Hair (2009)
Hair played to packed, cheering houses for five stupendous nights and a Saturday matinee. The excitement generated around the campus for this week was palpable, and so many people seemed to want to express their affection, and perhaps longing, for another, more optimistic time. The large ensemble sung the score brilliantly, and seemed instinctively to understand the still-transforming power of Rado and Ragni’s lyrics and Galt McDermott’s music, that confront and console, celebrate and satirise, in almost equal measure. A more vocally gifted group is difficult to imagine.
It may seem invidious to single out the few from the many but, as in any musical, the lead singers were crucial in generating and sustaining the vitality and direction of the performance on a number of levels. Maxwell Simon was simply breath-taking as Claude, his soaring voice perfectly capturing his character’s compelling humanity, idealistic yearnings, and occasional anguish and uncertainty. His Claude embodied the spirit of the time. So too did Joel Skurrie as Berger, who gets the big rock songs, and who was, courtesy of Joel’s extraordinary energy and fearlessness, and powerful vocals, a veritable force of Hippy nature. And Elora Ledger as Sheila, singing of love and protesting with equal conviction, provided a beautiful and sweet-tempered contrast to the raw bravura of the males. The delicacy was in her court.
The second leads were equally memorable: Annabelle Tudor’s pregnant Jeannie, a kind of eloquent acid-queen, established numerous insights into the characters and tribe, and her vocals were arresting. Her comic sense, a notable feature of this accomplished actor, was delicious. Daniel Smorgon, as Woof, captured the hearts of the audience, with his spontaneity, quirkiness, warmth and loving regard for all. His was a wonderfully sustained performance, and demanded attention and commanded affection. And a new discovery, Matt Donnelly, was quite awesome as Hud, the focus of the play’s anti-racism messages. He bounded and sung his way with astonishing verve around the stage, coming up through trapdoors and ascending ladders; his special moments were captivating.
One can go on down the list: numerous soloists contributed to the texture of the show on many levels. Hannah Wright and Grace Maddern shared the role of Dionne, and both were striking; so too were Elly Coker and Rachael Findlay as Crissie, whose poignant lament for a misplaced boyfriend (another victim of the Vietnam meat-grinder?) was a show highlight. As indeed was the duet between Monica Shkolnik (who opened the show with the famous ”Age of Aquarius”) and the remarkable Michail Shalit: two exquisite voices in sublime harmony in a musical interpretation of Hamlet’s speech on the state of man. And who will forget Michael Godfrey’s astonishing and brave cameo as Margaret Mead, who turns out to be something quite unexpected? As well, Matt Bagnara’s voice was heard in various smaller vocal roles, giving depth and substance to the interpretation of the music. The talent on display right through the ensemble was richly evocative; there was barely a false note sounded, so professional and committed was the entire cast.
Hair was truly a show for every single singer on stage; the absence of any one person would have diminished it; all contributed to its addictive power and triumphant musicality.
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