By Carol Davis
SAN DIEGO — It didn’t take the observations of a rocket scientist to see the comparisons between the ‘Occupy San Diego’ movement outside the Civic Theatre and the 44-year-old (but revised) smash hit of the late 60’s Hair.
Here’s what the young folks protesting the Vietnam war in the 60’s were railing about on the set of Hair and then on the streets of every major city across the nation: ‘Resist the draft’, ‘Intelligent freedom is the truth’, ‘No war without an out’, ‘Save water, shower with a friend, ‘Resist the draft’ and ‘Stop the killing’.
Here’s what they were saying in the plaza outside the theatre now: ‘Healthcare not warfare, ‘Corporations are not people’, ‘Dissent is the highest form of patriotism’, ‘Being sick is not a crime’, ‘If war is the answer, then we are asking the wrong questions’ and ‘You can take out homes, you can take out tents but you can never take our freedom’.
Along side 3rd Avenue, just across from the Civic about 10 to 15 homeless people were lined up with all their worldly possessions rolled up and used for shelter. Just up the street and mingling among the gathering there were about 20 or so of San Diego’s finest.
Now if all three of those pictures don’t conjure up or cause you to have a psychedelic breakdown or an epiphany, merely step into the Civic Theatre and away from the madding crowds. Here Broadway/San Diego just loaded in the Broadway revival of Hair, providing the opportunity to compare what reality looked like then with what it looks like now. As was noted by my theatre buddy, it’s art imitating life, imitating art to the ‘nth degree.
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (that’s the long version of the title) currently in San Diego through the 23rd was written by James Rado and Gerome Ragni (book and lyrics) and Galt MacDermot (music) during the ‘sexual, hippie counter-culture, anti-Vietnam peace movement and anything else anyone else wanted to add in to the mix.
What surfaced was an off-Broadway show that opened in 1967 at Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre, landed on Broadway in 1968 and ran for over one thousand performances there and simultaneously in cities across the U.S. and Europe. Hair introduces us to a cast of ‘characters’, symbolic and emblematic of a ‘peoples revolution’.
More than even the more popular “Good Morning Sunshine (a favorite of my kids while watching Sesame Street) and the overall favorite attached to this show, “Aquarius” drugs and sex (then two forbidden topics) take front and center in this giant, one of a kind love in. I have to wonder when some long for the ‘good old days’ if these are the ones they mean. What served as shock value in the 60’s is oh, hum in 2011. Well, maybe that’s what’s missing, shock value.
After watching hours and hours of the fighting in Vietnam on the evening news for over ten years, and fast-forwarding to Iraq, IED’s and ‘Mission Accomplished’ I’ll take the 50’s, thank you.
That said I completely understand why the push to burn draft cards, end the war and avoid going to war was a top priority for Claude (Paris Remillard is beautifully convincing), one of the confused young men in our show.
And while it became the rallying point for Claude who wants to ‘man up’ and do the right thing his pal, lover, love interest rival and fellow traveler in this giant love in, Berger (Steel Burkhardt is physically a dream, but plays with his hair locks too much) just can’t seem to focus on anything of any importance all the while trying with all his being to have Claude opt out of the war.
Others in the cast who proved to be standouts are Woof (Matt DeAngelis) who swings both ways, Sheila (Caren Lyn Tackett), pregnant Jeannie (Aleque Reid), sexy Hud (Darius Nichols) and the peacemaker Crissy (Kaitlin Kiyan). Josh Lamon is Claude’s stern faced Dad in one scene and later on he is a hoot dressed in drag as Margaret Mead who later gives us a little flash just to let us know a bit more about her/him.
Director Diane Paulus’s 2009 revival of Hair managed to garner the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival as well as the Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Award for outstanding Revival. It was nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Direction and Best Choreography among others. The show certainly has some very energetic dancing (Karole Armitage) authentic looking 60’s costumes (Michael McDonald) and the long hair and Afro’s to prove we are in the right time zone (Gerrard Kelly).
It’s the story, the communal gathering, psychedelic and tie-dye and sharing of dreams, joints, partners and bickering not to mention the excursions into the audience that gets weary after a while and seems dated and repetitious.
The thirty-nine or so songs that hold “Hair” together range in content from funny “Black Boys /White Boys”, “Manchester England”, to very recognizable “Aquarius”, “Sunshine” to Claude’s “Where Do I Go?” to “Walking In Space”. While the tunes and lyrics may have set the world on fire in the 60’s most remain locked in that time warp. At the Civic some were barely understandable but that’s no reflection on the band under David Truskinoff’s musical direction.
At the very end of the show audience members were invited up to the stage for a giant sing along fest to “Let The Sun Shine In” while those outside were having their own sing along to “Aquarius”. Those interested in a trip back to the past waved their arms and sang their hearts out and a good time was had by all.
As a cautionary note there is some frontal nudity that was a big gasp then. As I recall, the last time I saw the show the cast came out from under a giant blanket and voila they were all undressed as naked as the day they were born! In this new incarnation they are just standing on the stage, lights dim; fade.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through Sunday October 23rd @ 1PM and 6PM
Organization: Broadway/San Diego
Phone: 619-570-1100
Production Type: Rock Opera
Where: 3rd & B Street, Downtown
Ticket Prices: start at $26.50
Web: broadwaysandiego.com
Venue: Civic Theatre
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Davis is a San Diego based theatre critic. She may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com