ICONIC MUSICAL "HAIR" ROCKS SRT’S FALLON HOUSE
COLUMBIA, CA—Are you ready to experience a musical journey that will transport you back to the late 1960s counterculture revolution in all its barefoot, long-haired, bell-bottomed, beaded glory? Sierra Rep’s new production of HAIR, with performances from September 5th through September 29th, performing now at the Fallon House Theatre, is not to be missed.
Every now and then, a piece of American performance is so memorable that it both redefines its medium and reframes the culture at large. Here is one such enduring and heavily referenced work — a groundbreaking musical that still captures the popular and political consciousness of the present day, wowing audiences with iconic songs like "Aquarius," "Good Morning, Starshine," "Hair," "I Got Life," and "Let the Sunshine In."
Its reputation remains that of a dangerous young renegade, pumped to the point of explosion with anger, hormones and mind-altering substances. But in truth, HAIR, which opened in 1967 at New York’s Public Theater, was always a sweetheart: open-armed, open-minded, and as ready to comfort as it was to party. It evoked the cool kid you wanted to cuddle with, even if you were no longer a kid yourself.
As the fame of this self-labeled “tribal love-rock musical” spread after its successful transfer to Broadway in 1968, it trailed a heady perfume of notoriety. This, after all, was a work that featured pot smoking, draft-card burning, references to a Kama Sutra of sexual practices and a host of unkempt young things at the time, singing in the nude for its first-act finale.
The very name itself, inspired by a Jim Dine painting depicting a comb and a few strands of hair, was a reaction to the restrictions of civilization and consumerism and a preference for naturalism.
It concerns a “tribe” of flower children, who embrace a lifestyle of love, peace, and self-discovery. As they navigate a world filled with intolerance and brutality during the Vietnam War era, the "tribe" spreads a message of hope, peace, and change. Claude, his good friend Berger, their roommate Sheila and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves and the sexual revolution, with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society.
Ultimately, Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or to serve in Vietnam, compromising his pacifist principles and risking his life. They challenge societal norms, confront racism, and stand for freedom of expression. The musical's relevance has successfully transcended generations for over a half century by now, exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility and peace, while offering a timeless exploration of what it means to be a young person in a changing world.
With its loose string of a plot, it was mostly a series of sketches in which the characters satirized their convention-bound elders and extolled the joys of sexual and pharmaceutical highs. But what “Hair” tells best is the story that many of us lived through —the fear of going off to battle for a country we knew nothing about, a time of unrest for young people who were told they had to follow the rules, but all they wanted to do is find out who they were and live their own dreams instead of becoming what their parents failed to be.
What is also true is the show’s awareness of its own ephemerality, its sense that tribes of youth are destined to last only as long as youth itself. “They’ll never get me,” says Berger, the de facto leader of the show’s nomadic gang. “I’m gonna stay high forever.” By way of illustration, the final number in HAIR isn’t one of its odes to defiant individualism — the title song, or “I Got Life,” or the twinkly “Good Morning Starshine.” It’s called “The Flesh Failures,” and though its subtitle is “Let the Sunshine In,” it leaves you with the feeling that darkness is fast descending — and that the tightly bound coterie at the center of HAIR may well have scattered forever by daybreak.
Yet this emotionally rich revival delivers the intense, unadulterated joy and anguish of that bi-polar state called youth. Jill Slyter's happy hippie choreography, with its group gropes and mass writhing, looks as if it's being invented on the spot. But there's intelligent form, depth and character within the seeming formlessness, and every single ensemble member emerges as an individual. Mr. MacDermot's music, which has more pop than acid really, holds up beautifully, and is given infectious life by the flavorfully blended voices of the cast.
There are some changes from the original production, of course, but even these cannot influence the power of the music and dance and the high energy that this young cast brings to a piece that hit Broadway well before they were even twinkles in their parent's eyes.
The SRT cast of HAIR features a multi-talented ensemble, including Miguel Ragel Wilson (Route 66, Cinderella), Collins Rush (The Drowsy Chaperone), Erica C. Walker (Dogfight), Taylor Tveten (Jersey Boys), Jackie Thompson (The Play That Goes Wrong), Alex Figueroa (Route 66), Alex Alansalon (The Little Mermaid), Kyle Moses (Grease), Cameron Chang (The Wizard of Oz), and SRT newcomers Trae Adair, Tamya J. Simmons, and Destiny Denny-Ellis.
With book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot, and direction by Jerry Lee, the production team includes the design talents of Jill Slyter (choreographer), Michael Wilkins (music director), Janetta Turner (costume designer), Matthew Herman (scenic designer), Isaac Joyce-Shaw (lighting designer), Mateo Deangelo (sound designer), Brenda O’Brien (hair and make-up designer), Matthew Rose (properties designer), Camryn Elias (intimacy coach) and Suzanne Tyler (production stage manager).
HAIR is 2-hours and 10-minutes with one intermission. Discounted tickets are available. For more information about Sierra Repertory Theatre, please visit www.SierraRep.org or call the Box Office at (209) 532-3120. Follow Sierra Repertory Theatre on Instagram at @SierraRep; and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SierraRep. We operate out of two theaters located in East Sonora and in Historic Columbia State Park in Northern California. The East Sonora Theatre is located at 13891 Mono Way, Sonora. The Historic Fallon House Theatre is located at 11175 Washington St. in Columbia, California. Both theaters are air-conditioned and ADA accessible.
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
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