WHAT: Hair
WHERE: Seacoast Rep
BLURB: A classic that broke barriers
HIGH POINT: Incredible voices
Once upon a time, back in 1968, Hair was a shocking, ground-breaking anti-establishment musical that flaunted taboos. The play was never about a prosaic script, but more a celebration of a counterculture movement that included the anti-war movement, substance use and the sexual revolution, along with a coming-of-age tale set in the chaos of a tumultuous time.
With so many of the yesteryear's taboos now common occurrences, the musical's shock value is gone leaving the play's bones exposed.
There never was much of a plot; it's more a collection of concepts or personal stories, many conveyed through a single stand-alone tune. The more fleshed-out tale is that of Claude, a middle-class member of the tribe, who faces the Vietnam era draft.
With a thin storyline the entertainment factor comes down to the show's "spectacle" element, something director's Ben Hart and Brandon James play up to perfection.
Hair's other hook is a handful of era-defining tunes that remain embedded in our pop culture; the eponymous tune, plus Aquarius, Easy to be Hard, Where Do I Go and Good Morning Sunshine. (Hair's lyrics and book are by Gerome Ragni and James Rado with music by Galt MacDermot.)
First: direction.
Hart and James have long proven their skill at creating the fantastical, and for this one they pull out all the stops. The pair use shadow play, puppets, circus arts (smartly performed by Bri LeBuff, and Nicholas La Penn), and additional forms to great effect.
Counterintuitively they pack their stage with actors.
For those unfamiliar with the Rep, the performance area isn't particularly generous. Packing nearly 30 actors in its footprint is a feat, which the directors do and successfully use to enhance the production's helter-skelter experience.
They also add an original prequel and very short sequel element, which not only brings a greater warmth to the piece, but suggests more depth to the script's scatter-shot approach.
There are a few glitches, scenes that feel tempered by the directors' choices, notably the end to Claude's story. Still, the composition holds.
Overall, the pair do a terrific job staging; this show stays on the move.
The same goes for the packed dance numbers by Choreographers Alyssa Dumas and Jason Faria as well. It's tight, but the clever designs are interesting and fitting, and again, add to the overall pleasing, kinetic quality.
This cast is a large one and a talented one. The voices - well it's the show's secret weapon, every tune is done to perfection.
The voices of Jason Faria, as Claude, Sean Mullaney as Berger, Alyssa Dumas as Sheila, and Jacob Anspach as Woof, ( deep breath - continue) and Morgan Kyle, Christopher Hobson, Alexandra Mullaney, Heather Conti-Clark, and Shaina Schwartz, and the entire ensemble, fill the air with beauty.
The acting performances follow suit. Of note is the touching performance by Bill Humphreys as George in the pre and post originals. Tobin Moss stands out in multiple roles, along with Zachary Ahmad-Kahloon.
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