Let Your Freak Flag Fly at 'Hair' at Colonial Theatre

Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Book & Lyrics by Gerome Ragni & James Rado, Music by Galt MacDermot, Directed by Diane Paulus, Choreography by Karole Armitage; Music Director, David Truskinoff; Scenic Design, Scott Pask; Costume Design, Michael McDonald; Lighting Design, Kevin Adams; Sound Design, ACME Sound Partners

CAST: Steel Burkhardt, Matt DeAngelis, Phyre Hawkins, Kaitlin Kiyan, Darius Nichols, Paris Remillard, Kacie Sheik, Caren Lyn Tackett; Ensemble: 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, Josh Lamon, John Moauro, Christine Nolan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Arbender Robinson, Cailan Rose, Tanesha Ross, Sara Ruzicka, Jen Sese, Lee Zarrett

Performances through April 10 at the Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston; Tickets available at Box Office or Ticketmaster 1-800-982-2787 or www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com/Boston

"Aquarius," "Hair," "Easy to Be Hard," "Good Morning Starshine," "Let the Sun Shine In." Man, these are the songs of a generation - well, to be honest, my generation - and it is so cool to hear them bouncing off the walls of the venerable Colonial Theatre in Boston where the National Tour of Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is conducting a love-in more than forty years after the original production. Gather your love beads, headbands, and fringed accessories, and wriggle into your old bell bottom jeans or most colorful granny dress for a ride back to the Summer of Love.

The Diane Paulus-directed show, which won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival and also garnered seven additional nominations, has finally made its way to her town, allowing the ART Artistic Director the opportunity to show the locals what all the fuss is about. It also gave her the chance on opening night to take her two young daughters onto the Colonial stage to rock with the cast during the come one, come all finale. It is that inclusive scene, where young and old actors and audience members mingle and sway to "Let the Sun Shine In," that perhaps best exemplifies the essence of Hair and delivers the simple message of joy in community that Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and Galt MacDermot crafted for their groundbreaking 1968 Broadway musical.

As a book musical, Hair is thin in the spoken dialogue department, employing almost a continuous stream of songs to introduce and develop characters, as well as lay the foundation of its dramatic structure. However, other than the seven or eight featured players who are most often front and center, nearly all members of the Tribe are anonymous, blending into a colorful blur of running and writhing bodies. As a unit, the Tribe is a vital component of the story, but the relationship between Berger (Steel Burkhardt), the bad boy, and Claude (Paris Remillard), the sensitive one, is the focal point. Sheila (Boxford native Caren Lyn Tackett), the resident activist, is in a love triangle with Berger and Claude, who in turn spurns the lovelorn, pregnant Jeannie (Kacie Sheik reprising her Broadway role), and the rest of the flower children share peace, love, freedom, and happiness with their nearest comrades.

The cast is bursting with talented voices, starting with Phyre Hawkins as Dionne who gets things rolling with "Aquarius," homegrown Boxford and Boston Conservatory product Matt DeAngelis as Woof,  original Broadway cast member Darius Nichols as Hud, and Kaitlin Kiyan as Crissy, who delivers a charming, heartfelt rendition of "Frank Mills." Tackett's interpretation of "Easy to Be Hard" is especially moving, as is "Where Do I Go" by Claude and the Tribe. Remillard's voice is perfect for Claude, a wonderful blend of rocker and crooner, and in that one song, he conveys all of his confusion and questions of identity shared by his peers.

It is clear that Hair has been a labor of love for Paulus and she has revived the show for modern audiences without removing all of its innocence. She has added her personal stamp by increasing the amount of interaction between the cast and the audience, and not just the aforementioned invitation to take the stage at the end. Tribe members frequently run up and down the aisles, dole out flowers, and clamber over the seats in the orchestra section, and Berger gets up close and personal with most of the folks in the front row, but it's all in good fun.

It's also fun to see Music Director David Truskinoff and his ten live musicians seated upstage, dressed like and interacting with the cast. A truck painted with camouflage design is central to Scott Pask's set, and Kevin Adams has grids of lights flanking the stage, flashing and changing colors in time with the music. Costumes by Michael McDonald run the gamut from patched bell bottoms, rope belts, and granny dresses, to colorful saris and military uniforms. ACME Sound Partners comes through loud and clear.

The overall experience of seeing Hair is exhilarating, as if some pent-up emotion lying dormant for decades is finally being let out into the air. Yet, as the exuberant ensemble rocked and rolled through one familiar musical number after another, I felt something lacking. I was enjoying it, but I wanted to like it more. It struck me that probably no one onstage, with the possible exception of some members of the orchestra, was born when Ragni, Rado, and MacDermot birthed Hair, let alone had any experience with the counterculture they are portraying, that may seem quaint to them and younger audience members. I think it's great that new generations are being exposed to the hippie mores, but this feels inauthentic, a little like the Disney ride version of the decade and cultural upheaval that changed our society in so many important ways.

The themes of questioning authority and searching for direction and meaning in life remain universal and still resonate today. Unfortunately, entry into the 21^st Century has not provided us with an antidote to adolescent angst, nor a way to end all wars. Vietnam may be no more than a unit in History class for the current crop of disaffected youth, but they can understand being mired in an unpopular and deadly conflict if they read the news (take your pick: Iraq, Afghanistan, and now, Libya). Of course, there is no longer a draft to contend with, but the divisiveness and polarization in the nation feel all too familiar. Hair has the capacity to remind us of a time when youthful rebellion and protest stemmed not only from love of country, but also from a desire for and commitment to peace.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus (Paris Remillard, Steel Burkhardt, and National Tour Company)