Front Row Centre Review: HAIR

 

It was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius back in 1967 when the original production of HAIR opened in New York. The loose, rambling book, coupled with the in-your-face staging made the show a must see.  The score was different for Broadway, sounding about as far from HELLO DOLLY!  as you could get. HAIR was a smash hit all right, but one that was so up-to-date that by the time it closed in 1972 it was already passé.

 

A 10^th anniversary revival, which I managed to catch in the last of its 43 performances, was no more than a curio. It seemed as if HAIR was so much a part of the 60s that a revival would be unthinkable.

 

But CanStage has revived the show in all its flower power, tie-died glory.

 

The attempt to link it with today's protests against the War in Iraq is lost in the stage fog that swamps the actors through much of Act Two.    While the best of the songs remain tuneful and entertaining, the show falls flat in so many other places that it isn't even a mixed blessing.

 

Part of the problem is that HAIR never had a cohesive script. In fact it was in a constant state of change through most of its original Broadway run. Still, that is no excuse for the staging offered here. It is sloppy and poorly executed, making it frequently unclear as to who is speaking or singing.  The musical numbers suffer the worst for whenever more than one person is singing; the lyrics become a mushy haze.

 

Although an ensemble piece, the show does offer several featured performers a chance to shine, but with one exception the entire company is unexceptional.  The performance would be a complete write-off were it not for Jamie McKnight's winning performance as Claude.  McKnight seems to be the only performer on stage that understands the character he is playing. He also has a strong voice and his song "Where Do I Go?" at the end of Act One was a powerful moment.

 

The end of this number is the show's infamous scene where the cast appear naked on stage. Even that failed to draw attention away from McKnight.

 

The nudity was the cause of some scandal in the 60s, but today nude scenes in plays and even musicals are so common that audiences are rarely shocked. Toronto in particular has become pretty blaze about it since the city opened an official nude beach several years back.  So a group of actors standing naked on a darkly lit stage for no apparent reason adds nothing to the show and does not provide a compelling reason to visit the Bluma Appel theatre. 

 

 

HAIR continues at the Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, until June 17^th. Tickets are priced $51 - $97 and available at www.canstage.com or by calling (416) 368-3110. A limited number of pay-what-you-can tickets are available for all Monday night performances. These seats are sold at the box office only starting at 10 AM on the day of performance. 

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