Hair – the Musical

It’s a deliberate ploy on my part not to find out about the show before I got there, as I try and avoid film reviews before I have watched the movie myself. I may have been in a production of Hair at school or not but my memory definitely has me dancing to Aquarius in primary school. Long colourful scarves and much shape-throwing around the floor was involved.When I have mention this to people they always ask, ‘they had you naked in primary school?’ No obviously not. Well not that I know of, it was the 1970s.So all through the first half, I couldn’t help but wonder why there were all clothed. They may have raided my wardrobe as the colourful willowy way-over-the-top super long Merlin-type sleeves were all over the stage. The costumes also reminded me of when I used to patch-up my jeans with patches depicting band’s names, although this was in the 1980s. I don’t wear jeans often enough to wear through them these days but have a desperate urge to start patching them with colourful material anyhow.So having seen Hair –the Musical, I’m still not sure of the story but loosely it’s about ‘Flower Children’ in 1967 being opposed to being drafted into war.“The army recruitment office is run by white men, recruiting black men, to go and kill yellow men to defend the country they stole from the red men.”They are all high, living the free love lifestyle to the full and they’re super funny with it. The naked bit comes at the end of the first half with very much subdued lighting falling.Even when one of their own appears to join the army, when all else have ceremoniously burnt their call-up cards, the musical frivolities continue.Hair is funny throughout and the only negative, which stops me from seeing it again, unless I sit right in the middle of the stalls was the constant onslaught of the cast coming into the audience. I don’t like having my space invaded, unless I invite you, stay at arm’s length. No touching, no talking, and no telling me I have to clap my hands. I’m paying you to perform, not the other way round. Their behaviour made me constantly sit on edge and somewhat spoilt my enjoyment.My companions enjoyed all of those shenanigans though and were even happy to go on stage at the end when invited. A pointless invitation as it meant an anti-climax with the show finishing whilst a large part of the audience was on stage and there rest were getting up to leave. No ‘Aquarius’ finale to be seen.The talent, the voices and the long hair of every cast member is however, undoubted.7½/10 (lost a point for over-zealous audience invasions)Coming back from the theatre on a high factor; 7½/10 (ditto)