My thoughts on HAIR (long and knotted)

I was pondering to myself what was missing in Diane Paulus' production of HAIR, playing under the gorgeous summer skies at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.

At first, I thought charisma. But no, the joyful cast had it in spades. Then I figured it out. Despite running into the audience, handing out invitations to the Be-In and daisies and telling random people to "make sure to bring loads of pot," there was a lot distance between us and them. They're a young, hot, talented group of people who have no connection with the material, giving it that dreaded "dated" feeling. We don't care for young Claude Hooper Bukowski, who thinks that it's groovy to hide in a movie...but who's to blame? The director or the cast?

But this is not a negative review by any stretch of the imagination.

Now, the cast of DAMN YANKEES didn't have a connection with the material, either, but that was an interminable slog to get through. This production of HAIR is one of the most joyous, fun things to sit through (and dance around in my seat) I've ever seen. I didn't want the lights to come up at 10:35, and neither did the crowd. In fact, it seemed the entire crowd joined the cast on stage for a massive dance party to "Let the Sun Shine In" and "Hair" which could have and should have lasted well into the night. One of the highlights of my theater going year: seeing all the aging hippies bopping along and singing and dancing and having the times of their lives.

Jonathan Groff is a bit too babyfaced for Claude - he just doesn't seem to get the character, I don't think. He sings fine (strains on the higher notes), but there's something missing. Will Swenson is a terrific Berger and has the audience in the palm of his hand from the moment he asks the lady in the second row to hold his pants.

In fact, the remaining ensemble is very, very strong - not a weak link in the bunch - and the fantastic score by Galt Macdermot and Gerome Ragni and James Rado is done tremendous justice by the thrilling voices in the cast and the incredible band (under the baton of Nadia DiGallonardo, picking up where Kim Grigsby left off in TWO GENTLEMEN a few years ago.)

But who does this production belong to? Caren Lyn Manuel as Shelia. Just exquisitely sung and acted, and, for someone who just had a kid, what a helluva body.

Diane Paulus' production is strong, aside from a few downspots (mainly the second act), but she really needs to get her cast to find something IN the material. Karole Armitage's choreography is a thrill to watch, as is Michael Chybowski's lighting. Scott Pask's set consists of a lawn and a bandshell, and the cast makes great use of the space. And it's always fun to see psychadellic costumes and projections (by Michael McDonald and the Joshua Light Show, respectively).

One can look past the lack of connection to the material, 'cause you certainly have a great time. I just wish the party was still going on.

Updated On: 7/26/08 at 12:17 AM

Thanks for the review. I hate to say it but I burst out laughing when I saw the pictures of Groff with that wig -- I've always thought him quite the attractive fellow but he looks strange with it, just unnatural, and effeminate.

Does everyone get naked in Where Do I Go? Haha...

Thanks for the great review, from this aging hippie.....
BTW, brazilian wax, in a show called HAIR??!!
What? LOL.

... i like your new avatar, Yankee.

The hippie years were before my time - perhaps that's part of my problem - but it's also part of Diane Paulus' problem. Good that they had Rado and McDermott around at rehearsals - Rado was even in the audience tonight, in his hippie-finery - but it doesn't look like they got far with Groff's development of the character. He runs around the stage fancy free and it goes nowhere, unfortunately.

I figured the burning of the draft cards would have gotten huge applause - like the "Bring all the boys back home" in TWO GENTS - but nothing. Oh well.

Perhaps it was a little too solemn (the burning of the draft cards). It was really like giving the finger to "The Establishment". God that sounds so cliche now!

Even with Claude at that moment there was really no heart felt turmoil like he should have had.

Hubee, I liked the second act also, from what I saw of it. The simple staging. choreography and lighting were spot on to bring that time period back to life!

I did chuckle during the nude scene with all the landscaping that was done. That era was the era of Earth Mama Muffs!

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Yankeefan - How is the music? I found the Actors Fund recording a bit slick and clean, every note in the right place, lacking any real spirit. I still prefer the original Broadway and off-broadway recordings.

Who sings "Going Down" - I love that song! Are there any pictures of the product yet?

And I figured out my other major problem. It was very sanitized. They got naked because, well, what's HAIR without nudity? The tears in the costumes were very clean.

Analyzing the whole thing aside, it's ultimately a really fun night out and a great representation of one of the greatest scores ever written.

There are no set pieces - it's a shack for the band on top of the green faux grass that you would stick on your terrace of patio. Works very well.

And my folks loved it so much they went back tonight...and listened to the entire show from outside the Delacorte.

Great review! thanks, yankee!

J*

Oh, J*, with all of your "friends" on this board, I am sure SOMEONE can put you up for a night. I know that you were not hinting or anything...but SOMEONE?

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It's so interesting that before the show started, someone from the Public took the time to point out the "unpopular war then, unpopular war now" comparison to, theoretically, make the production seem that much more timely. But I couldn't help but think that the current political climate made it feel like that much more of a historical piece. Two terrifically unpopular wars, yes. But two wildly different reactions. What I kept wondering as I watched the show was how much different reaction to Vietnam would have been if there hadn't been a draft. Would there be as lackadaisical a reaction to the war as there is to the one in Iraq?

And I'm not saying that there exists an answer to that question, let alone suggesting that I have the answer. Just that I found myself preoccupied by it when watching a show that felt truly dated. Some of the cast really soared and connected with their characters and the music on a terrific and timeless level (Patina Renea Miller, Caryn Lyn Manuel, and Allison Case were standouts to me) where others seemed to be performing some strange hippy fantasy. I hate to say it because I did actually love him in Spring Awakening and think he does a wonderful job here vocally, but Jonathan Groff just seems so off--better than he was in the concert last year, certainly, but he never seems to embody a character. He's frightfully earnest but never connects with an emotion that feels less than forced. And my word...who designed that awful wig?

On the upside, while I did think the whole production was flawed, it's a thrill to listen to and like theater should do, it forced me to really think, though perhaps unintentionally.