And so the Age of Aquarius dawned over London again for the first time since the groundbreaking original production of Hair opened at The Shaftesbury Theatre in 1968. The production has been closed for a month now, but for its short 5-month run, it reiterated its original message of peace and love, harmony and understanding in an electrifying, powerful way.
Hair was the first of the great rock musicals, and considered by some to be the best. Certainly, had it not been for Hair, it would have been less likely that we’d have shows like Jesus Christ Superstar or RENT. The score also produced more hits than any other Broadway score in history. Out of all of the great tunes in the piece, some songs like Let the Sunshine In, Aquarius, Good Morning Starshine and I Got Life continue to experience great popularity in the world of pop music and advertising to this day.
But the show itself is a unique blend of music, dialogue and theatrics that is quite different to any other show. For example, rather than the music and lyrics describing a particular scene, or advancing a particular character, they normally represent a particular emotion, feeling, or social occurrence (the opening song, Aquarius, for example, doesn’t really set the story up, but it immediately immerses the audience in the ideals of the hippy movement, and where the beliefs of the show and the characters themselves are rooted).
The performances were electrifying too, and seemed to possess a certain something not generally seen in theatre. Not once did the audience get the feeling that the actors were reciting lines written on a script. We believed them as characters, we believed them as people, and we believed the dialogue to be coming straight from the heart of the characters. Yes, this is something you would expect in the theatre of course, but no other show seems to manage it quite like Hair does.
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| The Company of Hair. |
Steel Burkhardt replaced Will Swenson in the production about halfway through the run, and initially I was disappointed I wasn’t seeing the original Berger. However Burkhardt gave an unparalleled, electrifying performance and really connected with the audience on the right level. The role of Sheila was played by Megan Reinking and Dionne by Holly James who both gave very true, heartfelt performances. I was fortunate enough to see Gavin Creel in what many people believe to be the definitive interpretation of Claude. Creel was on top form as an actor and a singer, but failed, where the rest of the cast succeeded, in creating an entirely believable character. His performance was marred somewhat by his apparent lack of ability to welcome his audience into his character. The tribe all gave committed energetic performances, in what is perhaps the most exciting show for a young actor. They were all incredibly believable, attractive people who played multiple roles each and contributed to the unique way that Hair is written and received.
Although this was a fantastic production of Hair, with fabulous lighting and set design, orchestrations and sound design, some of the flaws were not production based. At some points during the show, the linear telling of the story was interrupted and halted by seemingly needless songs, and after the first twenty minutes I was sat there wondering if the musical had any story at all.
True, Hair is a masterpiece, but unlike other pieces, it only works as an entire structure. If you take the music away, the show would falter. The same would be true if you removed any other element. But most of all, this show falls down on its book. It seems in some places that the author gave up and just decided to fill a scene with a song.
Surprisingly enough though, I think with Hair’s unique feel, energy and vibe, they might just be able to get away with it.
4*
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