Anthony King: 2009

THEATRE #8 - It’s fascinating to watch a show that was a visceral, shocking introduction to a burgeoning movement when it debuted in 1967, get transformed by Time into, basically, a museum piece.  Hair is now a pageant, and its Son of God sacrifice symbolism only reinforces that notion.  The amazing thing about this production is that the director found a way to use the threadbare story to make a huge emotional impact, especially in the second act, in a way that it simply never could when it was laden with the controversies and politics of the day.

While I could never get past the fact that I was watching fresh, clean, beautiful people pretend to be hippies - a disconnect made even more glaring whenever you’d look up at the actual, aging hippies in the band - the show is incredibly fun, the performances are stunning, and the direction is whip-smart.

So refreshing be reminded that Broadway - and the Broadway musical - used to attempt to challenge its audience instead of pandering.  And so jarring to watch that show run headlong into the requisite post-show standing-ovation/sing-along that defines the current Broadway theatre.  The show may be about 1967, but the production is firmly rooted in 2009.