Hair

It’s hard to know where to start with this new Brighton Theatre Group production. Hair is so much a show of its time, and for many of us of a “certain” age, the songs are iconic signposts of that age of peace and love. Those songs are as good as ever, Aquarius, Let The Sun Shine In, Good Morning Starshine and of course Hair. There are other good numbers of course and there are a few that could, in my view, be cut.

Now that leads to the question ‘How can you cut a song in a show without losing the plot?’ Well here lies my issue with the show, both the original and this production. Last night I saw an amazing cast of talented performers give their very all. They sang and they danced, they gave a lavish impression of hippydom, a vibrant psychedelic feast of visual treats, great costumes, great lighting, great projections and a great band!

So why did I leave feeling slightly less than satisfied? the truth lies not wholly with this production but with the show itself. The story and the message, and there is one, are simply dwarfed by the rest of the trappings, the songs, dance and visuals excesses. Perhaps I was wrong to expect more but I would have loved the director to have squeezed a lot more drama, more character from his talented cast, made me believe in them as scared humans and not just as drug befuddled youths. And why did they use the hand mics which definitely hampered any attempt to raise this above a staged gig?

On the bright side, the evening is undoubtedly fun, the cast deliver those songs with gusto, especially the female soloists and if I had to name one moment that really let the sun shine in it was Millie Edinburgh who, as Crissy, did perform a song with a real sense of drama and heart.