HAIR!

Full blown, non stop, exhilarating cosmic electric energy, this is “Hair”. Beginning with a riveting performance by Dionne (Phyre Hawkins) and the Tribe of the signature song of the period, “Aquarius” right on down to “Let the Sun Shine In” this show pulsates with energy and joy. The show is also punctuated throughout with uproarious, if often bawdy humor.

The entire cast performed flawlessly. Their voices were consistently charming, beautiful and compelling. I was particularly wowed by the singing of Steel Burkhardt as Berger and Caren Lyn Tackett as Sheila.

“Hair” emerged as an American icon from one our nation’s darkest times, the mid to late 1960’s when war raged in Vietnam and protests raged on our streets. The Hippie culture of the day was immersed in drugs, sex and rock and roll. Their mantra was peace and love. They wore head bands and tie dyed shirts and bell bottom jeans. These were the “flower children” and they are brought back to life in the current incarnation of “Hair” now playing at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.

Understandably it is the actors on stage who glean the bulk of the attention. But the technical side is also a major part of a shows overall look. In “Hair” those performances were also absolutely stunning. So a well deserved salute to Kevin Adams for the magnificent lighting and to Acme Sound Partners for their contribution in sound design.

If it is your view that the purpose of theatre is primarily to entertain then the current production of “Hair” is a must see show. It is playing now through January 23, 2011 at the Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028. Ticket information is available online at www.broadwayLA.org, by phone at 800-982-2787 or through Ticketmaster outlets.

I leave you with two thoughts. Act One ends with fully nude actors briefly on stage. It is not offensive, but to me it is also utterly irrelevant to the show. So my thought is simply, why? And on a deeply personal level watching this show stirred some very old memories. It first opened in New York in 1967, the very year I returned from a tour of duty as a Marine in Vietnam. Thinking is a good thing so go see it, that’s an order. Wow! That is about as un Hippie as it gets.