Theater Review—

DCT’s ‘Hair’ Is A Brilliant Reminder Of The Lessons Of The 60s

By Julie Stern

BRIDGEPORT — Thirty-eight years ago, the tribal rock musical Hair exploded on the Broadway scene. The rock music, the in-your-face pronouncements of the assembly of hairy, beaded, rag tag flower children asserting their rejection of the views and values of the mainstream American society that was sending young men overseas to fight and die in a war that had nothing to do with defending their country, were all revolutionary. And of course there was the ultimate shockeroo: the nudity!

Milos Forman maDe a wonderful movie out of it, complete with enough back study to explain how the simple young draftee, Claude, meets up with the tribe of rebels in Central park, a coherent plot,  and moral decisions (as when Berger impulsively takes Claude’s place in the Army and gets sent to Vietnam in his stead).

But the original concept devised by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, set to music by Galt MacDermot, is a loosely packed compendium of songs and dances expressing the spirit of the generation that took as their slogan “Make Love, Not War” and let their hair grow in protest against their uptight, prejudiced, conservative parents.

Bridgeport’s Downtown Cabaret Theater gives another of its dynamite productions of the show. Directed by Julie Arenal – who choreographed the original Broadway production – the Bridgeport offering features a jazzily anarchic set by J. Branson and remarkably dramatic lighting by Hugh Hallinan, to re-create the seedy chaos of New York’s East Village.

The 18 of the company, none of whom were born when the show first aired, fill the stage with a joyful noise. The energy and grace of their dancing is contagious, and the audience that packed the house last weekend was happily swept up in the spirit of things.

Of course a lot has changed since 1968. Heavy metal music played by hairy dopers became a cash cow for the music industry, boundaries have been pushed so that frontal nudity has become almost de rigueur in movies as well as live theater, and the language revolution has made the “free speech” of the Sixties almost quaintly innocent.

More significantly, the replacement of the draft with the all-volunteer Army has taken the pressure off the younger generation, so that there is less reason for them to become concerned about current events, or to unite in trying to change things. Only those young people who chose to enlist will be sent to Iraq, and they believe in the rightness of their cause.

I have listened on the radio to idealistic, and hideously uninformed young soldiers explain how they believe their sacrifices in Fallujah will make the streets of Kansas safer, while the majority of college students today are just so relieved that they won’t be asked to go they feel justified in not thinking about the issues at all, apart from sticking a yellow ribbon magnet on the back of their SUV. Flower power, if it exists, is merely a fashion statement, like piercings and tattoos.

Meanwhile, it is the people over thirty – at least in the blue states – who remember the lessons of the Sixties, and remain suspicious of the value of war as the ultimate diplomatic tool. For the most part, these were the people cheering and dancing in the aisles by the time this entertaining and enjoyable piece of nostalgia reached its finale.

As always, DCT does a terrific job and you should have a lot of fun as you enjoy your picnic.

(Performances continue at Downtown Cabaret Theatre, 263 Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport, until May 22.

Curtain is Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 5:30 and 8:30, and Sunday at 5:30. Tickets are $38.50 and $42.50, with discounts for students and seniors. Call 203-576-1636 for details.)