Hair

I had such an enjoyable time at the Mountain Play's current staging of Hair, high atop Mount Tamalpais, that I went twice to take in the full experience. The production features close to 40 actors, a fully tripped-out band, and even a smoke-filled VW bus skidding to the front of the outdoor amphitheatre. The musical, which shocked and delighted audiences back in the Summer of Love (first rock musical, first openly gay character on Broadway, drugs, and nudity!), feels rather tame and clichéd by today's standards. A bunch of scraggly hippies singing endless songs justifying flower power, long hair, LSD, and group sex must seem rather quaint to the audience that looked like they lived it all 40 years ago. This production is joyful and celebratory if a bit dated — and unfortunately lacking naked actors — but what really stands out is the entire experience that your ticket buys. Pack a picnic, bring the wine, as well as the kids and old friends, and park the car down in Mill Valley. School buses shuttle huge audiences to the mountain top with outrageous views, musicians play pre-and post-show acts, bottles of soap-bubbles are given out, and ice cream and cheeseburgers are sold. Afterward, a bus will take you back, or for the adventurous there's a beautiful, and optional, six-mile hike down. A brilliant way to spend a lazy Sunday.

— Nathaniel Eaton