Brief comments on HAIR

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:06am

Finally saw it tonight.

Felt the exact same way I did in the Park: very strong production, very strong cast and band, but ultimately, it left me cold.

Gavin Creel and Cassie Levy are infinitely stronger than Jonathan Groff and Caren Manuel; Will Swenson is as strong as ever (and he hugged me!). Kacie Sheik is very funny, but her scene partner, the marvelous Allison Case is sorely missed.

It is indeed the best of the 4 revivals in 2009. A well-deserved win.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:12am

"(and he hugged me!)"

Yay!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:14am

Was it the direction that you had a problem with again, yankee? I remember you saying it was the biggest fault, you thought, when it was at the Delacorte.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:16am

Never mind

Updated On: 10/6/09 at 12:16 AM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:17am

I don't know. It certainly made a lot more sense to me now, wasn't nearly as muddled as it was in the Park, and playing the show to the proscenium space is far better on a proscenium space then it is on a 3/4 round thrust.

I think, perhaps, it's just the material.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:19am

Is Allison Case no longer with the show? Injured? Sick? I'm confused.

She is injured (her hip I believe) and is supposed to come back in January.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:21am

Oh, that is too bad. Hope she gets well soon!

[saveusmike]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:31am

I feel like I am the ONLY person who did not like this show..

[Jenna Maroney]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 10:23am

saveusmike, I'd love to hear your thoughts on why you didn't like it. Because I probably liked it more than you did, but I found it terribly overrated. Oh, it definitely deserved the Tony over WSS (which I also found enjoyable despite its flaws). But I give both productions a B.

I was delighted to see that even Gavin Creel goes up to the rear rows of the mezzanine and gives lap dances, but it really was distracting. I also didn't like how much of the action was downstage, necessitating me to lean forward. Thankfully, I was in the very last row of the mezzanine.

I thought Will Swenson was excessively hammy during the show's first moments, and I wasn't crying over Allison Case being out. I'm sure she's a sweet young woman, but given all the mugging she's done in photos and TV performances, she'd probably get on my nerves. Thankfully, everyone was reined in during the second act.

I also SPOILER!!! would have preferred the show end with Claude lying dead on the flag, as opposed to the big curtain call party that forces everyone to give a standing ovation. But I'm a Debbie Downer.

In the original production, did the show end with Claude's death? If it did, it seems rather inconsistent that the same people who are bitching about Tony not being carried off the Palace stage would be loving the peppy finale here.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 10:30am

The licensed version ends with Claude's death and Berger making a cross over his head with drumsticks.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 10:47am

I certainly didn't notice Allison mugging at all when I saw the show. In fact, Allison was the one who hugged me on stage.

In the original production, did the show end with Claude's death?

The show ended as it does now, with the audience invited to sing and dance with the cast on stage. My parents have fond memories of dancing on stage during the first national tour in DC in 1970. It was the main reason I wanted to see this revival, so I could relive their experience in my own little way.

Updated On: 10/6/09 at 10:47 AM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 12:32pm

Actually the dance party at the end of the show is very much a part of the show's genius. You literally become a member of the Tribe and leave the theatre carrying the plea to "Let the Sun Shine IN!"

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 1:12pm

I feel like I am the ONLY person who did not like this show.

Clearly you've never read my comments. I LOATHE Hair, and this production did nothing to change that. I was also left very cold by the end both in the park and on Broadway. For me, the only good part about the show was Allison Case singing "Frank Mills".

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 6:11pm

If your favorite part was "Frank Mills," then yeah, you must have hated it.

Yankee, did you notice the "new guy?" He was super tall and had a horribly distracting wig?

Also, when a performer is out for a few months like Case, does she get paid or how does that work?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 6:25pm

I have to say that HAIR is probably my favorite show on Broadway right now. Glad you liked Levy and Creel, I think they are both superb in the show.
I had no idea Allison Case was out, that's such a shame. I'm seeing the show on Friday and was really looking forward to seeing Case again.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 10:28pm

She's been out since August (with a few appearances) Something to do with her hip, that she is receiving treatment for. (Surgery recently, I think) She' ll be out for a while.


I've heard of others that don't care for it. I never did BEFORE this production, but that has turned my opinion around.

Different strokes. I hated Curtains, most folks loved it. Go figure.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 10:34pm

Mama, you are not alone in your hate for Curtains! Count me as one of the highly unimpressed!

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 11:07pm

Also, when a performer is out for a few months like Case, does she get paid or how does that work?

When you have to time off from work, you get paid, don't you? Because you have health insurance that covers sick leave and disability.

Same deal with actors. That is the whole point (well, a major point) of joining Equity and paying dues. So that you're covered if you get sick or injured.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 11:13pm

If your favorite part was "Frank Mills," then yeah, you must have hated it.

What are you saying RentBoy? I wasn't implying that it was only good by comparison. I think that Allison is giving a first class performance in that role. She's honestly the best actress in a cast of wannabe hippie misfits. Her performance of Frank Mills is touching and heartbreaking.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 11:21pm

I hated CURTAINS.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 11:26pm

"a cast of wannabe hippie misfits"

This is the logical conclusion of people confusing cast and characters.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/6/09 at 11:32pm

^ No, I'm referring to them offstage. Have you seen them around town? Many of them have taken the hippie thing a little too far.

Also, count me in as someone who hated Curtains.

[snowskittle]

Posted: 10/7/09 at 12:12am

Who is replacing Allison?

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 10/7/09 at 12:15am

I find nothing incredible about Caissie's performance and Allison is completely overrated.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/7/09 at 12:23am

Caisee has the voice, and if you saw the show in the park, then you'd realize her portrayal is a revelation because I didn't even remember that role from when I saw the show last summer.

And BJ, I was just referring to the fact that I don't think that song is very memorable. I mean, it's a sweet, cute song, but mostly a filler. My personal favorite is "Walking In Space" sung by Sasha Allen.