I decided to go see this show because I enjoy music theater. I feel that when you combine acting and music you get an amazing combination of emotion and expression. I was excited to see this performance for many reasons. For one, this show was put on by fellow students, some of which I personally know. I really like that I was able to support them and get such enjoyment out of their performance. Secondly, the music and theme of this musical really represents Rock ‘n’ Roll and what we are studying in class. Every song is in the Rock ’n’ Roll style and is based around the controversial topics of free love, drugs, sex, war and overall finding inner happiness and equality.
The performance space was smaller than usual theaters, mainly because it is at a college. However, I have seen shows at much smaller venues in the past and I feel this one was a happy medium. There was not one bad seat in the house; everywhere you were there was efficient viewing of the stage. The audience, while it was not sold out, was very into it and actually quite involved and very much awake. The minute I walked in to find my seat the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, almost like it was inviting you on a musical journey. Since this was a musical, the stage was pretty open and ready for dancers and actors to grace it. The band instead of being center stage like at a concert was placed stage right in their own area. Since the space was not overly large, I felt that the music really wrapped itself all the way around the theater. It seemed even more personal and brought about many different emotions. My impression of the venue was that it was kept up very nicely and it was also much nicer than I had expected.
The audience was made up of people who were excited to see the show and fans of the music in the show. Everyone dressed pretty casually as this was not a very formal event. There were some people who you could tell were dragged along or had to be there, but no matter their purpose of why they showed up, everybody left saying great things about it. When it came to the age of the audience, it ranged from young teenagers to people who grew up during the time period portrayed. Clapping ensued after every song; some of the songs and singing were so great they required loud clapping, whistles and screams. Two songs that got the most attention out of the audience were definitely “Hair” and “Let the Sunshine In.”
The three leads in this performance were done by Joe Sergio, a music theater major, who portrayed the character of Berger, a drug loving, free-spirited guy, who always sticks to his beliefs. Hailey Kinsler, a theater major, who is planning a career in acting, portrayed the character of Sheila, a passion-filled protester. Finally, Mark Maurice, also a theater major, played Claude, the guy everyone wants and loves and is Berger’s best friend; he is drafted in the Vietnam War. Also, backing these performers was an incredible ensemble, which included amazing singers and dancers. The leads and the ensemble were all very dedicated to putting on a spectacular performance. Every scene and song showed complete emotion. You could really tell that they wanted the audience to feel it rather than just hear and see it. They also sang and danced within the audience with many of its members. During the song “Ain’t Got No,” they really got the audience members into it including myself. I would give their performance as a whole a 9 out of 10. The only reason I would not rate them 10 out of 10 is because I think they had the potential to make the opening scene better than it was due to how amazing the rest of the show turned out to be.
The composer of the Love-Rock musical is Galt MacDermot; he with help from lyricists, Gerome Ragni and James Rado, really paved the way for this Broadway success. Some things that really added to this show were the dancing and lights. Since this was a musical, the dancing was just as prominent as the singing and I thought it was choreographed exceptionally well. The light show really represented the psychedelic time period they were portraying, as well as their costumes, which consisted of bell bottom pants, crop tops, tie dye and of course long hair.
The pit band of this show consisted of saxophone, trumpet, trombone, keyboard, drums, bass and guitar. The combination of the instruments and voices of these performers was excellent. I have to highlight the voices of the three main leads. Joe Sergio, while his voice not as trained or smooth had a raspy, unique timbre. Hailey Kinsler, the female lead did have a much trained, smooth, ear-pleasing voice. Finally, Mark Maurice had a clear passionate way of singing and a freedom in his performance. All the voices blended well and you could even hear a four part harmony in the song, “Electric Blues.” The vast majority of the show was up-tempo songs; however, the slow more emotion-packed songs were there as well. One of these songs was “Easy to be Hard,” where Hailey actually ended up crying while singing it. Each song represented the controversial topics they face in the show, telling a dramatic story. During the final song, the character Berger, played by Joe, belted it out so incredibly as tears filled his eyes from the pain he felt from losing his best friend to Vietnam that tears began to fill the audience. The ending to that performance was one of the best I have ever seen.
I am very pleased that I chose to do my evaluation on Suffolk County Community College’s performance of Hair. The music, performers and venue combined to make an experience that I will remember for a very long time. Music theater has a great way of sending messages and emotions through song and dance. I especially liked the involvement of the audience that occurred, and the passion you could see in the performer’s eyes. The music itself showcased great melody, dynamics, harmony and all together every other element that there is. Without a doubt, I would love to see this show again and would recommend it to anyone, who enjoys a great musical performance.
-Joanna MacMahon, Fall 2013
