The play takes the stage for the public starting Friday, April 21, and runs though May 7.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Hair, the groovy musical set in the late 1960s, opens to the public at Clarence Brown Theatre on Friday, April 21.

The show focuses on fighting for peace and love during a tumultuous time in history. Much like the performance, the costumes are a colorful representation of strong emotion and inclusion from beginning to end.

The costume shop at the CBT helps portray the vibrant vibe of hippies, while also staying true to the fashion of the late 1960s. Costume designer MJ Hromek upcycled different fabrics and clothes to create the costumes.

"I really wanted to lock in on that idea of positivity and peace and love, and talking with the director, one of the first things we were talking about is how it's so much of a community, so much individuality, and what fighting against the system can mean," Hromek said.

Patchwork and pieced-together patterns are a staple in this onstage wardrobe. Hromek said one dress for the character Jeannie is made out of an old quilt.

The crew also acquired a button press to make plenty of metal pins with real sayings and peace-seeking quotes, congruent with the time period. Plenty of people have also donated pieces of their clothing from that time period for the crew to hopefully use in the show.

Melissa Caldwell-Weddig, the costume shop manager, said her mom's old outfits might even be on display at the show. For her, the show is nostalgic.

"I was raised by hippies in the '70s, and the movie, I watched it when I was a little kid," Caldwell-Weddig said. "These clothes are all very familiar to me because it's what my mom dressed me in."

What completes the costumes, are various styled wigs. While the show is called Hair, there is actually a lot of natural hair being used, and wigs help supplement. Artist and wig expert Siobian Jones helped create everything from a bright purple bouffant to a realistic brunette bob.

If you would like to come to see the show and admire the colorful costumes, you can buy tickets at clarencebrowntheatre.com.

The show will run through May 7.

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