[NEohioPAL] Berko review: HAIR @ Blank Canvas

Christopher Fortunato via NEohioPAL neohiopal at lists.neohiopal.org
Mon Sep 8 12:18:45 PDT 2014


I'm well aware there was a draft then.  There was a draft back in 1940, too.   The extension of the draft was won in 1941 by one vote, that of Sam Rayburn, the greatest Speaker the U.S. House ever had.  Had we not done that, we would have been less prepare for WWII than we had been.  And that was because of isolationists on the left and the right that just wanted to stick their head in the sand.  But that exceeds the topic here.  The difference between the sixties and pre-WWII was in the 1940s there weren't so many leftists who had access to vehicles of communication.  Few were ascendant in academia, except at CCNY in NYC.  Left leaning people in Congress had little power.  Unions had some, but they just did not have access to the media the way they did in the 60s.    One early example was the Congressman from East Harlem, Vito Marcantonio, who opposed the draft because he considered the war one of Wall Street and Downing Street.  (I don't know how he conflated the two.) He only changed his mind when the Nazi-Soviet pact was breached, then he called for war to save Mother Russia.
If you read the Library of America 2 vol set on Reporting in Vietnam you will see a completely different mindset about military reporting from the media standpoint that was not present in WWII.  Of course, when you consider headline grabbers like Dan Rather, you can see that his reportage was skewed.  I know GIs who had personal run ins with him because he was trying to manufacture the news there and reported things out of context.  Of course, Rather demonstrated that many years later with the George W. Bush story when he tried to pass of a 2000 font for 1968 typing.  If he lied then, he lied all the way back then.  A vindictive man, Rather never forgave LBJ who had thrown him out of his ranch when he used LBJ's phone without permission.

The deferments did not help the high schools student who did not go on to college. College kids had it easy because children of members of Congress went on to college.  Believe me, if we had won the war that LBJ mis-prosecuted, there would be no talk about this now in this context.
I never met a generation so dogmatic on the subject.  Even if you proved to them they were wrong, they wouldn't admit it because then they would have to admit they were wrong all those years.
CRF

From: awhite at allenmwhite.com
To: learnedhand at live.com; vanbrujah at aol.com; royberko at gmail.com; post at neohiopal.org
Subject: RE: [NEohioPAL] Berko review: HAIR @ Blank Canvas
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 13:23:40 -0400

Sorry Chris, but you forget that there was a thing called the “draft”, and those of us of age were required to report. Claude didn’t enlist, he was drafted. The return rate from Viet Nam for those drafted was not very good, and college deferment wasn’t available to those of us who came of draft age by the early 70s.  I attended anti-war protests in college because we had a voice – it wasn’t just “privileged” people, it ran the gamut of society. Once television started bringing the war into our living rooms the feeling of the whole country changed.  Sadly, we treated those who did go poorly, and I’m glad we corrected that error, but that war was all about making money for the military-focused industrialists, not about winning. That said, I didn’t get a chance to see Blank Canvas’ production (nor will I) due to my travel schedule, but I know Patrick, and I know that he digs deep into the internal motivations that make characters do what they do, and find Mr. Berko’s review less than credible.  This show is one of my favorite, and I took the time to see the Broadway revival in 2009 (in which Cleveland’s Andrew Kober gave a stellar performance) and loved every minute of it. I expect that the Blank Canvas production to be at that level. Allen White From: NEohioPAL [mailto:neohiopal-bounces at lists.neohiopal.org] On Behalf Of Christopher Fortunato via NEohioPAL
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2014 12:12 PM
To: Sergio Iriarte; Roy Berko; post at neohiopal.org
Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL] Berko review: HAIR @ Blank Canvas I don;t know.  I think I'm with Berko on this one.  Musicals like "Hair" have an attraction to nostalgia for those in the arts that were not alive when the sixties were happening.  The "revolution" of sorts was a top-down, upper middle class affair where pampered kids that went to places like Denison, Kenyon and Oberlin decided to rebel notwithstanding they really had nothing to rebel about since they were not part of the oppressed.  How within one generation the children of parents that sacrificed during the Great Depression and World War II turned into the most narcissistic generation this country produced will be the topic of discussions in graduate school seminars for decades to come. Thankfully, the protagonist in the musical followed the law and enlisted.  Not all of us smoked up and tuned out in those days. Christopher FortunatoTo: royberko at gmail.com; post at neohiopal.org
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2014 19:43:22 -0400
Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL] Berko review: HAIR @ Blank Canvas
From: neohiopal at lists.neohiopal.orgThat was the snottiest, most useless review of a show it has ever been my displeasure to read. And considering the source, that's saying a lot. That's 5 minutes of my life I'll never get back.  

"Sorry, my naïve young man, since the you were not yet born..." Seriously? You actually took the time to think of, and then write that?

It's time for you to get over yourself. 

Sergio Iriarte
NOT a critic, just a guy who likes theatre.From: Roy Berko via NEohioPAL
Sent: ‎9/‎7/‎2014 2:51 PM
To: post at neohiopal.org
Subject: [NEohioPAL] Berko review: HAIR @ Blank Canvas
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••No bombs greet this version of HAIR, just heat and a simulation of an era Roy Berko(member, Cleveland Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association) Theatre is representative of the era from which it comes.  Seeing a play that reflects a specific time period can reveal the cultural attitudes of the people and society of that period. Seeing HAIR, “The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” can give a film clip of the 1960s and early 70s in the U.S.  It was the era of the anti-war movement and rebellion against traditional societal patterns.  It was the time of sit-ins on college campuses, hippie communes, flower children, pot smoking, tie-dyed clothing, long hair, swearing and public nudity.  It was a period of rage against the military-industrial complex. It was the time of a clear generational divide.  If the young people could find a way to upset their elders, it was the “in” thing to do.   Written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, the show’s book was put to music by Galt MacDermot.  Its slim story was based on the authors’ personal experiences.   It centers on Claude, a member of the hippie community, who sells out and allows himself to be taken into the Army rather than burn his draft card or flee to Canada.  When the show first opened, it engendered strong protests.  Yes, protests about the protests.  On April 25, 1971, for example, a bomb exploded in front of Cleveland’s Hanna Theatre during the Age of Aquarius show’s run at that venue. HAIR broke all sorts of theatrical traditions.  Members of the cast, known as the “tribe,” constantly jumped off the stage and interacted with members of the audience, invited patrons to dance with them, and they gave flowers and hugs to  the unsuspecting.  The U.S. flag was used as parts of costumes and burned.  There was full-frontal nudity and simulation of sexual acts.  There was an intentional ignoring of theater’s proverbial “fourth wall,” a separation of the stage actions from the audience.   This was a musical that broke from the tradition of the “nice” musical and took on controversy and started a trend in musical theatre of taking on contemporary and controversial issues. This is not a well-written book musical.  The plot meanders, some of the songs don’t fit into the story, often do nothing to move the plot along.  Again, a break from the traditional musical of the day. Though often referred to as the “grand daddy of the rock musicals,” it’s a mélange of music and imagery.  The sounds change from rock to country to ballad to African American rhythms.  The highlight of action centers on Claude’s hallucinatory drug trip in Act II where a series of horrifying visions, loaded with historical figures, are presented in the oddest contexts. It’s a microcosm of the whole show, which essentially unfolds like a tune-filled acid trip that gives HAIR its distinctive period edge. So, how does the show wear over all those years?  The times they have changed.  Reaction to swearing, smoking of pot, nudity, and protest are mundane by today’s standards.  Many of the references are beyond the knowledge of the younger members of the audience.  Unless you are an uptight conservative or an evangelical, who are not candidates to attend this show, the goings on won’t evoke much reaction.  Only the wonder of “what was all the fuss about?” Some of the music has lost its luster.  Aquarius didn’t send me off onto a journey of effervescence.  Hashish, in this age of rampant drug usage, is just a song.  On the other hand, I Believe in Love, Easy to be Hard, and Good Morning Starshine, have held up due to their timelessness.  The Blank Canvas cast, under the direction of Patrick Ciamacco, was enjoyable, with two glaring flaws.  First, Ciamacco states in his director’s notes:  “I was drawn to produce “Hair” because I feel our country is going through a very similar movement as we did in the 60’s.”  Sorry, my naïve young man, since the you were not yet born when the anti-war demonstrations and flower-child rebellions were going on, you are not aware of the dynamics, power, and out-of-control motivations that lead to whole college campuses shut down due to sit-ins, and the take-over of buildings due the anti-war vehemence.  Nationally, buildings were burned, students were shot for civil-disobedience (e.g., the Kent State massacre).  There may be some uprisings and protests today due to individual events, but the 60’s movements were national events.  The portrayals by the young cast, not imbued with the true feelings the play reflects, were on the surface, acting what they thought their characters went through, but not identifying with the real motivations, therefore not feeling the actual angst. Second, the small space, over sold-out audience, sweating actor’s bodies, real smoking, and 80+ degrees of heat outside, led to a sweltering theatre.  When the cast shed their clothing at the end of the first act, many in the audience were tempted to join them, just to get some personal heat reduction.  Either the theatre needs to find a way to cool the space more effectively, or change its schedule and avoid producing summer time shows.  Whew! Brad Wyner and his band were excellent, wisely avoiding letting loose with the heavy rock sound and drowning out the singers.  Jessie Cope Miller’s choreography was creative, especially considering that she was working with a large cast on a postage stamp sized stage.  The moves on “Abie Baby” were, in era language, “mellow.” Perren Hedderson’s projections added to the creation of visual realism. Though the choral vocal sounds were mostly volume over blendings, there were both individual strong singing and acting performances. Scott Esposito was well focused as Claude.  Who knew that this stalwart of local dramas (he gave a ”bravo” performance last season in Ensemble’s “The Normal Heart”) could sing so well?   Becca Frick (Jeanie) did a nice job with “Air,” Jessie Cope Miller, she of big and well-toned voice, wailed in “I Believe in Love” and “Good Morning Starshine.” Neely Gevaart (Chrissy) tenderly sang “Frank Mills.”  “What a Piece of Work Is Man” was the show’s musical highlight. CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   HAIR is a classic musical, which entered the theatre into an era of reflection of the turbulent era of the 60s and broke many traditional theatrical formats.  For those who want to relive the era, or who want to generally get an idea of what was going on during those times, the Blank Canvas staging gives an opportunity to take a seldom reprised trip through the times.  Due to a generation gap in understanding the true angst of the era, this isn’t a great production, but it is entertaining. Tickets for HAIR, which runs through September 13, can be ordered at 440-941-0458 or www.blankcanvastheatre.com ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 
 
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