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HAIR
Jethrien and I saw the "Summer of Love Limited Engagement" production of HAIR on Broadway last night.
Most of the cast was pretty decent. Dionne (Phyre Hawkins) was blow-me-away amazing. Crissy (Kaitlin Kiyan) also stood out. Most of the rest of the tribe were fine, but nothing special, and Sheila was kinda problematic in that she was noticeably stiffer than the rest of the tribe by a rather wide margin.
I think my biggest issue with the production was the limitations of a proscenium: The audience was separated from the show. What much of the show (especially the first half-dozen numbers) really needs to to include the audience as part of the tribe, make them feel that they're being included in this special subculture. A Broadway theater can't really create that, even when the actors are running up the aisles regularly.
Jethrien isn't really a fan of the show, and while part of that is that the music isn't her thing and she generally prefers likable characters, I think the presentation of this particular production plays a role, too. HAIR is not a happy show. HAIR is a protest, a black comedy, and a cultural examination; but it's not a happy show. You're not supposed to dance out of the theater. But because it's a big Broadway experience and they want repeat business from the tourists, it's presented as a happy romp through the summer of love. Which can be jarring if you actually think about what's going on. (Kinda like Barenaked Ladies writing peppy, catching songs about chronic depression, only less deliberate.) "The Flesh Failures/Let the Sun Shine" isn't a happy "the sun is shining" song. It's a song that says, "The world sucks, and we're trying to change it through hope...and that's not really going to work, is it?"
You know what would really push the envelope? An updated version of HAIR that looked at current youth reactions to mainstream American capitalist culture. Give the minority characters actual personalities, fix the somewhat transphobic Margaret Mead scene, don't just skirt around the homosexuality issue...wait, hold on. I saw that. It was called RENT. Never mind, then.
Oh, and regarding the nude scene: It wasn't the slightest bit period-appropriate. Apparently they thought fanservice was more important. Not that I mind too much, but still.
Most of the cast was pretty decent. Dionne (Phyre Hawkins) was blow-me-away amazing. Crissy (Kaitlin Kiyan) also stood out. Most of the rest of the tribe were fine, but nothing special, and Sheila was kinda problematic in that she was noticeably stiffer than the rest of the tribe by a rather wide margin.
I think my biggest issue with the production was the limitations of a proscenium: The audience was separated from the show. What much of the show (especially the first half-dozen numbers) really needs to to include the audience as part of the tribe, make them feel that they're being included in this special subculture. A Broadway theater can't really create that, even when the actors are running up the aisles regularly.
Jethrien isn't really a fan of the show, and while part of that is that the music isn't her thing and she generally prefers likable characters, I think the presentation of this particular production plays a role, too. HAIR is not a happy show. HAIR is a protest, a black comedy, and a cultural examination; but it's not a happy show. You're not supposed to dance out of the theater. But because it's a big Broadway experience and they want repeat business from the tourists, it's presented as a happy romp through the summer of love. Which can be jarring if you actually think about what's going on. (Kinda like Barenaked Ladies writing peppy, catching songs about chronic depression, only less deliberate.) "The Flesh Failures/Let the Sun Shine" isn't a happy "the sun is shining" song. It's a song that says, "The world sucks, and we're trying to change it through hope...and that's not really going to work, is it?"
You know what would really push the envelope? An updated version of HAIR that looked at current youth reactions to mainstream American capitalist culture. Give the minority characters actual personalities, fix the somewhat transphobic Margaret Mead scene, don't just skirt around the homosexuality issue...wait, hold on. I saw that. It was called RENT. Never mind, then.
Oh, and regarding the nude scene: It wasn't the slightest bit period-appropriate. Apparently they thought fanservice was more important. Not that I mind too much, but still.
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