Felicity’s Score: 4 Stars

Ames Rado and Gerome Ragini, two actors, were living in New York City in the 1960s. A time in which the flair-wearing, peace-loving population were coming head to head with the reality of conscription to a senseless war. Rado and Ragini were inspired by an incident during which having long hair was enough of a reason to be denied entry into a club, and decided to write about the struggles and principles of their generation. Galt MacDermot added music a few years later, and the first ever rock and roll musical Hair was born. 

Fast forward half a century, and Hugh Sheridan, Paulini, Prinnie Stevens and Matthew Manahan star in the 50th anniversary Australian tour. Cameron Menzies has directed a joyous and and stirring ode to the struggles of an emerging generation fighting for their urgent ideas to be heard.

Flower power! Vocal power! This an ensemble of strength and vitality. Individuality is clear amongst the 16 tribe members in the cast. Not only that, there are no weak areas in sight for singing ability. Paulini is an expected triumph, but Sheridan, Manahan, Emma Hawthorne, Harris M. Turner, and Stefanie Caccamo all leave us agape with stellar performances. Even when the sound in the SOH makes it hard to make out the actual words, it’s clear that powerful and melodic voices support the rock instrumental.

With Menzies direction, and Amy Campbell’s choreography, the stage houses some beautiful images, aided by expertly designed lighting from Paul Lim. These pictures are important to fill the gaps in which the sound issues have meant plot comprehension takes a little longer than usual. For longtime fans in the audience who know the musical back to front, however, this note need not apply.

The fight for peace and love is not, it seems, the ideal of hippies past at all, as we see the parallels between the late 60s setting of Hair and the world right now. Manahan’s portrayal of Claude provides a necessary projection of a struggle of helplessness that can be difficult to avoid in a lengthy political fight. Hair is sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Hair is freedom, peace, and love. Hair is revolution, and Hair is at Sydney Opera House until Sunday 6 October.

Felicity Anderson – Theatre Now

Photo Credit: Daniel Boud

 

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