Review: HAIR at Gretna Theatre

Dust off your bell bottoms and sandals, Gretna Theatre is taking you back to 1968 with their current production of Hair.  Running through August 2nd, this groundbreaking rock musical celebrates the Age of Aquarius with a talented 16 person cast.  Matthew Carter is funny, friendly and dynamic as the smart-ass Berger.  Carter has a strong stage presence and serves as the highly enjoyable ringmaster for the crazy crew of hippies known as “the Tribe”.

Brad Myer is excellent as Berger’s right-hand man, Claude.  Myer has great range as both an actor and singer, going from confident and relaxed to scared and worried as required by the script.  His extended bad trip in the second act was especially intense and engaging.

The members of the Tribe were consistently vibrant with powerful voices.  I was especially impressed by some of the actresses who added extensive soul into the mix.

Other individual stand outs include Lea Sevola, as the sympathetic Shelia and TJ Creedon as “Margaret Mead”.  Sevola’s rendition of Easy to be Hard was especially heartbreaking.  Creedon was hilarious as a New York tourist who interacts with hippies as if they are some sort of weird anthropological experiment. A bonus shout out to the role of her “silent husband” played by a Gretna Theatre auction winner who won a walk-on role in the show.  While I expected his part to be relatively brief and unmemorable, director Michael Philip O’Brien milked maximum laughs and attention from this character, and it paid off handsomely!

Choreographer Joshua William Green did a great job of keeping the actors moving.  Dance moves were effective, energetic, and fun. Costumes by Brody Eisenhour looked authentic, but probably a little too tidy. Every time I see real-life images from Woodstock, I can almost smell the body odor and dirt jumping off the photos.

Sound design attributed to Jonathan Shuey was a mixed bag.  The six-piece band on stage was both raw and loud, a welcomed complement to the score.  Likewise, character dialogue was clear and easy to follow.  However, the lyrics of some songs seemed a little garbled or difficult to understand.  This might be associated more with the extensive use of 1960’s jargon and references than poor amplification or diction.  I predict in another ten years, Hair productions will start including a glossary in the program to help audience members understand the language and priorities of this particular generation.

Lastly, speaking of generations, this show lands differently in 2026.  Hair is a celebration of peace, love, and joy associated with the youth culture of the Boomer generation.  When the show was first produced, it was easy to go along with the idealism and righteousness that the story celebrates.  However, with time and reflection, the question that kept nagging me as an audience member was when and why did this generation change their priorities?

The Boomers who vehemently opposed the Vietnam War are the same ones who enthusiastically endorse the current war with Iran.  The youth who joyously embraced “I’(M) Black” and “Colored Spade” are now doing their best to remove any traces of DEI in this country.  Hippies went from singing “Good Morning, Sunshine” to fiercely rejecting any exploration of renewable energy. It was difficult for me to appreciate the earnestness of the show without taking it in with much more than a grain of salt.

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Don't Miss a Central Pennsylvania News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...