Bernice Bobs Her Hair, the F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, has always inspired Julia Gregory. Musically speaking, the roaring 20’s was a fascinating time in our country’s history. A definite cultural shift in music was occurring. Although classical music and traditional waltzes dominated the elite society, kids all across America were gravitating towards dance music like the Charleston & the Black Bottom. Meanwhile, the African-American rhythm & blues movement was taking root and many “white folk” couldn’t help but sneak away to underground speak-easies to hear the jazzy beats.

Julia started her musical research for Bernice in 1997 and began writing her first songs for the show in 1999. She wanted to write a big tap dance musical that would incorporate different musical styles of the early 1900s – 1920s. She approached Renato Biribin, Jr. with the idea and asked if he would adapt the story with her. 
With New Haven, Connecticut, society as his background, Fitzgerald weaves a tale of female independence from an unlikely heroine, bland Bernice from Eu Claire, Wisconsin. Though she is quite attractive, Bernice seems to relish her wallflower role until she decides enough is enough: she wants to fit in and be popular. With the help of her cousin, Marjorie, her transformation is complete, and she wins the hearts of all the fellas. That is, until Marjorie and her friends pressure her to bob her hair. When she actually goes through with it, she is immediately shunned by “decent society”.

At the end of Fitzgerald’s story, Bernice is packing her bags to return to Eu Claire. She doesn’t leave, however, without first exacting revenge on Marjorie by snipping her braids in the middle of the night. 
When they began to write Bernice Bobs Her Hair, it became clear to both Julia and Renato that Bernice was one special lady. As they got to know her, they realized the opportunity, in fact, the need to tell “the rest of her story”. What if Bernice didn’t go back to Eu Claire? Where could she go? What society would accept a woman with a progressive haircut? What if the simple act of cutting your hair could open up a world of unforeseen opportunity? What if it could change your life, change your perspective, ultimately leading you to your true self?

The decision was unequivocal: they would send Bernice on the journey of a lifetime.

In Bernice Bobs Her Hair the musical, the first act loosely follows the same story as Fitzgerald’s plot, but in the second act, Julia and Renato send Bernice and some of her supportive friends from New Haven into the buzzing metropolis of Manhattan!

The story takes place in the historical summer of 1920.  Prohibition was enacted in January of that same year. Also during that summer, the 19th Amendment (which was passed by Congress in June of 1919 and gave women the right to vote) was still facing a tough battle for ratification.  Thus giving us the fortuitous opportunity for prohibition and women’s suffrage to collide, and do they ever in the musical version of Bernice Bobs Her Hair!  The women’s suffrage movement gives rise to Bernice’s political career while prohibition gets her friends into some good-old fashioned boot-legging trouble.

Bernice Bobs Her Hair – a musical comedy about how the simple act of cutting your hair can change your entire life!

We hope you enjoy it!