Hair The Musical at the Alexandra Theatre Birmingham Review

Reviewed by Catherine Brown

Hair The Musical, currently playing at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, is as wild and chaotic as the era and lifestyle it is inspired by. Originally written and performed by Gerome Ragni and James Rado in New York, the show is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Set in the 60’s, ‘Hair’ is about a group of young American hippies demonstrating against the politicians who want to send them to Vietnam.

The show begins with Berger, played by X-factor runner up Jake Quickenden, introducing himself and his ‘tribe’ with their controversial lifestyle and use of illegal drugs. A key character is his friend Claude (Paul Wilkins) who is unsure whether to burn his draft card. Smoking a joint leads to hallucinations about what might happen if Claude were to be sent to war.

The voices of the lead roles were all strong, but I particularly enjoyed Daisy Wood-Davis playing Berger and Claude’s friend Sheila singing ‘Good morning starshine’. I found myself tapping my toes along to familiar tunes including ‘Aquarius’, ‘Ain’t got no’ and ‘Let the sunshine in’ however the quantity of songs seems to be at the detriment of an easy to follow storyline. The scantily clad performers are mesmerising however, and the props they perform with were skilfully manipulated. The musicians are strategically positioned on stage giving the audience an extra insight into the effort put into a production like this. There is a 14+ age guidance due to the nudity and sexual innuendo but these scenes were brief and in keeping with the story.

The Alexandra Theatre is in the centre of the city and easily accessible by car or train with plenty of parking nearby. We were welcomed into the bar before the show, which is a beautiful room to relax with a drink and chat to friends. It was possible to pre-order drinks for the interval using a phone app and there was a range of merchandise available in the main foyer. 

I found the show both fascinating and confusing at the same time – the cast performed superbly but the challenge of following the message of the show means I can only give it a 3/5 rating.

Rating: 3/5

Tickets cost from £13 (plus £3.65 transaction fee).

Hair The Musical at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from 29 April to 4 May 2019, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/birmingham or call the box office on 0844 871 3011.

The Alexandra Theatre, Suffolk Queensway, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4DS