Review: Hair - Gold Coast Little Theatre

 Written by Mark Rickell

 

“Back in the late 1960s, the artists of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway had been complaining that the professional theatre was dead, and even worse, that it was boring. Hair was the revolution they had been waiting for. With very little plot, a unit set, plenty of four-letter words, explicit sexual content, rituals, drugs, lyrics that didn’t rhyme, music that didn’t follow the rules, and the sound of genuine rock and roll on the Broadway stage for the first time, this musical knocked Broadway on its collective ass.” - Scott Miller, Rebels with Applause: Broadway's Ground-Breaking Musicals

 

Gold Coast Little Theatre has faithfully continued the tradition of knocking theatre on its ass. With themes and topics that remain just as relevant today as they did in 1967 at the show’s original release, GCLT has absolutely smashed this Broadway classic. At a time when theatres across South East Queensland seem to be falling back on true “classics” to bring in an audience, GCLT has done precisely what writers Rado and Ragni intended to do when they wrote this show together, shake things up.

 

Hair addresses all kinds of mature themes throughout: racism, environmental destruction, poverty, sexism and sexual repression, violence at home, the war in Vietnam, depersonalization from new technologies, corruption in politics, drug use and religion. Many of these themes are depicted on stage, deconstructed, displayed and in some cases parodied through the music. It seemed a little ironic to this reviewer that these depictions were often met with shock, awe and in some cases disgust from members of the audience. Ironic because the same people showing these reactions were, no doubt, teenagers at the time the story is set.

 

“You know, kids. I wish every mom and dad would make a speech to their teenagers. And say, ‘Kids, be free, be whatever you are, do whatever you want to do.’ Just so long as you don't hurt anybody” - Margaret Mead, from My Conviction – Hair: The Tribal Rock Musical

 

What do you think these audience members would have done if they had received a draft notice? That’s exactly what Hair does, it makes poignant choices to break down the fourth wall and force the audience to address those issues on a personal level. Sex, drugs and rock and roll? Is that really hurting anyone? What would you do if you were faced with social injustice? Societal pressure, peer pressure, family pressure, nobody is a stranger to these issues, but what if succumbing to this pressure put you in harms way?

 

Joining the tribe begins as you are blessed with burning sage as you walk through the door of the theatre, cast members relax playfully around the auditorium, subtly interacting with one another and the audience. Cast on stage wistfully daydream whilst playing an instrument or two, playing which gradually increases in volume as we take our seats. Our attention is drawn to the beautiful set in front of us, much credit has to be given to directors Kim and Amy and set designer Sean Curran for bringing this slice of New York to life. I could honestly go on for some time about the set, the use of space is excellent with every inch of the stage being utilised. The backdrop gives subtle context to the location and changes beautifully with changes in the lighting. The set pieces, particularly the enormous trees, are imposing and impressive and they really aid with the immersion, creating a feeling of the entire auditorium being there in the park.

 

“Every leaf on every tree, every tassel and length of fringing has been a group effort and a labour of love. From the bottom of our hearts we thank every person who has picked up a paintbrush, a sewing needle, a staple gun, a zip tie, a comb, a guitar.” - Amy-Louise Anderson and Kim Reynolds, Directors of Hair, written in their Programme Notes.

 

When it comes to both the set and costumes what is clear to me is the collaboration and attention to detail. This creative team has not only brought together a group of actors and performers to represent a tribe on stage, but they’ve clearly also been a tribe of theatre-makers backstage. It is evident that a great deal of work has gone into this production, and it stands as a testament to the impressive levels of theatre that can be achieved when heaps of passion, talent and hard work all come together.

 

The costumes show a wide variety of style and colour and whilst some pieces can sometimes be noticed for being a little too modern, the overall texture of the wardrobe is not affected by it. As alluded to earlier, it is clear that many of the pieces have been hand-made, sewn or crocheted for this production, and that really adds to the authenticity of the costuming. I would be remiss for not discussing a big part of the musical Hair, the hair. There was a good variety of natural and artificial hair on display and it’s incorporation into the choreography was extremely amusing. It’s important, whether at this point or another, to talk about a specific type of costuming, one that was considered controversial and provocative at the time of the original Broadway run. Nudity.

 

“...nudity was a big part of the hippie culture, both as a rejection of the sexual repression of their parents and also as a statement about naturalism, spirituality, honesty, openness, and freedom. The naked body was beautiful, something to be celebrated and appreciated, not scorned and hidden.” - Scott Miller, Rebels with Applause: Broadway's Ground-Breaking Musicals

 

The inclusion of nudity in Hair was made for the same reason that hippies protesting the Vietnam war chose to strip naked as part of that protesting. The idea being to highlight that depictions of something perfectly natural and beautiful, the human form, should be seen as disgusting when acts of violence and inequality are seen as acceptable, was absurd. Nudity in this production of Hair was handled very well, the performers had clearly made individual choices based on what they were comfortable with and the use of clever costuming, that was quick to remove or allowed for partial coverage, allowed each performer to adjust that to their own level of comfort.

 

The lighting design throughout the production was mostly very subtle, that it was seamless and didn’t stand out, is to the credit of the lighting team, as it never detracted from the performance it was created to highlight. There were some extremely strong choices for several key scenes, I found the use of lighting and the colour red particularly bold and effective during the hallucination sequence.

 

As with many opening nights, some tech gremlins remained in the system, and a few microphone level issues unfortunately detracted from some wonderful moments. As I mentioned previously, one of the features of this production was the cast playing instruments live on stage.

 

Firstly, I must applaud these performers, it was a wonderful display of talent and, once again, added to the immersion of the show overall. Secondly, as with the level issues with vocal microphones, a little extra care could be given to the levels of the instruments when they are featured on stage. As these instruments became another voice in the chorus they were sometimes drowned out by others and their impact was diluted. The fact that these two issues were my only points of concern with the entire production, just goes to show what an impressive show it was. Sound design, particularly when dealing with such temperamental equipment such as headset microphones, is extremely difficult. It is especially worth highlighting that in the creation of a production such as this, months and months of preparation, hard work and repetition go into the majority of the production. This, unfortunately, is not the case for the tech team, who often have to create, plot, polish and refine their respective areas in only a few short weeks, giving them very limited time to clear out those aforementioned gremlins. Sound level issues aside, the vocals in this production were phenomenal.

 

Vocal director Steffanie Gowland has done a wonderful job creating a cohesive vocal soundscape. The ensemble harmony work was excellent and particular attention needs to be given to songs which were fast and lyrically tricky, the diction and precision with which the entire cast was participating was very impressive. Many of the cast got their own time to shine, even those members of the ensemble who were featured less, brought their flair to the vocals with small solo parts here and there. For me, the absolute powerhouse vocal performance in this show came from Samantha Price, playing Dionne. I was continuously impressed with the texture, tone, control and power she showed with her voice, also showing excellent technique, she was always relaxed and made it seem effortless. A top-tier vocal display.

 

The choreography in this show was wonderful, full of variety, energy, excitement and invention. Again the use of space around the stage is to be commended, with action happening wherever you look. It is pertinent at this point to also discuss the use of space for the blocking of the scenes of this performance, as that and the choreography go hand-in-hand. As discussed previously the use of height and levels in the set aided with immersion, this technique continued into the position of the performers. Whether high up in the trees, upon the rock monolith, up a ladder, lying down on the stage or even down further onto the auditorium floor and into the audience, every part of the performance space was utilised. In both the movement of characters through scenes and the choreography, the two underlying themes were variety and inclusion, highlighting the overarching themes of Hair, the vibrancy of the human spirit and the community of the tribe.

 

“The 20 hippies assembled at our first rehearsal are the exact 20 that you see on stage tonight. A rare and wondrous dynamic. Each of them has brought so much to the process, it has evolved because of their gifts and talents. It is the beauty and the soul in each of them that will take you on the emotional roller coaster that you’re strapped in for.” - Amy-Louise Anderson and Kim Reynolds, Directors of Hair, written in their Programme Notes.

 

Finally I would like to discuss and commend the brilliant performances of the cast in this show. As the directors have said, every single member of this cast has brought something to this production and that was clear on stage. Throughout the production the ensemble did a wonderful job of not just filling the space but being part of it. There were so many small details and little interactions, many of which I’m sure I missed and would need to watch the show again to catch them all. There were a few opening-night nerves, but they quickly dissipated.

 

Flynn Anderson as protagonist Claude did a fantastic job of portraying the character’s internal conflict, his vocals and facial expressions, particularly later in the show, showed genuine despair.

 

Bella Jannsen (Sheila) showed a great range of emotion, in particular in her interactions with Ezekiel Whitecross (Berger) and during her heartfelt solo numbers.

 

Whitecross was an absolute stand-out character actor in this show. His character Berger serves as somewhat of a comedic foil to best friend and protagonist Claude and he did this with gusto. His comic timing, physicality, stage presence and commitment to the performance were all brilliant. In particular I noticed that he even took to the choreography in Berger’s languid and relaxed style, sometimes falling behind the beat and almost looking to haphazardly lose balance during turns. On top of that he was also able to explore the depth of the character as the show progressed. Really excellent.

 

Jake Cropley as Woof displayed a beautiful range of comedy and vulnerability. His vocals

were also excellent, particularly in the guitar-accompanied duet with Ash Van Lits. Van Lits as Chrissy showed a beautiful sweetness and naivete and her vocals were a delightfully clean and relaxed break from many of the high-energy numbers in the show.

 

Matthew McKenzie as Hud brought an awesome stage presence, he was magnetic, combined with his powerful vocals his performance was really eye-catching.

 

Mitchell Nelson as Margaret Mead, was extremely funny and did an excellent job of playing into the challenging, yet amusing, vocal part.

 

Finally Chelsea Jamieson as Jeanie, the pregnant hippie whose unrequited love of Claude is her main motivation, was brilliant. She was another stand-out character actor who had

excellent comic timing, physicality and also showed vulnerability. Her in-character singing was particularly enjoyable.

 

This show was heartfelt and funny, serious and sad. Truly a roller coaster of emotions which left me feeling inspired. I can’t recommend it highly enough, just be prepared to ge

 knocked on your ass (in the best possible way).