"Hair:" Peace and love spread beyond the stage
http://mainecampus.com/2010/02/08/hair-peace-and-love-spread-beyond-the-stage/?ref=hp
By Maddy Glover
February 8th, 2010
For those performing in and producing the tribal love-rock musical
"Hair," it could not be a better time. Riding on last year's exciting
Broadway success, the musical's revival has been adapted for a
University of Maine audience. Despite differences in generation and
perspective, all involved share an intense love for the musical
production and its message.
"[It's] anything but a relic," Director Marcia Douglas said. She
explained that the 2009 revival was merely a continuation of the
show's original international success, having more than 35 tourings
within its first decade.
"Sometimes you have to do a show like that, especially in a time like
right now," said UMaine student actor Justin Zang, "We're in a time
of a despair; we're at war with different countries. It's an eye
opener, it really is."
Zang acknowledged the mature thematic nature of the show, citing
nudity and depictions of drug use.
Debuting in 1967, the show focuses on Claude played by Zang a
college dropout who has just received his draft card for the Vietnam War.
"There's that constant tearing going on," said Zang of the decision
his character must make, to follow the revolutionary youth ideology
of the era and avoid conscription, or to conform to the wishes of his
parents and traditional American patriotism.
The crux of the plot Claude's decision to join his "Age of
Aquarius" friends in burning his draft card or to comply with his
conservative parents' beliefs is truly told through the tribe, a
group of 31 peers exemplifying the hippie counterculture and sexual
revolution of the era.
"It's loosely based on his decision at the time," Zang said.
"Everyone's burning their draft card. [They're] being called to the
draft and not showing up."
He explained that there was a five-year prison sentence, as well as
the possibility of a fine for draft-dodging.
"The real main character is the tribe itself," Zang said. "We all
really work as a unit. It's been the most interesting show for me."
Zang said he enjoyed the lack of clichéd characters, like the bad guy
or the unattainable girl, in comparison with past productions he's
performed in. "Hair" is Zang's first UMaine production. A Wiscasset
native, he performed with the Heartwood Regional Theater Company in
high school and has always loved theater, despite being a music
education major at UMaine.
The holistic feeling of the tribe pervades the entire production,
winding between the cast, orchestra and audience cast members
prance down Hauck Auditorium aisles, pausing to jump on a chair,
pelvic thrusting to the beat in front of the nearest audience member.
"Since I've been doing music direction, this is the show I've always
wanted to do," music director Danny Williams said. "I think it's a
great show for college students to both perform and to see."
Williams is a big fan of the production himself, having seen the
Broadway show twice in March and September of last year. "Hair" won
both a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, and a Drama Desk
Award last year.
The "stupendous music," as described by Williams, frames the brightly
swirling lighting and era-appropriate costumes, transforming Hauck
Auditorium into the tribe's world, controversy and all. The tribe
irreverently folds the American flag during the twangy "Don't Put it
Down" and lets loose during the ritualistic burning of draft cards to
the "Hare Krishna" mantra. The UMaine production will even include
the infamous nude scene at the end of act one.
Williams acknowledged the variability of the show, saying that the
lack of structure and rigidity reflects the times.
"The orchestra is given the basics, and they make up the rest,"
Williams said. "Really it's up to the actor to breathe life into the
characters. In some shows, that would be very inappropriate, but in
this show, it is exactly what is required."
According to Williams, approximately 85 percent of the musical is
song. He stressed the importance of the ensemble performance, saying
that the show is not a usual "book musical."
"The music, score, singing really are the heart and soul of the
piece," Williams said. He feels the production was well-conceived and
well-written, and that the music is the message.
"I love it, I really love it," Douglas said. Hair "comes from a time
period when I was growing up and turning into who I've become. It
speaks to me because I've experienced what is in the play at the time
it was actually going on."
Douglas explained an unanticipated challenge she faced during
preliminary rehearsals: a lack of cultural understanding. Realizing
that none of the actors were alive during that era, she cultivated
the necessary understanding by asking actors to interview family
members over holiday break, who were alive during the late 1960s.
Actors reported their findings to the group when they returned a week
early to UMaine for intensive trust-building and improvisational
exercises, in addition to regularly scheduled rehearsals. Zang spoke
of the chemistry between cast members, and the original hesitation
between theater and music majors to commingle. This hesitation did
not last long.
"I think that helped make it personal for them, hearing it from their
own family members," Douglas said. "If we're ever going to grow up as
a human race, [we need to understand that] there are different ways
to deal with conflict. Violence is not the only way that's what
this musical is about."
"We've developed a kind of trust and a group ethos that is really at
the heart of the show," Douglas said.
--
"Hair" opens Friday in Hauck Auditorium and runs Feb. 12, 13, 14, 18,
19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 14 and 21 at 2 p.m.
--------
Getting to know the age of Aquarius
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/136439.html
Students familiarize themselves with '60s culture for UMaine
production of 'Hair'
By Emily Burnham
2/9/10
When rehearsals began over winter break for the University of Maine
School of Performing Arts' production of "Hair," director Marcia
Douglas began writing notes. For a show that's almost nonstop
singing, even she didn't realize quite how many now-archaic 1960s
references would go over the heads of her cast the average age of
which is around 21.
By the beginning of February, she'd amassed multiple pages of notes,
reminding her to explain to them about IRT, APC, A&P and even Timothy
Leary, dearie.
"I was around for all of it, so I knew it. But once you really start
looking at the lyrics, you realize that most kids today don't know
who Ram Das is, or what Rinso White is, or even the significance of
burning your draft card," said Douglas, a theater professor at
UMaine. "I was really shocked by what they didn't know. But then
again, they were all born 20 years after all this took place."
"Hair," which will open at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at Hauck
Auditorium on the UM campus, is an American musical theater classic,
and an important reflection of the history of the 1960s. Despite it
being tied permanently to the hippie movement, "Hair" is about a lot
more than just sex, drugs and old pop culture references. It's about
finding yourself, and figuring out what really makes the world tick
not just what your parents, your teachers and the government tell you.
"At its core, 'Hair' is about people in their teens and 20s
discovering that most of the stuff that adults had told them all
their lives was not true," said Douglas, who last directed "Bat Boy"
at UMaine in 2007. "For a few years in the '60s, a lot of people
began to question authority. That's where that phrase comes from.
They saw that something was seriously wrong with the way adults told
them the world was. That is what makes 'Hair' stay relevant, after
all the years. There will always be young people who begin to figure
out the world for themselves."
The story of Claude, Berger, Sheila, Hud and the peace-loving,
mystical, wild-eyed Tribe of free spirits is told by a cast of 31
University of Maine students, who make up one of the strongest vocal
casts music director Danny Williams said he's ever worked with.
Nearly everyone is onstage for the entire show, hanging out in the
open, warehouse-style set designed by Dan Bilodeau. While there are a
handful of larger singing roles with more developed characters, the
true lead character in the show is the Tribe itself.
"It is continuous music, and it is a real workout for the singers.
There are 31 people singing constantly. They're exhausted by the time
the show is over," said Williams. "But in 15 years of music
directing, these are the best singers I've ever had to work with. We
have wonderful male voices, which is always a challenge. It sounds fantastic."
"Hair" had its original Off-Broadway debut in 1967, in the middle of
the Summer of Love. In that year, protests against the Vietnam War
were held in cities across the nation. Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and
Pink Floyd released their first albums. The Human Be-In, held in San
Francisco, attracted more than 20,000 people to meditate, dance and
protest the war. "Hair" is as much a part of that as the Monterey Pop
Festival and LBJ, FBI, CIA and LSD.
Ultimately, the show is both a historical document and a call to
action which are both reasons Douglas chose "Hair" as this year's
musical production at UM. Some things change, but some things will
always stay the same.
"There are other ways to solve problems, other than wars. There will
always be people who want to find a better way to do things," said
Douglas. "Peace doesn't go out of style."
The music and message of "Hair" struck a chord with contemporary
theater audiences just last year. A number of UM cast members
traveled to New York City last year to see the popular Tony
Award-winning revival of the show, still running on Broadway. While
nearly everyone in the cast had heard the pop hits "Age of Aquarius"
and "Let the Sun Shine In," few of them were familiar with the rest
of the show's music before being cast.
"I'd never seen or heard it in any way, besides 'Age of Aquarius,"
said Kirsten Johansen, a 20-year-old English education major, who
sings one of the solos in 'Age of Aquarius.' "I knew it was a musical
about the '60s, and that's pretty much it. But I see a lot more than
just that now. It is about a lot more than just that."
English major Sarah Mann, 21, has developed close friendships with
many of her cast members over the course of the rehearsal process.
Mann feels like a part of a tribe not just as a character in a
show, but as a person sharing a special experience with other
like-minded people.
"I think because of the nature of the show, we've all grown really
close during the whole process," said Mann. "The whole vibe just rubs
off on you. And by the end of the show, we invite everyone in the
audience to join the tribe as well. It makes you feel really open and
accepting. You kind of get the whole free love thing. You want to
find your own tribe. I kind of feel like I have my own."
--
"Hair" opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at Hauck Auditorium on the
University of Maine campus. The show is intended for mature
audiences. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, 14, 18, 19 and
20, and at 2 p.m. Feb. 14 and 21. Admission is $12 for the general
public; to reserve a seat, call 581-1755. For more information, visit
www.umaine.edu/spa.
--------
Theater Review:
'Hair' on Broadway
http://www.rantrave.com/Rave/Theater-Review-Hair-on-Broadway.aspx
2/5/10
It's really hard to review a show like "Hair" since it has such a
polarizing effect on people. There are those who love the songs, feed
off the energy of the hyperactive cast, and relish the chaotic
representation of a time they lived through or wish they hadn't been
born too late to experience. Then there are those who see "Hair" as a
show about a bunch of dirty hippies and wonder where the linear story
is. If you fall into the first group, you'll love the revival of
"Hair" currently on Broadway. If you fall into the second group,
"Mary Poppins" is playing over at the New Amsterdam.
I absolutely loved "Hair," end of story. I'm a part of the crowd who
was born too late to experience the turbulent late 1960s, but that
has absolutely no effect on my ability to love the show. The themes
in "Hair" are just as relevant today as they were in 1967: A younger
generation who resents the older generation? Check. Some people rage
against a war they want no part of while others cling to their blind
patriotism? Check. The youth of America worries about the future and
attempts to numb themselves about their fear of the unknown? Check
and check. Remove the bohemian clothes and update the slang, and the
tribal community of "Hair" isn't that different from the angry,
scared, apprehensive society that exists right now.
The cast of "Hair" couldn't be more spot on if we had time traveling
capabilities and could go back to the '60s and get actual hippies.
Their energy is infectious, as they leap and writhe about the stage,
then dash through the audience, handing out daisies, imploring us to
join their cause, and even sexually soliciting a lucky few (having an
aisle seat, I was treated to one of the cast members thrusting his
crotch in my face). How they keep this vigor going for the two and
half hour run time, six days a week (twice a day on Wednesdays and
Sundays), is beyond me, but they somehow pull it off.
Gavin Creel as Claude, who is more or less the main character, shines
as the heart and soul of the tribe. Not quite as manic as his
friends, he still condemns his parents and his government for
attempting to send him to Vietnam, but can't quite bring himself to
ceremoniously burn his draft card. Your heart can't help but break a
little when he questions "why I live and die." Will Swenson is his
best friend and fellow tribe member Berger, and the ultimate stand
out in the cast. Berger is egotistical, inconsiderate, and a complete
attention whore, yet he's endearing in his earnestness to piss
everyone off and stick it to the man. Swenson manages to present
Berger as annoying, vulnerable, hilarious, and sexy all at once. It's
no surprise that both of these actors received Tony nominations for
their performances.
This revival of "Hair" was first produced last summer as part of The
Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park offering, and I was
devastated to have missed it. But having seen it in the more confined
space of the Hirschfeld, as opposed to a vast outdoor theater, I
think I'm glad I saw it where the energy was contained within a
smaller space, where I couldn't miss a thing and there were no
outside distractions. Well, besides the occasional hippie crotch in
my face, that is.
"Hair" is a must-see for anyone who loves great theater or is in need
of a jolt of energy. If you don't leave the theater wanting to go
thrift store shopping, smell of patchouli, and start smoking pot
regularly, you may want to get your vital signs checked.
--------
'Hair' full of body, bounce and shine
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/136952.html
Blanket of voices height of UM show
2/16/10
By Judy Harrison
Director Marcia Joy Douglas and musical director Danny Williams have
woven a net of technical wizardry and choral excellence that allows
the cast, musicians and crew of the 1968 rock musical "Hair" to
overcome most of the show's innate faults.
The show has almost no plot, sheds little insight on the youth
culture of the 1960s or the war that shaped it, and just four out of
its more than 30 songs are worth remembering "Aquarius," "Hair,"
"Easy to Be Hard," and "Let the Sunshine In." But colleges, community
theater companies and even Broadway can't resist reviving "Hair"
because it's just a helluva lot of fun.
What sets the University of Maine School of Performing Arts
production apart from many others is the sound the 31 voices make
when they all are raised together. Williams, who also leads the
12-piece band that is onstage for the entire show and turns out to be
one its most developed characters, weaves the individual voices in
the cast into an intricate blanket of sound. It ensnares and
entangles audience members. It wraps and comforts them. It entices
and seduces theatergoers into believing they just might be hearing
Leonard Bernstein's score and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics for "West
Side Story." While the cast is made up of many fine singers, none of
them sounds as good individually as they do together.
Douglas, along with technical director Joe Donovan and lighting
designer Shon Causer, appears to have pushed UMaine's Hauck
Auditorium to its technical limits. "Hair" uses strobe lights, black
lights, house lights and most likely every theatrical light for miles
to give the production the intense brightness and dark shadows of the
1960s. The hallucinogenic scene with paintings and photographs from
past wars, the Civil Rights and anti-war movements is especially
effective because Douglas chooses to project them from the back of
the stage on a skrim behind a sliding set piece. In many productions,
slides or their 21st century equivalent are projected onto a screen
above the set. That removes them from what's happening onstage
instead of making them seem a part of it.
Douglas also does an excellent job of moving her large cast
efficiently on and off Dan Bilodeau's highly functional set. The
platforms and catwalk give actors the room they need to jump, dance
and gyrate without bumping into each other or appear crowded onstage.
While "Hair" may be a nostalgic look back at the "revolution" of the
1960s, it's also a painful reminder that for the most part, women
were nothing more than handmaidens. Their parts are woefully
underwritten and underdeveloped. The best songs written for the women
of "Hair" are tributes to the girl groups of the late 1950s and early
'60s, and the folk singers who followed them.
Alyssa Manzi, Allison Smith and Lisa Roth, who sing "Black Boys," and
Serena Grier, Kristen Johansen and Rebeckah Perry, who belt out
"White Boys," are sensational and stop the second act cold. Allisen
Donovan as Sheila, however, fails to channel her inner Joni Mitchell
or Jennifer Warnes in the show's signature love song, "Easy to Be
Hard." Donovan seems to be singing in a post-Beyonce era.
The thin plot thread that runs through "Hair" is devoted to two guys
Berger, played by Matthew Bessette, and Claude, portrayed by Justin
Zang. Both are excellent and developed back stories to give these
characters more depth than their creators did. Zang makes Claude's
struggle over whether to burn his draft card or go to war visible and
painfully and achingly real.
"Hair" is an ensemble piece. For the performers, the goal is to
become a tribe. On opening night last Friday, it wasn't until the
finale that the performers achieved that goal.
Yet, as Nestor Gonzalez's sweet tenor led the cast offstage and up
the aisles singing, "Let the sun shine. Let the sun shine in. The
suuuun shine in," the cast, the musicians and the audience were one.
And that is why "Hair" keeps growing back in theaters around the world.
--
If you go
What: "Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical," book and lyrics
by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot
Who: School of Performing Arts, University of Maine, Orono
Where: Hauck Auditorium, Memorial Union
When: 7: 30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday
Run time: 21/2 hours with one 15-minute intermission
Tickets: $12, free for UMaine students
Info: 581-1755, www.collinscenterforthearts.com Warning: For mature
audiences; strobe lights used
.
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