Broadway Blog - HAIR Review Roundup

With a score including such enduring musical numbers as "Let the Sunshine In," "Aquarius," "Hair" and "Good Morning Starshine," Hair depicts the the birth of a cultural movement in the 60's and 70's that changed America forever: the musical follows a group of hopeful, free-spirited young people who advocate a lifestyle of pacifism and free-love in a society riddled with intolerance and brutality during the Vietnam War. As they explore sexual identity, challenge racism, experiment with drugs and burn draft cards, the "tribe" in Hair creates an irresistable message of 'hope' that continues to resonate with audiences 40 years later. This acclaimed production played Central Park last summer.

Ben Brantley, NY Times: "They're tearing down the house in the production that opened on Tuesday night at the Al Hirschfeld Theater. And any theatergoer with a pulse will find it hard to resist their invitation to join the demolition crew. This emotionally rich revival of "The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" from 1967 delivers what Broadway otherwise hasn't felt this season: the intense, unadulterated joy and anguish of that bi-polar state called youth."

Elysa Gardner, USA Today: "The new Public Theater revival ( * * * * out of four), which opened Tuesday at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, not only avoids potential obstacles but finds a resonance in Hair beyond any parallels between the turbulent '60s and our own troubled times. What director Diane Paulus and her flawless cast have achieved is a testament to the indomitability and transience of youth, with all the blissful exuberance and aching poignance that entails."

Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press: ""Hair," the legendary 1960s American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, has made the jump from a summer Central Park engagement to Broadway with all its exuberance intact - and more."

David Rooney, Variety: "With its alfresco setting and the penetrating echoes of its countercultural themes during an election year in which political disenchantment became endemic, the Public Theater's revival of "Hair" last summer in Central Park was a unique experience. So shifting it indoors could only dim the thrill, right? Wrong. The enhanced production now at the Al Hirschfeld is sharper, fuller and even more emotionally charged. Director Diane Paulus and her prodigiously talented cast connect with the material in ways that cut right to the 1967 rock musical's heart, generating tremendous energy that radiates to the rafters."

Melissa Rose Bernardo, Entertainment Weekly: "Even after the downer ending, this Hair will leave you on a serious high. Try to stay there as long as possible - which means dragging yourself on stage for at least two refrains of 'Let the Sun Shine In.'"

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: "Any doubts that the revival of "Hair" that appeared last year in Central Park would lose something in the rarefied indoor confines of a Broadway theater can be immediately put to rest. If anything, the production has even more of a visceral impact at the Al Hirschfeld, where its youthful ensemble puts out so much blazing energy it's no wonder that half the audience feels compelled to join them onstage for the joyous bacchanalian finale. "

Jeremy Gerard, Bloomberg News: ""Hair" was then and is now the most exciting new show in town, not so much a breath of spring air as a jolt of adrenaline."

Elisabeth Vincentelli, NY Post: I have zero nostalgia for the 1960s, but I love this "Hair." Everything aligned per fectly when Diane Paulus resurrected the 1967 epoch- making show in Central Park last summer. Not only did the production throb with life, but having it play under the stars, for free, elevated it to a near-mythical level. Even the audience participation came across like an expression of community rather than cheeseball pandering."

Joe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News: "Witness the rush of people eager to join the cast and the band on stage after the finale to "Let the Sun Shine In." Then again, "Hair" was - and is - about moving and grooving to the beat and the la, la, la, los."

Robert Feldberg, Bergen Record: ""Hair" might not have the power to shock or to liberate that it did 41 years ago, but the exuberant revival of the iconic rock musical gives Broadway a welcome jolt of energy. It's also lots of fun."

David Sheward, Back Stage: "One of the lesser-known numbers is "Oh Great God of Power," invoking Con Edison during a blackout. This company puts out enough voltage to light up all of Broadway. When they invite audience members to join them on stage after the curtain call, it's as if they charge the theatre with amps of excitement, capping an unforgettable experience. "