Hair -- the Broadway revival

Not everybody who knows me knows this, but I have an obsession with the musical Hair. It's not so much that I've kept it secret from people; I just never happened to mention it to some people. It all started probably around 1990. I knew a little bit about the show and had heard some songs from it as performed by music groups and singers from the era. Please be warned; this is going to be a long read.

I saw the movie in the summer of 1990 and really dug the music. It's not the best movie I'd ever seen, but I watched it over and over because of the music. I went to the public library and checked out the Broadway cast recording (they didn't have the movie soundtrack) and was floored by how many additional songs there were that I didn't hear in the movie. And I liked what I heard, too, although I found it to be just like any other cast recording, and some of the singing wasn't all that great...and I couldn't fathom that the high-pitched voice singing "Donna" was a man!

But over the next few years, I nurtured my obsession. I bought the cassette version of the Broadway cast recording, which had songs not on the original cast recording ("I Believe In Love," "Electric Blues" et al) and songs that WERE on the original cast recording but edited down to save space ("Hashish," "I Got Life," et al). I then found a copy of the original 1967 New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater off-Broadway cast recording, and many other cast recordings -- Japan, France, London, and God knows what else.

There were also a couple of oddballs among the albums I found. One was DisinHAIRited, an album made by the Broadway cast in November 1969 that focused on songs that for some reason or other 1) were part of the show at one time but dropped by the time of the Broadway opening (such as "Dead End" and "Exanaplanetooch," both of which actually appeared on the off-Broadway album), 2) were in the show but for some reason didn't make the original release of the Broadway album ("Electric Blues" -- with additional lyrics not found in any other version I've heard -- and "The Bed," among others), or 3) were never in the show to begin with but were actually bits of dialog that the show's composer Galt MacDermot decided for the heck of it to set to music (including "Hello There," which eventually did become an official show song, and "I Dig"). This album wasn't a rush job like the Broadway cast recording was, so it actually sounds closer to a rock album and probably closer to how the music sounded in performances. The other oddball album I found was another one featuring the Broadway cast, Divine Hair/Mass In F. It was recorded in 1971 to celebrate Hair's third anniversary on Broadway, and was a mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The mass proper was a new mass composed by Galt MacDermot, and the hymns were actually songs from the show, performed by the cast and various choirs. Both of these albums are great listening that I hope make it to CD some day.

In 1996, I finally saw a production of Hair for the first time. The "tribe" was from California State University at Fullerton, and Michael Butler, the show's original Broadway producer, brought them to Chicago that year for a short run in the summer at the Athenaeum Theater on the north side. The reason: that was when the Democratic National Convention was going on in Chicago, and Butler had wanted Hair to be on stage in Chicago at the same time of the convention, as it was in 1968. It was the most amazing thing I'd seen on a stage. I loved the story, the characters, the actors, the band, the use of literally every part...EVERY PART...of the theater before, during, and after the show...and I had to go back and see it again. Wow...just amazing, and so helped turn the Hair obsession up to 11 on the obsession amplifier.

Flash forward to July 28, 2009. Lots of changes in my life. I had moved to New Jersey and eventually back to Chicago. I'd gotten married. September 11 happened. I'd changed jobs and careers and even gone through a nearly three-year bout of unemployment. I actually got to have lunch with Michael Butler on two occasions and met Hair's surviving author Jim Rado on two occasions and have befriended Walter Michael Harris from the original Broadway cast. (And I do want to say publicly that W. Michael is one of the nicest guys I've had the pleasure to meet.) In terms of Hair, by this time I had acquired at least 13 different cast recordings (including the movie soundtrack) and had seen a (rather lame) production of it at a community theater in northern New Jersey. And I'm sure I gained a ton of weight. But there was a brief run of Hair back at its birthplace, Joseph Papp's Public Theatre, and then it moved to Broadway. My wife and I take trips to New Jersey at least twice a year, so we figured we'd check out the new Hair when we were out in the summer.

Now...I can't really comment on the show as a whole without being prejudiced by the amazing production I saw in Chicago and the mess that was the production I saw in Morristown, New Jersey. Did I like the new Broadway version? I loved it. Do I want to see it again? Oh, yeah. (My wife, however, wants to see it at least ten more times!)

Before I get into my specifics, just a few general comments:

- I'm thankful...extremely thankful...that they did NOT use that awful second verse of "Aquarius" that some modern productions use. In fact, the only songs with extra lyrics were "Air" and "Black Boys."

- No "Hippie Life"...thank God!

- There were bows at the end...the usual kind: first, the "secondary" cast, then the main cast. I found that the bows kind of ruined the spirit of the show. C'mon -- when you do Hair, no bows!

- Bernard Purdie is an amazing drummer! I'm pretty sure many of his claims are exaggerated (such as being the drummer in the original production -- uhh, no...for its entire run, the drummer was Idris Muhammad...and sorry, Bernard, you did NOT overdub drums on Beatles songs that Ringo couldn't do -- you're thinking of Pete Best on the Tony Sheridan recordings!). But wow, could he wail on those things! The entire band did a great job. In both the 1996 Chicago production I saw and the new Broadway production, the band sounded just like that: a band. In the production I saw in New Jersey, however, it was obvious the band was playing only what was written on their sheet music, afraid to stray from anything or apply dynamics anywhere, and as a result, they sounded very restrained and, in points, very afraid.

- Maria Callas once said how as audiences change, operas must also change to fit the tastes of the audience. She specifically said that passages may have to be cut and operas might have to be shortened to be accessible to audiences, while still being faithful to the composer. I definitely saw this philosophy in action, as with this production of Hair, a lot was cut -- undoubtedly because Act I would have been 90 minutes long easily if they hadn't cut things! Claude's "soap opera" scene was cut. "The Bed" was omitted, which is fine though because it doesn't really add anything to the show. No "Dead End" either, but that was only added to the show after a few years on Broadway. Nothing terribly essential was taken out.

I guess what I can do is comment on the productions I have seen and make observations on what stuck out, and on the way make some comparisons. Be warned -- there are spoilers. In my comparisons, "CHI" will refer to the Cal State production I saw in Chicago. "NJ" is the...bad...production I saw in Jersey, and "BW" is the new Broadway version. This review will end very abruptly. You've been warned.

THE SET
CHI: Bare stage, with the band in scaffolding off to the left and dressed like the Tribe. No curtain (very true to the original Broadway production).
NJ: Bare stage, I think, with the band at the back of the stage, all dressed in black. No curtain.
BW: Oriental rug on the stage. A large tie-dyed sheet used as a curtain. The band is on the back of the stage to the right, some members on risers, others literally in the back of an old pickup truck that was colored in military decor. Band members were dressed in casual street clothes, at least one or two in '60s hippie gear.

THE BEGINNING
CHI: Start time on the ticket was 8:00pm. Nothing happened on stage at 8:00, but I did notice that various tribe members were walking around on seats in the theater, climbing on balconies, and mingling with the audience. At about 8:15, they all disappeared, and the action focused to the stage, where some folks in modern, shiny vinyl clothing started dancing to some modern electronic music, prompting some people to believe we were watching a modernized version of Hair. As the music continued, a video montage was projected, starting with Bill Clinton and very gradually going back in time, ending with LBJ announcing how he wouldn't seek re-election, with a very dramatic echo effect added to his voice. A young man in army fatigues walks out and is gunned down by snipers. The tribe emerges on stage, and a woman very, very slowly sings the first verse of "Aquarius." At the chorus, "Aquarius" carries on as we know it, while the soldier is revealed to be Claude, the show's protagonist. Various members of the tribe remove his fatigues and helmet, revealing his long hair. Berger introduces himself by saying hi to the audience, then reiterating, "HI!!", as if demanding the audience to say hi back. (It did.)
NJ: None of the tribe out in the crowd, not mingling, not walking on seats, nothing. The sound of someone talking, then another person talking, and more people talking, etc. The cast, dressed as modern-day businessmen, parents, etc. walk across the stage to these sounds. Berger, Claude's best friend, emerges from the back of the theater while all the action freezes, and he slowly walks down the aisle to observe what's happening. Berger doesn't interact with the audience.
BW: As with the NJ performance, none of the tribe were mingling with the crowd, at least as far as I could see. They MAY have been out in the lobby or on the sidewalk, but I don't know for sure. I did notice a couple of hippies running down the side aisle in the balcony, very subtly, but shortly after they got to the end of the balcony the lights dimmed and the curtain went up, never to be seen again. After "Aquarius," Berger introduces himself to the audience and does a LOT of interaction with the crowd, including scolding latecomers who were being ushered to their seats, choosing a random woman in the front row and introducing her as his mom (despite the fact that she was maybe five years his senior!), and pulling another guy up from the front row and asking for a hug.

"MANCHESTER, ENGLAND"
CHI: Claude danced The Freddy as he sang this.
BW: Claude didn't do The Freddy, but during the verse mentioning film directors, the band played a reggae rhythm.

"AIN'T GOT NO (reprise)"
BW: (aka "Ain't Got No Grass") The tribe had the crowd in the palm of their hands. The entire house was clapping along, possibly even on their feet. Very intense and loud!

"INITIALS"
BW: Interesting choreography -- for most of the song, the tribe act as if they're riding a crowded subway train, huddling very closely together with their hands in the air as if they were strap-hanging.

"I GOT LIFE"
CHI: During Claude's last verse of the main part of the song, the band played a rhythm similar to The Isley Brothers' "Shout." During the "And I'm gonna spread it 'round the world" verse, a girl in the tribe yells, "YEAH-YEAH!! YEAH-YEAH!! YEAH-YEAH!!," much like the beginning of "Shout Part 2."
BW: Nothing unique to mention, but this was definitely a huge show-stopper. Got a big ovation from the audience.
(Off-topic memory...in 2005 there was a "tribe" reunion in New York City. Anybody who had anything to do with a production of Hair was invited. Walter Michael Harris from the original Broadway cast led a singalong, and during "I Got Life" he pointed to body parts as a lyrical cue.)

"GOING DOWN"
CHI: Interestingly, in Chicago they cut out the song Berger sings celebrating his expulsion from "high school heaven." One of the cast members told me they cut it because the first act was too long as it was.
BW: Left intact. Unlike with most productions, Berger doesn't interrupt with a commercial advising you to call a number telling how to get your diploma at home.

MARGARET MEAD
CHI: After "Hair," the tourist lady and her husband strip down to their underwear -- their leather underwear (including a bra on the husband) -- and did kind of an S&M dance, with Margaret whipping her husband in rhythm to "My Conviction."
BW: The Margaret Mead scene is more traditional -- the tourist lady opens her coat to reveal that she's a man.

"EASY TO BE HARD"
CHI: The yellow shirt argument is short and to the point: Sheila gives Berger the shirt, he rips it and says he doesn't like yellow, and a short argument ensues that ends with Burger slapping Sheila in the face.
BW: Berger goes on for a seemingly long time about why he can't wear the yellow shirt, but more in a mocking tone than an angry one. He doesn't slap Sheila, but she's visibly hurt.

"BE-IN"
BW: As with most versions, the singing is interrupted while various adults (in this case, Claude's parents) interrupt and interject their conservative views. However, all of their comments were brand-new, at least to me. Don't remember them off the top of my head, but none of the comments from "classic" productions, such as "I'd like to see some of you daffodil crowd in front of a machine gun," "Ship these peaceniks to the Vietnam meat grinders," etc.

THE END OF ACT 1
CHI: During the last verse of "Where Do I Go," all tribe members still on stage (except Claude) slowly strip nude. We see police lights and hear sirens, and the tribe panic and pick up their clothes and run off the stage. A shirtless cop comes in and announces that everybody's under arrest for watching a lewd, obscene show. (VERY fake.) Then announces it's time for intermission.
NJ: The tribe start to strip at the end of "Where Do I Go" (some revealing things that nobody in the '60s would worn, like purple brassieres, etc.) but before any nudity happens the officer comes out to arrest the audience. Really kind of a lame cop-out way to do the end; either do the nude scene or DON'T do it!
BW: The tribe strips pretty quickly as "Where Do I Go" comes to an end. After the song ends, a rousing standing ovation from the crowd (really, it must be awkward to stand on stage nude while an audience gives you a standing ovation!), but suddenly we see red flashing lights and hear sirens and alarms. Now...people who have seen Hair before expect the phony cop to come in and "arrest" everybody, but...instead, an usher walks up in front of the stage and very cheerfully announces that the show will resume in 15 minutes. Very effective, I think! Got a good laugh out of it!

"WALKING IN SPACE"
CHI: Berger hands out joints and gives people nicknames: "One for Tricky Dick..." When he gets to Hud, he says, "One for James Brown." Hud responds by singing the first verse "I Got You (I Feel Good)," accompanied by the band playing a note-perfect re-creation of the song. During the intro, Hud sits at the front of the stage and reads a poem that begins "We are the hippies." Lyric changes: "ship us off to war" becomes "send us...", and the "Pottsville to starlight" lyrics from the movie are used.
BW: No nicknames when Berger hands out the joints. Original Broadway lyrics used. No poem from Hud. During the mention of colors, lights flash in the specified colors.

THE TRIP
CHI: Includes dialogue from Gone With The Wind, ending with Rhett Butler saying, "Frankly, my dear...I don't give a f**k!"
BW: Although Clark Gable is called during President Grant's roll call, there's no Gone With The Wind dialogue. The chain-murders of Buddhist monks and nuns isn't repeated.

"WHAT A PIECE OF WORK IS MAN"
CHI: The music is very, very quiet (only a keyboard accompanying), and the lyrics are sung very sullenly -- and solemly. The two members of the tribe -- one black and one white (as in most productions) -- hold each other while singing. Video footage of Vietnam fighting is projected.
BW: The music is similar to that of the original Broadway version, with military-style drums. The two tribe members (again, one black and one white) walk around and observe the destruction, and surprise of surprises, Claude actually sings along to part of it.

THE ENDING
CHI: During the final rally, Claude appears in fatigues, including a battle helmet, dressed as he's dressed in the beginning of the show. The tribe very quietly sing "Let The Sunshine In" as a tombstone with Claude's name appears, implying that he was killed in Vietnam. The mournful song becomes a celebration, as members of the tribe go out into the crowd and dance and sing with the audience. Outside of the theater are a few from the tribe handing out flowers to those exiting, thanking them for "celebrating" with the tribe.
BW: During the final rally, Claude appears wearing a military dress uniform (*gasps of shock coming from various parts of the audience*), with various decorations, implying perhaps that he turned the military into a career. The tribe gathers closely together and sings a pleading rendition of "Let The Sunshine In" as snow falls. The music stops, and "Let The Sunshine In" continues ad infinitum a capella, as the tribe descends the stage and continues to sing on the way out of the theater, revealing Claude lying down on a U.S. flag, being snowed on. The tribe reappears on stage as an instrumental reprise of "Hair" plays, and do standard traditional theatrical bows (much to my chagrin). A couple of guys from the tribe bring out a railing that they attach to the steps going up to the stage and then invite the audience to join them onstage for a reprise of "Let The Sunshine In."