Theater Review: “Hair” excels, despite technical problems

Please don’t bash the material of this show when you have zero knowledge of theater, or how to write a theater review for that matter…and the only background information you know about HAIR you probably got from Wikipedia.
The song writing is beautiful, as was the whole show. And HAIR still remains to be one of the most successful running shows on Broadway today.

While it’s true that some technical issues did arise during the production it far from eclipsed the quality. Zang’s Claude was indeed awful, but the show itself is incredibly well written, music above all, shining as incredible and poignant. The low blow at the lyrics to ‘Hair’ is not only awkward but un-necessary, it seems this reviewer wasn’t touched by the show for no other reason than they are cynical and unappreciative of good art. Not to mention the gross misspell of Adam’s last name AND character name. (WOOF and BLAIS) For that should we write off your writing?

The reasons Hair has gained its iconic status in the world of theatre is not unknown, neither is the reason it just won the tony for best broadway revival. The message it sends is as pertinent today as it was then, to stand up for the things you believe in and question the government. It is irresponsible to bash the musical merit of songs without a wider knowledge of the subject, it should be noted that sideshow, which was also reviewed poorly by this newspaper because of the how the songs were written, won a tony for best original score.
The designer for the costumes was a professional that was hired from outside of the university and has worked on many professional productions in well respected theaters across the country. The choreographer was also a hired professional. When it originally came out some of the songs were on the top ten list, including “hair.” While the lyrics of the song are simple, the message is powerful. “Hair” represents revolution, this is why it speaks to so many college students.
While the acting may not have been oscar worthy, at the of the day you have to ask if the audience was entertained or not and clearly by the returning size of the audience every night they were. The name of the characters and actors in this article are also misspelled, woof not wolf and Adam Blais. No, it may not have been professional, it was somewhere between juvenile and professional, its called college.

I agree with what Al said. The article was not well written at all from a theater standpoint. I went twice this weekend and while on Friday I thought the band was a little loud, but Sunday it was easier to hear. The energy the cast put into the show was amazing, and I think that everyone should go and see “Hair.” Oh, and my favorite song was “Hair” just because of the energy that it brought out in both the cast and audience. No one was quiet after that song both times I went.
Great job to all cast, band, and stage members. You put on a fantastic show!!!

If one wants to find a good example of things which have been “obfuscated”, they need only look as far as this review. I would question the bona fides of any “style” columnist whose critique of this production seeks to write off HAIR as “weak”. Perhaps even a cursory glance at the show’s history would have prevented you from arriving at such an embarrassingly misguided conclusion. The score of HAIR is infused with musical influences ranging from traditional African rhythms to American folk rock, from rockabilly to the psychedelic/acid undertones of the late sixties. Its supposedly “light” plot is full of sardonic references to American history and culture which upon closer consideration illuminate the divide between our national perception of ourselves and the actual events of our past.

To say the show has lost its relevancy is a further misnomer. When HAIR was brought back to Broadway a year ago, Time Magazine raved “Today Hair seems, if anything, more daring than ever.” The show deservingly won a Tony Award for “Best Revival of a Musical” in 2009, a testament to its enduring connection with audiences. Clearly your casual conclusion as to HAIR’s lack of continued importance puts you in a minority both amongst amateur observers like ourselves and amongst those whose opinions on theater are widely read and valued.

To be fair, some of your critiques of the actual production are accurate. There are times when the words to choice songs are obscured and indeed many technical aspects are lacking, making it tempting to write off the actual performance as “juvenile”. I would suggest that in an auditorium with a more ideal technical setup than Hauck, HAIR’s luster would have shown all the more vibrant.

I would caution you in the future to take more care in familiarizing yourself with a production, lest your review obfuscate the truth behind its performance here on campus. I have seen HAIR at UMO twice now, and can personally attest to the bravery and enthusiasm with which the cast approaches a production which challenges the performers not only in their abilities to act, sing, and dance, but in their very self-identity and that of the society in which we live.

Hello William,

Before I speak on the half of every person who watched this show, and for every person who took part in making it a great success, I would just like to say that I absolutely agree with some points that you have made. Some of the acting may have seemed amateur, and sure some technical difficulties ensued while the actors were on stage.

Now I would like to say how impressed I am that the Editor in Chief of a college newspaper can find the time to become so familiar with the arts, focusing in musical theatre, and be able to speak so intelligently about it! Isn’t my sarcastic face groovy baby? I suppose I could bullshit an entire article critiquing your writing skills, such as you have done with this musical. You just make it seem so easy to critique something, and show very little knowledge to back it up. You’re talking a lot Shakespeare, but you’re not saying much.

I found it humorous that you decided to critique the song writing as well, as if that were something anyone in the production could change. But I’m sure you’d have a few things to say to the man who wrote it.

I was also curious when you worked as a professional costume designer, or choreographer, because you clearly know much more than anyone in the school, conjuring up remarks such as “…betrayed by loose choreography…” and “…suffered from uncoordinated dancing.” Big words from a big man.

Also, I’m not sure if you were watching the show, but Adam Blais played a character called woof. Sure his name is only said 9 or 20 times, so I’m sure everyone made that mistake. I thought Matt Bessette played a character Sugar until I actually paid attention.

“The only clear part of the musical was the ending” This was another interesting one. A big help for anyone who fears they might have this problem, they should try watching the show.

I was also glad to hear you knew exactly what the audience was thinking, and that you KNEW that they weren’t at all receptive of the show until the end. I can’t believe you took all that time to interview all the people that went to see it! I’m sure if you talked to one other person, you might have some real opinions in this article.

No hard feelings, you’re just arrogant.

PEACE AND LOVE ))))))))))

Its curious to me that the editor in chief of a newspaper would write an article about something he knows clearly nothing about instead of assigning it to somebody that does.

Maybe he should take a closer look at who is teetering between professional and juvenile.

As one writer to another, when reviewing a production it’s important to review the production itself, rather than the culture that follows it. It tends to not go over well with the group that feels connected to it. It’s one thing to point out the negative aspects of a show, which you can do to the point of your own expertise, but especially with a show as important as “Hair” (which I cannot say I am a big fan of either, regardless of it’s presentation), it’s so important to at least acknowledge it’s purpose. As another note, it is also best to not proclaim absolute knowledge of how things should be done, but rather as an opinion piece state what you would have liked to have seen more of in lieu of other decisions made. There is no ill intent to this comment, again I only wish to give you the benefit of my own experience. I hope you are more careful in the future about how you present your pieces.

I attended Hair on Thursday night and loved it. (My husband, 16 year old daughter, and 2 other teenaged friends joined me). We went with some trepidation as we had seen the Broadway production in October and believed (erroneously as it turned out) that nothing could match Broadway. We were thrilled with the production and in some cases felt that the UMaine production surpassed Broadway. I was particularly impressed with the young man who played the woman who implored the kids to, “Be free, be whomever you want to be.” I was laughing out loud during his entire number. My husband was impressed with the young woman who was able to hit the high notes in “Hare Krishna” and she sang next to us in the aisle. My daughter and her friends loved Berger and my daughter felt that the actor could easily have taken the role on Broadway. I was a little sorry to see so few African American actors, but the two who had lead roles offered stunning performances. My husband and I lived through the 60′s and felt transported back to that time.

Bravo! Thank-you for a wonderful evening. Carol Rosinski

I think it’s funny that the editor of a paper as juvenile as the Maine Campus would have the audacity to critique a critically acclaimed broadway show.

You want to discuss relevancy? I’m reading articles about people’s relationship with cats and how to accessorize my summer clothing in the winter months in the midst of not only a budget crisis, valued professors leaving because they don’t have tenure, an abysmal retention rate, and a poorly run student government that does little but squawk at the larger issues facing our campus.

Get over yourself.