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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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HAIR

This revival of “Hair,” which is pretty true to the 1967 original, is something of a time capsule four decades after the debut of the hippie rock musical.

By modern standards, the play is absurd at times in its obsession with rebellious sex, drug use and long hair. It is a statement about the social and political vibe of 1967 and is less concerned with plot than highlighting its cast of long-haired, bell-bottom wearing characters, known as “the tribe.”

Tribe member Sheila is in love with Berger, who just got kicked out of school. Claude loves Sheila, while pregnant Jeanie is in love with Claude. Woof has a thing for Mick Jagger.

The main plotline (once it finally emerges) centers around Claude being drafted for Vietnam and how he can avoid serving.

“Hair” still is subversive. The first act ends with the now infamous nude scene. Sex is brought up constantly in the script and choreography. The second act features a lengthy hallucinogenic scene where Claude meets variations of historic figures including a male Scarlett O’Hara and a female African-American Abraham Lincoln.

Race relations and equality are addressed in examples of how “Hair” mixes some serious issues with sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.

The show exudes a lot of energy with a 10-piece rock band on stage. The tribe often runs through the theater, occasionally engaging audience members.

The production’s strength is its ensemble, with many songs incorporating the whole tribe. The Tony Award winning music is catchy. The singing is strong but sometimes the libretto is hard to make out amid all the rocking out.

This version of “Hair” offers something unique for different generations. For some, it is nostalgia (“I first saw this when I was 18,” said one female baby boomer). For others it offers a historic (though sometimes cliched) perspective.

Then there’s the universal message of “Hair”: that the feelings and desires that go along with coming of age—want for freedom, not wanting to turn into one’s parents and the occasional cursing of the entire world—are timeless.

—Emily Weisburg

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