Forget the Razor, Embrace the Paisley: BareStage’s “Hair”

All types of hair, short, long, wavy and straight, wound their way out from behind the fences of the set. The actors to whom the hair belonged were dazed, confused, and wearing so much paisley that I thought I was in Urban Outfitters. But as it turns out, I had skipped the shopping trip in lieu of the psychedelic acid trip that is BareStage’s production of “Hair.”

My initial thoughts? Willow Smith would have been proud of the amount of hair whipping throughout the night.

While students dragged their lifeless, midterm-destroyed bodies around campus above us, I couldn’t help but dance along in my chair to the whimsical, groovy, and intrinsically deep songs that kept the cast moving and the audience engaged. While the cold, gloomy night drew on outside the theater, inside, we were immersed in the neon world of drugs, sex, and rock and roll that created the hippie counterculture that thrived in New York City in the 60s.

As the audience was instantly swept into the world of Claude, played by sophomore Bennett Martin, and the “tribe” – a group of hippies who protest against the Vietnam War – at first it was unclear what the point of the show is. The energetic dancing and electric songs garnered laughs from the audience, but the message remained elusive, unless it was that LSD might be worth a try. That is, until one ballad between Claude and his parents encapsulated the drama hidden beneath the bell bottoms of the entire play: Claude receives his draft orders for the Vietnam War, which propel him into an internal conflict as to whether he should report for duty and make his parents proud or burn them in protest and fight for his beliefs.

With little dialogue, the show relies almost solely on song to convey the plot, and rightfully so. With a full house of powerful female vocals, I had more chills creeping up my arms than I did when I saw The Killers play at Outside Lands last year. Freshman Dubravka Juric blew the crowd away with her passionate, sassy ballad of “Aquarius” to open the show. BareStage veteran Olivia Uhley’s rendition of “Air,” complete with a gas mask and a hand on her very-pregnant stomach while preaching about nuclear war whilst high, received tons of giggles from the audience. “I Believe in Love” and “Easy to be Hard,” both sung by third year Madeleine Pla, radiated with raw emotion and an unbelievable vocal range.

The cast stood out as well, with its effective harmonies and its emotional pleas through songs like “Hair,” “Three-Five-Zero-Zero,” and “The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In),” all of which garnered all the feels: both joy and grief, pleasure and pain.

While the women stole the show vocally, the men equally rivaled them in acting talent with a hilariously absurd Berger, played by junior Benjamin Schaub. Poignant, wise, impulsive, selfless, and maybe sometimes a bit irrational, Berger is the kind of character who you watch and say to yourself, “He’s the epitome of being strung out. I have gotten high with someone like him.” And chances are, you have.

Bennett Martin took on the tough lead role, Claude, with a finesse so overpowering that you couldn’t help but laugh when he laughs and cry when he cries. His energy bounced off the tiny walls of the basement of the Cesar E. Chavez Center as he flaunted his flowing locks in the song “Hair.” But what really stood out was his ability to make you feel. While you laughed in the previous song, your heart broke for him in his tearful ballad “Where Do I Go” that explored what it means to be human.

Lelan Fernando as Mick Jagger-loving Woof and Edward Schwartz as a cross-dressing woman in “My Conviction” are also notable mentions for the play’s lighter moments. One of the central themes that the play excels at is life’s balance between the laughter of joy and moments of serious solidarity. The songs often alternate between gleeful and glum, which helps move the pace along. The play never drags on at any one point before a character jumps out, blasting the strobe lights and taking us back into their drug-induced whirlwind life.

But “Hair” is more than that. It is more than drugs. It is more than sex. Speaking of, if you feel that your love life has been a bit lackluster recently, there is a tastefully executed nude scene that sheds light on the gravity of humanity to look forward to.

“In the show, we are all basically playing people our own ages, like we’re playing 18 and 19 and 20-year-olds. Some of the characters in the show are still in high school and they’re getting drafted into Vietnam, and I think that’s pretty poignant,” freshman Elizabeth Mathis stated about the absurdity of the controversiality of the show, which has drawn attention through performances all over the country since its inception.

Despite the criticisms the show has received for its alleged offensiveness, these negative attitudes merely fuel the messages of the play. “Hair” proves that these ‘inherently sinful’ acts are trivial in the grand scheme of life. When there’s a war being fought, who cares if teens swear or do drugs? Why is nudity, a natural part of life, such a taboo topic when young, innocent civilians are drafted?

These are the questions presented in “Hair.” These are the questions still relevant today.

With the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement occurring at Berkeley, there is no better time for BareStage to perform this show that still challenges society. Even though the show was set in New York City, I easily felt like I was taking a stroll down Sproul or Telegraph. Even though the hippie counterculture is not as prevalent today as it was almost 60 years ago, the messages they fought for are still messages we struggle with putting into action.

Bennett Martin he uses his role to allow audience members to contemplate their meaning in life: “There are so many great messages to leave with. A lot of it is how complacent you can be with your life. It’s bringing awareness to thinking, ‘Am I being as active in my life as I can be? In my direct life, in my social life, and in my greater social life? Am I trying to make a change in everything that I do? And am I trying to grow through my awareness?’”

That’s why BareStage’s “Hair” leaves the audience wanting to love, to laugh, and to fight for what they believe in. The cast challenges us to look into our own lives and asks if we’re leading by example or if we’re merely standing idle to change. The play focuses on the power of humanity and living life to the fullest in all of its pleasantries. What exactly that means, be it drugs, sex, profanity, nudity, or none of the above is up to the individual.

But one universal truth remains clear: we all deserve love.

If you’re feeling down about the fact that you missed Coachella, “Hair” is probably closer to Woodstock than Coachella could ever hope to be. So bring out the chucks, the paisley, and the headbands. Forget the razor and be proud of your humanity: be proud of your love, be proud of your body, and most importantly, be proud of your hair.

Catch BareStage’s production of “Hair” on April 17th, 18th, 24th, or 25th at 8pm or April 19th and 26th at 5pm in the Cesar E. Chavez Center Basement.

Images: Lorenz Angelo Photography