SignOnSanDiego.com: Protest signs on the inside, protest signs on the outside: Playgoers at the Civic Theatre on Wednesday night found themselves in a peculiar, decade-blurring limbo — neither “Hair” nor there. As the Occupy San Diego movement continued its rally on the plaza outside the downtown theater (and even serenaded patrons with “Aquarius” as they filtered out during intermission), the touring version of the revived “American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” got its beads on for its local opening.
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Play review: 'Hair' shows its roots
SignOnSanDiego.com: Protest signs on the inside, protest signs on the outside: Playgoers at the Civic Theatre on Wednesday night found themselves in a peculiar, decade-blurring limbo — neither “Hair” nor there. As the Occupy San Diego movement continued its rally on the plaza outside the downtown theater (and even serenaded patrons with “Aquarius” as they filtered out during intermission), the touring version of the revived “American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” got its beads on for its local opening.
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9 comments:
I've had the comment about whether Hair is still relevant quite a few times with friends and peers. I don't think it is. It's a period piece. There are no hippies in America responding to the national and global issues present in Hair. Those issues don't exist anymore largely because the government hasn't implemented the draft. It's not going to be the same. Anti-war sentiments are no longer fueled in self-defense.
The people who think it still resonates I've found have been closer to that period in time. They experienced a little bit of that atmosphere. To be fair I've never seen a production, just heard the music. It'll be interesting to see when we mount our production. Granted it will be on a very small scale, but it should still express itself just as powerfully if it's heart is still beating. I don't think it is.
I would have to agree with Matt. I find it hard to imagine that times like those in Hair still exist, at least in America. I'm sure a huge part of this is because of my age and the generation which I was born in. That being said, I do love the music in Hair and it will remain some of my favorite even though I cannot personally relate.
I actually was just talking to my parents (who were young adults in the 60's) about hair and movements of their time. They love occupy but kept forgetting that their movements and "occupations" were fledgling at first. In fact one might say that that is all the 60's were they were naive and changing things because they were the first. Occupy has all of the baggage that came after the 60's. The hippies were trying to end war, and get free speech but they were trying to create a different culture, in which people were freer. Occupy is trying to re-structure politics and wealth not necessarily the entire culture of our world, although that has the potential to come as a side effect. In fact to me Occupy feels much more structured then the hippies from what my parents have said that hippies had a lot of problems with internal conflicts and male dominance which wasn't exactly equal and occupy doesn't have that because it really is about hearing from the people and not one dictator or a committee.
I completely agree with Matt. "Hair" is a period piece now-a-days. It's still a great musical and really enjoyable but the truth is the country is just not the same as it was then. My dad was hippie and tells me about how hard it was with the war, the draft, and Civil Rights Movements going on all at the same time. Those issues don't speak true to today generation and I don't like it when people try to say that Hair still applies to todays issues in America. We have different issues and we are dealing with them differently. "Hair" is still a lot of fun and I like looking at it and thinking of our past and my father past. But that's as far as it goes for me.
I would argue that the fact that Hair is period is part of what makes it important and relevant today. It shows how youth in protest in this country really got its start, and that honestly? the hippies are doing it wrong. To me, the message at the end is that it takes more than just dropping out and yipping to get things done and make change, which I hope is emphasized by the fact that Occupy San Diego seemed a more vigilant crowd than the tribe. Some of the more aggressive youth of the 60s, such as SDS or the Beats somewhat earlier, are what Occupy protestors can look to for their inspiration, but I hope that they can also learn from what the Hippies failed to do, and take it one step farther.
I love the fact that Occupy San Diego was happening right outside the doors of the theater as "Hair" was being performed. The difference in vivaciousness between the "movements", the stoic one happening outside and the lively, sing-song one being portrayed on stage, were apparently very obvious, at least to the writer of the article. But it is interesting to compare the two. And I think its exactly BECAUSE of things like Occupy San Diego that "Hair" is still relevant today. And hey, it reminds us of a time when we might have been forced to be drafted into the army. We should consider ourselves lucky that's no longer the case.
As people have said the themes of the show even though it is a period piece still ring true. With that said I think that doing period pieces whose themes are still relevant is part of the problem with the box office sales. We are doing theatre that was relevant to a previous generation and not creating our own theatre to fill that market in social commentary. Part of this problem stems from the amount of cost it takes to put up a new work because most main stream playhouses can no longer afford to workshop a piece.
While the tie to the current protests seems like a surface level journalistic leap, I actually think there is a meaningful connection between these. I have to respectfully disagree with my good friend Matt - I do think that Hair has substantial relevance today. While it is true that the lack of draft takes some of the personal threat out of war, I think there is a strong parallel in the need to organize a resistance to the status quo. I hope that the energy and questioning of societal assumptions that formed the backbone of the 60's resistance is eventually incorporated into the occupy movement. The basis of both protests is an understanding that the basic operating assumptions that we are working under are deeply flawed. Neither movement has the capacity to completely resolve any issue, but it can provide some course correction. For people of my generation, I think Hair presents a strong perspective into this world where standards aren't taken for granted and youthful restlessness threatens to overturn the order of things. My friends and I discovered the movie version of Hair in high school, and I think are unanimously excited and optimistic that a similar energy can grow behind today's anti-corpratocracy rallies.
I would have loved to experience seeing hair in the middle of an "occupy" protest. Perfect way to truely get yourself in the mood for the love peace and rock of hair. Not to mention watching the characters strip to protest then go outside to see "I am the 99%" would definitly be a mood flipper. I smell a concept for playground.
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