Review of Hair at Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes

I first saw this rebooted version of the sixties musical back in 2016, when at the compact little Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, director Jonathan O'Boyle first presented it on the stage. The intimacy of the venue, where you were never more than a few metres from all the cast, was perhaps one of its greatest impacts. So, in a space like the thousand-odd seater, Milton Keynes Theatre, the question is, does it still work? The answer is mostly yes.

Hair first launched onto the stage in 1967, at the height of flower-power and more importantly for the, admittedly at times light story, the Vietnam War. These hippies are living it high, permanently and fighting the fight against that war, and all it represents. After fifty years, perhaps its relevance wains in that respect, but what we are left with is a kaleidoscopic collection of music and tripping theatre.

There is no denying that Hair is an excellent show, but despite revelling in the original version of this version back in 2016, sitting twelve-rows back from the stage did take much getting used to how I remembered it. It is full once again with great performers (some originals from that 2016 version), and the music is superb, but there was something missing for me. The intimacy of the immersive experience had gone. It was great that they kept the interaction in, but this time, I was watching it more than feeling any part of it. It's tough though being intimate with an audience of this size though, so, it's got to be excused a little.

Performances are strong, Jake Quickenden is a totally crazed Berger, sexually charged and willing to do pretty much anything, and the true representative of how controversial this show was back in its day. Paul Wilkins' Claude is strong and given pretty much the only character development of the show as we see the horrors of war through his eyes.

Original cast member Natalie Green is once again superb as Cassie, you can see in her performance her love for the show, and her vocals are as ever strong. Aiesha Pease brings immense vocals to her performances as Dionne including the powerful opening of the show, Aquarius. Daisy Wood-Davis is delightfully sweet as Sheila, and delivers my favourite song in the show, Good Morning Starshine, beautifully.

At times is a bit of a shame that from our position in the audience the audio balance didn't quite feel right, with dialogue and lyrics washed away at times by the volume of the admittedly superb band.

Visually it is a feast, Maeve Black's set is a colour explosion, and together with Ben M Rogers stunning lighting, it is often so beautiful it hurts the eyes, never more so than during Oh Great God of Power.

I really enjoyed Hair again, less maybe because of how I had experienced it before, but for newcomers to the tripping world of the show, or those that might just have been there at the time, it will I am sure delight again. It has an amazing soundtrack, still one of my favourites personally, and this is a wonderful vibrant version of what was an incredibly important stage show in history, and perhaps everyone should see it, if only for that.

A vibrant version of the groundbreaking musical.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Monday 15th July 2019 at Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes.

Hair runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 20th July 2019 before continuing its tour.

Further details about Milton Keynes Theatre can be found at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Photos: Johan Persson

Review of Lord of the Dance at Milton Keynes Theatre

On what was so far the hottest day of the year, and the highest in many a record book, it feels a tad evil to watch as a group of extremely talented performers bring to the stage one of the most famous and most energetic dance shows to tour. However, arriving now at Milton Keynes Theatre, as part of what is now the still rather immodestly titled 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour, Lord of the Dance remains full of energy even on the hottest of evenings in Milton Keynes. I last and first saw Lord of the Dance as part of the 25 Years of Standing Ovations tour, four years ago (yes, the sums don’t quite work), and it was every bit as spectacular as you could imagine this world-famous dance show is. Born into the world from Michael Flatley and the Riverdance spectacular that preceded it, Lord of the Dance is a simple but effective battle between good and evil and the resolution of it through dance rather than fighting. The dancing here is, as expected, exceptional, led by the Lord of the...

Review of making second Kontakt with the R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Underground), Northampton

As I said in my first Kontakt review, I wasn't really sure that I wanted to see this show. However come Sunday and a second opportunity to see it, I was genuinely looking forward to it. With the show now having departed, for my second review I will elaborate a touch more on happenings, which initially I shied away from as spoilers. My actor for my second encounter was 15 year old Michael. He had the enviable task unlike Michael before him of dealing with someone who knew quite a bit of what was coming. As those surgical gloves went on I this time was certain that the R&D were not going to overstep the boundary and do a full medical. I had also learnt that a crisp sandwich was something that should be left in the memory, so cheese was a much more sensible option. I was able to complete the calculation generally unaided and managed to express an exaggerated shock at the latter outcome. The game of Jenga managed to stay stable once again and rather amazingly managed to bring t...

Review of DNA by University of Northampton BA Actors at Jacksons Lane Theatre, Highgate, London

The final year performances of BA Actors this year upped sticks and headed away from their Northampton Royal territory and gathered to show their skills in London. The first of the three shows being performed was Dennis Kelly's DNA, a play which I saw performed on the Royal stage itself four years ago. I enjoyed it for its dark mysterious nature and was looking forward to seeing a different interpretation of the show. It tells the tale of a group of youngsters who do something really bad, and proceed to attempt to cover it up, resulting in the real bad, well, getting more bad. It's dark yes, but also, very funny at times. It opens with a looming movement piece of theatre, which I always love and this was no different for me, brooding and sinister. It's quite a long opening, which perhaps, in the end, becomes too long, but it's a fabulous piece of theatre for me. It set's the scene very well for Kelly's dark piece to unfold and in the hands of these, about ...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog