Hair on Broadway
Get Out Those Old Beads and Tie-Dyed Shirts!
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By Pat Singer
Cascading energy, hippies hanging from the rafters, flower children running up and down the aisles and..... that’s only the beginning of the rock musical revival of HAIR. This is a classic show that has stood the test of time and has been a runaway success in each and every incarnation.
“Hair” opened on Broadway in 1968. It was inspired by the hippie counter-culture, anti-establishment, anti-war and sexual revolution of the 1960s. The production illustrates the supposition of real life — self-expression, freedom, love and peace. The hippie movement advocated drugs, mystic religions, rock-and-roll, free love and open nudity, but most of all they fought against the forces of intolerance and any and all brutality.
It tells the story of the "tribe", a group of long-haired beaded hippies, wearing far-out clothes whose mantra was the "Age of Aquarius.” They subsisted in a bohemian lifestyle in New York City during the chaotic 60’s. In all its rock and roll splendor, they fought against the draft, existing laws, the Vietnam War and felt threatened when draft cards started arriving. The storyline ultimately becomes the fundamental battle for Claude (Paris Remillard), who suffers a wrenching conflict between service to his country and being a dissident.
What makes the show undeniably credible is the cast, including vivacious Steel Burkhardt, as Berger, the unofficial ringleader of the tribe. Other main characters included Matt DeAngelis as Woof and the irresistible Sheila, played by Caren Lyn Tackett. There are moments of high-spirited joy and conversely, instances of profound pathos, both of which were handled splendidly by a remarkably brilliant cast. Cast members dance fancifully up and down the aisles throughout the show, bestowing flowers and protest leaflets, carrying signs: “Save water, shower with a friend” or “I saw God … and she is black.” Their passion for freedom, hope and change creates a raw energy that makes you want to jump out of your seat.
Although the choreography is executed with precision and is titillating, the most desirable part of the show was the sense of intimacy in the theatre that was shared by the audience and the cast.
The energy peaks once again within an artfully integrated audience, when they invite everyone up on the stage for a “Be-In” and to dance with the cast while they are taking their final bows—what fun!
Though Hair is part of many of our yesterdays, its revival is part of a new generation's tomorrows. Go see it now, while you can, it's that great!
Cascading energy, hippies hanging from the rafters, flower children running up and down the aisles and..... that’s only the beginning of the rock musical revival of HAIR. This is a classic show that has stood the test of time and has been a runaway success in each and every incarnation.
“Hair” opened on Broadway in 1968. It was inspired by the hippie counter-culture, anti-establishment, anti-war and sexual revolution of the 1960s. The production illustrates the supposition of real life — self-expression, freedom, love and peace. The hippie movement advocated drugs, mystic religions, rock-and-roll, free love and open nudity, but most of all they fought against the forces of intolerance and any and all brutality.
It tells the story of the "tribe", a group of long-haired beaded hippies, wearing far-out clothes whose mantra was the "Age of Aquarius.” They subsisted in a bohemian lifestyle in New York City during the chaotic 60’s. In all its rock and roll splendor, they fought against the draft, existing laws, the Vietnam War and felt threatened when draft cards started arriving. The storyline ultimately becomes the fundamental battle for Claude (Paris Remillard), who suffers a wrenching conflict between service to his country and being a dissident.
What makes the show undeniably credible is the cast, including vivacious Steel Burkhardt, as Berger, the unofficial ringleader of the tribe. Other main characters included Matt DeAngelis as Woof and the irresistible Sheila, played by Caren Lyn Tackett. There are moments of high-spirited joy and conversely, instances of profound pathos, both of which were handled splendidly by a remarkably brilliant cast. Cast members dance fancifully up and down the aisles throughout the show, bestowing flowers and protest leaflets, carrying signs: “Save water, shower with a friend” or “I saw God … and she is black.” Their passion for freedom, hope and change creates a raw energy that makes you want to jump out of your seat.
Although the choreography is executed with precision and is titillating, the most desirable part of the show was the sense of intimacy in the theatre that was shared by the audience and the cast.
The energy peaks once again within an artfully integrated audience, when they invite everyone up on the stage for a “Be-In” and to dance with the cast while they are taking their final bows—what fun!
Though Hair is part of many of our yesterdays, its revival is part of a new generation's tomorrows. Go see it now, while you can, it's that great!
