Review Roundup: HAIR Reopens!

The Tony Award-winning revival of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical returned to Broadway on July 5 at the St. James Theatre and officially opened last night. The 10-week only ‘Summer of Love' run will conclude on September 10, 2011. 

rn to Broadway follows on the heels of its successful first national tour of 20 cities in 9 months during the 2010-2011 season and features original revival cast members Steel Burkhardt as Berger, Paris Remillard as Claude, Matt DeAngelis as Woof, Kaitlin Kiyan as Crissy,Darius Nichols as Hud, Kacie Sheik as Jeanie, London cast member Phyre Hawkins as Dionne and Central Park cast member Caren Lyn Tackett as Sheila. The cast also includes: Shaleah Adkisson,Emily Afton, Nicholas Belton, Larkin Bogan, Corey Bradley, Marshal Kennedy Carolan, Laura Dreyfuss, Mike Evariste, Lulu Fall, Tripp Fountain, Nkrumah Gatling, Allison Guinn, Sara King, Josh Lamon, John Moauro, Christine Nolan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Arbender Robinson, Cailan Rose,Tanesha Ross, Jen Sese and Lee Zarrett. Following its strictly limited summer engagement, the HAIR tour will continue across the country.

For more information, visit www.hairbroadway.com.

Charles Isherwood, NY Times: I'm happy to report that this national touring company, featuring fresh-faced newcomers alongside performers from the Central Park, Broadway and London versions, has got plenty of life, brother. The hallmarks of Ms. Paulus's production were its pulsating energy and its sincere conviction, and both are on continuous, sense-heightening display at the St. James.

Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News:The performances are a mixed bag. As the hippie tribe's self-anointed ringmaster, Berger, Steel Burkhardt stands out. He's a burly bundle of erotic energy. As the confused Claude, who yearns for peace but goes to war, Paris Remillard is appealing but can't quite muster the empathy summoned by previous occupants of his role.

Elisabeth Vincentelli, NY Post: Some nitpicking: A few actors, including Steel Burkhardt as charismatic Tribe ringleader Berger, think that running their hands through their manes is an acceptable substitute for acting. And the "American Idol" generation appears to distrust vulnerability when singing, as evidenced by Kaitlin Kiyan's assertive rendition of the wistful ballad "Frank Mills."

Matt Windman, AM New York: The cast is mixed in quality. Kacie Sheik (Jeanie) and Darius Nichols (Hud) are excellent holdovers from the original Broadway company, whereas Kaitlin Kiyan (Crissy) robs the ballad "Frank Mills" of its elegant simplicity with "American Idol"-style singing. As Berger, Steel Burk-hardt captures the same crazed and animalistic spirit that made Will Swenson so captivating in the role. And Paris Remillard's mature take on Claude presents the character as both upbeat and genuinely scared.

Michael Dale, BroadwayWorld: If Hair returns with the faint whiff of summer stock in the air, it's still a heck of a fun party with a poignant kick-in-the-gut finish. Just ask my seat-neighbor, who I last saw joyously dancing on stage at the finale, no doubt with a heart full of memories of summers of love.

Howard Shapiro, Philadelphia Inquirer: In truth, it's not smart to be a Hair purist because the concept of the show stands in your way. The original show was produced with more of a guidepost than a script, making it malleable; the production you see today may be lots different from the one you saw even recently. This version has the longest second-half weed-induced sequence I've seen, and an ending whose score seemed slightly rearranged to me, although the stings of war - this case, Vietnam - were the same. (No, I was not stoned. I was reviewing.)

Robert Feldberg, Bergen Record: This time around, particularly at the beginning of the show, the gambit lacks the sense of spontaneity it once did; the audience touring seems a bit tired and ritualized. But that feeling dissipates after a while thanks to the onstage energy and commitment of the cast, as it romps spiritedly through the Gerome Ragni-James Rado-Galt MacDermot score.

 

David Sheward, Backstage: There are several standouts among the featured players as well. Phyre Hawkins' trumpet voice blasts out "Aquarius." Kaitlin Kiyan delivers the tender "Frank Mills" with a heartbreaking simplicity. As Claude's horrific parents, Josh Lamon and Allison Guinn are hilarious. Lamon also doubles as the inquiring tourist lady named for the anthropologist Margaret Mead, who wants to understand the weird sartorial and grooming habits of the hippies. He nearly steals the show with a wicked parody of middle-class propriety and a sly rendering of the character's comic manifesto "My Conviction."

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!