Bedford actor making a cut for new role

By MELISSA VARGAS

Star-Telegram staff writer

SPECIAL TO THE S-T/EMILY HUGHES

Lagrone's formerly long hair worked well when he played Jesus in the musical The Promise.

HURST -- With a few snips of some shears, Bedford actor Joel Lagrone was transformed from Christ to con man.

By day, Lagrone works as an engineer for Lockheed Martin, but for more than two decades he has spent his spare time entertaining audiences as Jesus in the iconic musical The Promise in Glen Rose.

On Sunday, Lagrone pruned back his wild mane at a Hurst salon to prepare for his new role as Harold Hill in the Artisan Center Theater's production of The Music Man, which begins Friday.

Lagrone had the 8 or so inches cut off without wincing once.

He said he'll grow it back in two years flat. He plans to donate the bundle of hair to a charity, he said.

Lagrone has cut his locks off once before but has mostly had long hair since he was in high school in the '70s. The 45-year-old even once rocked a mullet.

"With my gray beard and at my age, I'm OK being 'retired' from the [Jesus] role," he said.

"Short hair certainly helps enforce the retirement!"