Hair
This is a more surprisingly vital revival of the archetypal 1960s musical than one might have thought possible. It began life as part of the Public Theater's Central Park summer season, and was rapturously received. It's no surprise that the hit parade of songs -- "Let the Sunshine In," "Aquarius" and "Easy to Be Hard" -- are as tuneful in themselves as ever, but director Diane Paulus has miraculously given a strong dramatic arc to the almost plotless original, as did Milos Forman in his 1979 screen version (L -- limited adult audience).
Will Swenson is charismatic as Berger, who serves as the show's narrator, and Gavin Creel is also outstanding as Claude, whose decision whether to burn his draft card or allow himself to be sent to Vietnam propels the action.
The work's strong anti-war message -- heightened here -- plays out amid elements that Catholic viewers may deem offensive unless viewed in sociological context. Language at times is strong and vulgar, there's drug use, "free love" and occasional irreverence, courtesy of Woof (Bryce Ryness), who shows a curious fondness for Catholic ritual. This production also includes the nonsexual full nudity (brief and dimly lit) that ends the first act.
The show gives us a snapshot in time on the hippie culture, but without seeming to glorify it, as the likable Berger's freewheeling attitude is eventually shown to be hollow.
Still, the show is best suited to older audiences who can tolerate and view the problematic elements in proper perspective. (Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 W. 45th St., (212) 239-6200 or Telecharge.com)
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.