rOcKS @ 'Hair' — Page 6

Didn't see this anywhere else so thought I would post it here. Did anyone see this?

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/features/72348/the-cast-of-hair-naked

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Are the playbills in color or black and white?

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I really hope they are in color. I haven't been to a show in a while where I got a colored playbill. Even Billy Elliot has black and white and they are selling well.

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Billy Elliot is actually black and white, not like the color Playbills where you can see they were color and they were just printed on a black and white printers and ultimately look black and gray. If that made sense... but Billy Elliot was actually changed, just to cut production costs.

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I may have messed up on some of them/missed something.

Aquarius
Donna
Sodomy
Manchester, England
I'm Black / Ain't Got No
I Believe in Love
Ain't Got No (Reprise)
Air
I Got Life
Hair
Black Boys
White Boys
Ain't Got No (Reprise)-2
The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)
Curtain Call / Finale

Updated On: 3/11/09 at 11:35 PM

thanks, I got a list of scenes and songs combined. I am not to familiar with the show, so I got rid of much of the list. The ones you listed were on that list though.

The Playbill looks GORGEOUS in color. I hope it doesn't go to B&W.

Wouldn't they keep the PLAYBILLs in color (at least) until Opening Night on the 31st? That'd be messed-up! I want that beauty in my binder!

Saw Hair last night and wow, I love the new stage directions.

Before last night, I never realized how large the Delacorte stage really is. The Martin Beck stage must be half the size. There is so much more interaction with the audience and Will Swenson does a lot more improv during his opening monologue. I loved that the woman who was his "mother" had stage fright. "If you didn't want me to point you out, mom, you shouldn't have sat in the front row."

There are some dialogue changes, nothing major, but the big thing is Swenson and Levy and Creel have SO MUCH chemistry together, it feels so much more like a threesome than any previous production I've seen has. Usually, to me, it was always Claude in the background watching Berger and Sheila and being a bit jealous of their relationship but now it makes sense that those three are really committed to each other.

I've realized now, after watching Gavin Creel, who is heads above Groff in singing and acting (saw Groff in SA and Creel in Millie, so it's not my first time watching either performer so I'm not basing this opinion solely on Claude), is it's not so much the actor playing Claude that bothered me in the Delacorte production, it's the way the character is played, which has to be Paulus's choice and I'm not sure I'm happy with it.

I like Levy, she seems more earthy than Manuel did, which makes sense for a character who's a major activist. Not sure about Allen, though, but that's probably because I really loved Patina Miller. Not saying Allen is bad, she's quite good, but I really liked Miller.

As for the set, the bare brick wall has been painted and it's beautiful. The band performs on a flatbed truck which is also beautiful. Every time I looked up, there was a hippie right in front of me.

The $25 seats are AWESOME but you have your pros and cons. If you sit on the aisle, you miss some of the stage acting but get to interact with the cast. If you sit next to the balcony rail, you have a great view but don't really get to interact with the cast. It's your call.

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Ok, scratch that question. I went ahead and bit the bullet and did something I rarely ever do. I booked advanced tickets at full price and got some surprisingly great seats: Row M Seats 101-102. I'm actually shocked they are not "Premium Seats", so I'm not going to complain.

I have a rather special connection to the show. Hair was the first musical my parents ever saw. They attended the first national tour in Washington DC and I have listened to their fond and vivid recollections of the production my entire life. I was raised on the LP of the Original Broadway Cast and memorized every note and word. I can even remember my mother shaking her booty in the kitchen singing at the top of her voice, "I got my AAAASSSSSS!!" So this is something of an homage to them and the show that brought them such joy and introduced them to their love of musical theatre, and as such introduced musical theatre to me as well. One of their favorite moments was getting to dance on stage at the end with the cast and I know I would forever regret not having the same opportunity to share with my beloved partner, who will be ecstatic when he finds out I did this. And right now, he really needs and deserves a little extra love and joy from the world.

I decided I'm just going to toss all my expectations into the recycle bin and just open my mind and heart and let the sun shine in, for better or worse. I love this score, I love McDermott's music in general, and I love my partner, so I don't think I'll be disappointed.

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I was there last night as well.

I must say that I really don't like the show itself. It doesn't speak to me the way it speaks to most people. Having said that, I enjoyed the performance very much. Sasha Allen was the best part of the experience for me. Her voice is so big and powerful without being completely overwhelming, and it's absolutely perfect for this score. I thought Gavin Creel was great, especially in "Where Do I Go" and "The Flesh Failures." The tribe as a whole is fantastic, especially in the second act. I didn't really like Andrew Kober's tourist woman (Margaret Mead), and I thought the show came to a screeching halt when he arrived. The choreography and staging are both high-energy and fun, and there were rarely slow moments (aside from the tourist woman scene). I actually liked the throw rugs on the floor, and aside from the cheesy stars and handprints on the house walls, I liked the lighting as well.

Overall, it was a good time. I have issues with the show (mostly with its book), but there's no denying how talented the cast and creative team are. It's certainly the best revival I've seen this season (though I still need to see WSS), and I expect it will get glowing reviews.

Just came back from the performance.

Will Swenson looks like he's having the time of his life up on stage, he was amazing! Would he fall under Featured Actor come nomination time? Gavin was great as well, everyone seems to be having so much fun, all the performers and the orchestra and especially the audience. A very fun night, this is going to be a hot ticket!