By Cynthia Citron
HOLLYWOOD — All that exuberant energy! All those gorgeous voices! All those wonderful songs! It’s Hair, The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, which has just opened in L.A. with much of its Broadway cast. And you can readily understand why this production won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, as well as the Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle awards. But what you can’t understand are the words.
If you didn’t already know the words to “Aquarius,” “Let the Sun Shine In,” “Good Morning Starshine,” and all the other oldies and goodies, you would never decipher them from the over-miked renditions sung either individually or by the full chorus of bouncing, running, jumping performers. That didn’t appear to bother the rambunctious opening night crowd that packed the huge Pantages Theatre, though. They roared their approval at every song and barely refrained from joining in.
It was a night of nostalgia for those who lived through the summers of peace and love, the free sex and drugs, the racial turmoil of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, and the terrible dissension of the Viet Nam war. As chronicled in Hair, these were accompanied by sit-ins and marches and draft-card burnings… all the earnest peace movements and calls to end the war. But the messages of those times, and the musical itself, seem distant and out-of-date now. Perhaps because of the sharp contrast they present to the political climate of today and this generation’s relative indifference to corruption and to the current wars in the Middle East.
This is not to demean the current production, however. Even without all the words, the story line is clear, the voices are strong, and the spirit is overwhelming. It’s a rousing good time for all concerned. And at the end, when the audience converges on stage to join the cast in a gigantic song and dance be-in and those who can’t fit on stage stand and rock and sing along, the energy generated could light up the whole city.
Hair was first produced at Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre in 1967. Its book and lyrics are by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, with music by Galt McDermot. This current revival is directed by Diane Paulus and choreographed by Karole Armitage. It will continue at the Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 1 and 6:30 p.m. through January 23rd. Call (800) 982-2787 for tickets.
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Citron is Los Angeles bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World