HAIR The Tribal Rock-Love Musical. Joint production by Tuggeranong Community Arts, SUPA Productions and The Street Theatre. 8pm at The Street until November 19. Bookings: 6247 1223.
This is a terrific production, with a revised script which adds maturity to this "flower-power" musical. It is both a celebration of all the good things the young people of 1968 stood for - peace, love and freedom - and a sad memorial to all those ideals which we have still not achieved.
Everyone in the cast seemed to have absorbed the commitment which the original performers felt. Only last Monday the ABC's Timeframe documented the first Sydney production and opening night here on Thursday stood the comparison very well indeed.
When a cast is as evenly matched as this one, and so much of the show is a group presentation - originally done deliberately to avoid creating "stars" - it may be unfair to highlight only some performers, but I feel I must mention Kirrily Cornwell's wonderful voice, the beautiful rendition of the "Air" in Act One by Simone Bresser, Jacqui Hoy and Rachel Burleigh, and the characterisation of Claude, who can't bring himself to burn his draft card, by Ra Khahn.
Oddly enough, despite what we think we remember (many in the audience were at least in the vicinity in 1968), the story is quite thin and is strongly male-centred, notwithstanding the excellent women's singing roles. But the band (called "Headband") never let the action flag and the choreography was always inventive, especially given the rather small range of wafty movements that the real flower people thought were creative.
The result is a musical drama, set within the frame of appearances - on what was definitely an Admiral TV set - by President Johnson (with Harold Holt grinning in the background) going all the way to Vietnam and President Nixon uncomfortably announcing the end of the war he couldn't win, moving many in the audience to tears.
Director Sue Belsham has maintained integrity, judging well the levels of glorious freedom, satirical humour and sad recognition of human frailty which makes HAIR well worth seeing. Among others, the surprise appearance of the anthropologist Margaret Mead is a special highlight. Don't miss it!
© Frank McKone, Canberra
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