http://www.omaha.com/article/20100702/LIVING/707029961
By Bob Fischbach
July 2, 2010
It won't take you long to see the real highlight of the Ralston
Community Theatre's production of the 1968 rock musical "Hair."
After soloist Samantha Peters kicks things off with a strong solo on
the iconic song "Aquarius," chorus members join in with soaring,
multipart harmonies. The lush, full sound they produce not only fills
the large performance space, it makes the hairs on the back of your
neck stand up.
Music director Kyle Avery's thorough vocal preparation of the chorus
shone over and over during the show, which runs two hours plus
intermission. Not only do they nail the harmonies, they make some of
the lyrics you couldn't quite catch back in 1968 clear and understood
no mean feat, considering a sound system that occasionally produced
distortion.
Some of those lyrics, by the way, are decidedly adult material.
Profanity, frank sexual talk and drug use are all a part of the scene
in this celebration of hippie values.
Just as effective as the group singing: the big picture. Lively
choreography by Michelle Garrity effectively interpreted and
reinforced the show's ensemble numbers. This large, hardworking
chorus decked out in tie-dyed shirts and bell bottoms, military garb
and leather fringe, macramé and fairly bad wigs, consistently brings
the show to its most alive and lively peaks.
That's not meant to steal thunder from soloists in featured roles.
Ryan Pivonka, as Berger; D.J. Tyree, as Hud; John Gajewski, as
Claude; Mary Kate Gilreath, as Sheila; and DeAnna Williams, as
Dionne, all find moments to shine. Pivonka was particularly good on
"Going Down," with strong backing from that overachieving chorus.
My favorites were Stephanie Bourgois as Crissy, singing the plaintive
ballad "Frank Mills" with a playfully light touch but in perfect
pitch; and David Rubio as Woof. Rubio delivers a frank ode to all
manner of sexual acts in "Sodomy," forms a trio with Pivonka and
Darrin Bergers for the country-twang number "Don't Put It Down," and
nails tight harmonies with Peters on the plaintive "What a Piece of
Work Is Man."
Also notable: Marjorie Huntley's soprano descant floating above the
chorus during the mellow "Hare Krishna" number.
An eight-piece pit orchestra under the baton of Andy Walters keeps
the beat lively.
The simple set, multilevel platforms made of scaffolding and a
central staircase that was too steep for actors to easily traverse,
doesn't shift, limiting director Todd Uhrmacher's staging options. A
plain backdrop with five posters precisely hung and evenly spaced
somehow doesn't fit the chaos, color and creativity of the psychedelic era.
What "Hair" mostly lacks is much of a plotline, beyond how Claude
will deal with being drafted into the Army. Dialogue and character
development are weak, though they evoke the ambience of the time. The
show simply drifts from one musical pastiche to the next, defining
the culture and conflicts of the era from the perspective of
rebellious and idealistic youth.
Uhrmacher tempers the shock-value language, omitting the F-bombs and
staging the vaunted nude scene with actors in one-piece flesh-colored
swimsuits and dance belts. But there's plenty to offend here, as well
as entertain, as any good hippie would defiantly demand.
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Contact the writer: 444-1269, bob.fischbach@owh.com
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