The Cerritos Theatre Department debuted its second run of ‘Hair’ and the result is a mixture of some amazing voices, fantastic use of stage and a handful of moments that make the audience appropriately uncomfortable. If you’re skeptical of college stage plays, ‘Hair’ is one that’s worth your time and money.
‘Hair’ tells the story of a group of teenagers in 1968 whom, in protest of the politics of the age and the Vietnam War, advocate things like free love, peace, drugs, sexuality and freedom of speech.
While the plot of the story becomes unclear and drowns in music at times, what makes the experience enthralling is some great casting and a transformation of the Burnight Theatre stage that gives such visually stimulating scenes you find yourself lost in the choreography, the lights and the passion of the songs.
Michael Nickerson-Rossi’s choreography is stunning, fresh and plays out on stage like a beautiful, breathing organism made of pure love and joy, true to the emotions most important to the characters.
What enhances this is the music directed by Hector Salazar, which completes the ambiance of each scene and is perfectly in sync with the outstanding lighting.
The stand out performance by far was that of Claude, played by Clayton Thurmond, who steals the show with his superb voice and commanding stage presence. Several scenes go by without a solo from him and you find yourself wondering when he’s coming back.
His performance match is found in love interest Jeannie, played by Gabrielle Gutierrez, who is not featured nearly enough. Gutierrez’s voice is pitch-perfect and conveys gut-wrenching emotion both through songs and monologues.
Their performances are key because their main-character counterparts, Berger, played by Michael Duran and Sheila, played by Lila Bassier, both deliver a performance that fails to match the energy of their costars.
Other outstanding performers of the show, like Brittany Logan, Ivan Oyarzabal and Emma Simons-Araya, who plays Crissy and knocks her only solo song, ‘Frank Mills’, out of the park, should have more stage time or been given those larger roles.
The cast as a whole shines most when all are involved in the songs. The height of their talent comes at the end of Act I for ‘Be-In (Hare Krishna)’ and ‘Where Do I Go?’ where the group sings and partakes in illegal activities only to be interrupted by police sirens. It leaves such an impression that intermission seems like an unwelcome interruption as opposed to a chance to nibble on snacks.
Overall, ‘Hair’ will keep you entertained, wondering what will happen next and have you leaving the show with a groovy tune in your head.
