Theater Review: Hair

by Shawn Parikh

From what I gathered from their reviews, the Observer and GuideLive either have researched or experienced the social significance of Hair and how it was appalling to the critics and the masses 40 years ago. So I really just wanted to see if Uptown Players' version was as provoking today. The show is obviously relatable since it deals with the conflict of a young man deciding whether or not to burn his draft card. I am always up for a great anti-war/liberal statement, but this show was trying a little too hard to rouse emotions. They definitely made their statement, but took it a step further to hammer it into our heads over and over and over again.

This probably deals with the barely written plotline. We meet Claude who is wavering with his draft card when he meets hippies. They all sing a song about loving life, offer some sexual innuendo and then rinse and repeat this formula a few more times. So we are then overloaded with this notion of free love and how much joy this counterculture experienced from not following the government. And then, as if the audience does not understand the relation to today, the final scene brings the setting to modern day war protests. This was excessive since the whole show was making a point about the problems of war that it felt unnecessary to contemporize it.

Characters (except for Claude) were so interchangeable that I truly did not feel for any of them. When there was “conflict” in the group, it fell flat, since the previous and next scene would be them getting high, groping, and singing a song together – again. When the plot actually came to the foreground, Sean Patrick Henry as Claude had great moments to prove his abilities not just as an actor, but as an incredible singer. Ashley Deplechain (who belted out songs like no other), Lisa-Gabrielle Greene, and Carrie Slaughter were all able to create an impact in these two-dimensional characters. Only three songs (“Aquarius”, “Hair” and “Let the Sunshine In”) stood out because of the ensemble’s remarkable physical and vocal energy.

Technically, the show was incredible. The live band, conducted by Scott Eckert, and choreography (Vicki Squires) were essential in creating the perfect energy for the actors to play off of. The set (Clare Devries) had so many levels that all 21 actors could be seen onstage at every moment. The costumes (Robin Armstrong) and lighting (Ross Moroney, Julie Simmons) added a nice touch of sensuality to every character, whether it was revealing clothes or muted lighting.

However, the technical aspects could not save the show for me since I was too disconnected from the plot and the characters. I am glad they are using theater to make a bold statement, but the flow of the story was too sporadic for me to really feel the power of it.