Long beautiful hair — check! A tribe of omnivorously pansexual love children — check! Simulated drug use and soft-core full-frontal nudity — check! Scrappy costumes in the cosmic colors of Peter Max — check!
The national tour of Broadway’s “Hair” arrived Tuesday night at the Fox Theatre with all the visual and stylistic trappings of the seminal ’60s anthem to peace and harmony. Director Diane Paulus’ telling of the dawning of the age of Aquarius is faithful to every last sequin and Afro.
But something is lost in this lavishly designed, solidly executed show that bills itself as the “American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.” The soaring vocal harmonies that transform Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado’s classic from mind-blowing to heart-rending — and make the horrors of war so devastating — are frequently missing here. And for a story that purports to be one prolonged orgy, this “Hair” feels oddly lacking in the touchy-feely department.
Karole Armitage’s choreography does live up to the promise of a bacchanal and accentuates the youth and energy of this joyful ensemble, all decked out in Michael McDonald's shaggy period outfits and washed in Kevin Adams’ evocative lighting. Though the company looks and sounds pretty good as a group, the casting weaknesses are underscored in some of the solos.
Phyre Hawkins’ Dionne sings “Aquarius” with regal authority, making us want to hear more of her terrific voice. Paris Remillard captures the tortured soul of Claude, the object of everyone’s affections and his parents’ ire, yet the actor doesn’t quite have the charismatic sheen to be an A-list leading man. Steel Burkhardt plays bad-boy Berger with appropriate obnoxiousness and is true to the flavor of his character. Matt DeAngelis’ Woof has long beautiful tresses but, in my mind, would be more effective if he were just a bit giddier. And it’s really too bad that two of the prettier and gentler songs of this magnificent score, “Easy to Be Hard” and “Good Morning Starshine,” are sabotaged by the hard-edged belting of Caren Lyn Tackett’s Sheila.
In this sea of Venus and Adonises, there is some excellent character work by the likes of Darius Nichols (Hud), Allison Guinn (Buddhadalirama and Claude’s mom) Josh Lamon (Margaret Mead and Claude’s dad). Lamon’s Mead may be daffy on the exterior, but the actor has a connection with the material that other players can’t seem to muster. He's sweetly affecting, a wonderful comedian and sings beautifully, too.
"Hair" uses an hallucinogenic vaudeville to make points about race, politics and war. It's kind of fun to see these broad and irreverent treatments of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in their hometown of Atlanta. But this sequence has a rushed, scatter-shot quality that doesn't maximize the gravitas of the material.
The final show of Broadway Across America’s 2010-2011 season, "Hair" is good but never great, worth seeing yet strangely dispassionate. Too often, the intimacy gets lost in spectacle, and the sun never really shines in.
Theater review
“Hair”
Grade: B-
8 p.m. tonight-Saturday. 2 p.m. Saturday. 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Through Sunday. $18-$60. Broadway Across America, Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 1-800-982-2787, ticketmaster.com
Bottom line: Solid but not stellar.
About the Author
