‘The Higher the Hair the Closer to Heaven II’ opens at Coachlight Theatre

The beehive is back ... again.\nWith all the glitz, glamour and campy country fun of Dollywood, the musical “The Higher the Hair the Closer to Heaven II” opened Friday at the Coachlight Musical Theatre in Nashville, Ind. \nIn this original sequel to the theater’s first show, which opened April 2005, the ladies of the Beauty Barn and Boutique sing and dance their way to a happy relationship for lead performers Patty and Berle. \nThe four women of the shop: Penny Merle, the owner; Patty Bline, the manicurist and Pauletta Lynn and Polly Darton, the “cut and dye girls,” were “discovered” in the first “Higher the Hair.” Now they are back and touring with Berle Maggard as their manager. \nThrough the 27 songs, both modern and classic country standards, the girls bring Patty and Berle together, soothing and repairing their relationship woes through the lyrics.\nThe songs aren’t all serious. The small cast frequently ventured out into the audience to encourage participation. \nDoug May, writer and director of all the shows at the theater, said audience involvement is a key element in all their shows. \n“I really believe in breaking the fourth wall,” he said, referring to the line between the on-stage action and the people in the audience. \nThe ladies of the Beauty Barn forcibly dragged male audience from their seats to serenade them and flirt shamelessly. \nAnyone with a beehive hairdo that is “six inches or higher,” May and co-owner Susan Christenberry said, might win free admission to the show.\nEverything from the costumes to the set is covered in glitter and sequins, primarily in pink and purple with some silver stars thrown in for variety. It is, Christenberry said, “as campy as you can make it.” But the stereotypical “country” nature of this show’s over-the-top characters and costumes, in addition to its sing-along quality, is what gives the show such variety.\nShows at the Coachlight Musical Theatre begin at 7 p.m. every evening. Because the theater is a repertory theater, there is a different show performed every weekday, and the cast for each show rotates. \nFor more information, visit www.coachlightmusicals.com.