brilliant baby claude

So, today I had an entirely different smile prepared, but then I came home, saw this video on Twitter of Baby Claude singing Frank Mills from HAIR (as performed by the lovely Allison Case...at the end he hopes that her "hippy feels better" LOVE) and realized that nothing makes me smile more than William, known throughout the HAIR community as "Baby Claude". So naturally, he is the Happy Hippie I will be blogging about today.
William first became known among the HAIR Tribe and fan base when Gavin Creel (Claude in the Broadway Revival) posted this video to his twitter this summer:


Needless to say, this made Gavin smile, me smile, EVERYONE smile. Since then, a series of videos have been posted to youtube of him singing various songs from the HAIR soundtrack. Everyone instantly fell in love with William; with his performances, with his love, with his spirit.

William and his Mom, the wonderful Carola (on twitter @caroladelmare )are also involved with Broadway Impact, an organization co-founded by Gavin Creel that aims to unite the Broadway community and together fight for issues that affect the community - mainly Marriage Equality - a battle that is currently being fought in the throughout US. William and Carola were also lucky enough to march with BI at the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. on October 11th of this year. At the march William kind of - by way of his cuteness and overall hope that he represents for the future of equality in america and of the world - became a frequent image of the event throughout the twitterverse and the interwebs. As I followed the march avidly on twitter from the backseat of the car that was bringing me back to reality from a wonderful weekend in New York City, these images of William, of Baby Claude, could not cease to make me smile. If other children his age (only 4!) are anything like him - share any of his belief for peace, love and equality - we will all be living in a much better world.

Gavin said it best when I met him at Stage Door on the Friday before the march when we were talking about the march and everything he's done for Broadway Impact:

I can make a lot of noise, but YOU will be the change.

He wasn't talking about me. He was talking about Baby Claude...about William. HE will be the change, and the thought that he will hopefully, no, definitely be the last generation to know a world without equality for all gives me hope, gives me the happies, makes me smile.





peace. love. EQUALITY. smile.