“the fabulously talented cast exude energy and enthusiasm from the start to the finish”
News of the rock musical Hair coming to London to celebrate its 50th Anniversary was generally received with excited expectation when it was announced earlier this year. Amongst some of the questions posed at the time however were ‘would this show have relevance to 2017?’ and ‘would The Vaults in Waterloo be a great venue?’.
It seems that the talented group of people from the cast to the creative team have exceeded expectations and delivered a show that looks, sounds and feels terrific with a place and relevance in 2017.
The Vaults has been transformed into a 1960s hippy commune. The walls are covered in tie-dye material and posters from the period. There are prayer ribbons everywhere, a nod to the North / South Korean border which features in the set. The evocative music provides a landscape of sound that really transports the audience into the era. There is a strong scent of incense.
As the audience files in to take their seats, they pass the actors already sitting in a circle of contemplation and we see a remarkably decorated room. For those that know nothing of this musical, the original production, penned by James Rado, opened off-Broadway in 1967. The show came when American society was in a state of flux with the country divided by its protracted involvement in the Vietnam War. It has a background of peace and love whilst addressing key issues such as anti-war activity.
The music has survived the test of time with easily recognisable songs such as Aquarius, Let The Sun Shine In, Ain’t Got No, I Got Life and Good Morning Sunshine forming part of the 41 songs in this production. The show also features Hippie Life for the first time on stage, which was originally written for the film version of the show. The band perfectly drives the music along assisted by a crisp and clear sound mix, though there were a couple of occasions when some of the lyrics were hard to hear.
This production has a fabulously talented cast who exude energy and enthusiasm from the start to the finish. Shekinah McFarlane sets the standards high with the opening song Aquarius and Laura Johnson is a joy to watch and listen to throughout the show. They are joined by a further 12 cast members.
There is a small part in the show when we see Claude’s (Robert Metson) hallucinations following an intake of particularly strong drugs and some of it is quite bizarre. However some aspects of this ‘trip’ are quite sobering and very well acted.
When the show came to the West End in 1968 the opening night was delayed until the abolition of theatre censorship in England under the Theatres Act so that the show could include nudity and profanity. The short nudity scene remains and some of the language used is rather ‘fruity’ though it never seems to offend.
Overall this is a very engaging production from the stables of Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment with sharp direction from Jonathan O’Boyle and outstanding set and costume design from Maeve Black. The audience gave a well deserved standing ovation and responded enthusiastically throughout.
Finally there is a challenge for anyone not to thoroughly enjoy the close of the show – it leaves the audience on a natural high – ironic given the reference to drug intake throughout the entertaining evening. Join the Tribe and let the sun shine in!
The cinematic path to Skull Island and the fabled beast King Kong is a well trodden one since the first film in 1933 up to the recently released Kong: Skull Island starring, amongst others, Tom Hiddleston.
Less trodden is the theatre path but that has changed with the opening of Daniel Clarkson’s engaging comedic re-imagination of the Kong story at the atmospheric Vaults underneath Waterloo Station.
Clarkson, a self–confessed cinephile, has previous success from his critically acclaimed ‘Potted’ stage shows that included the Olivier nominated Potted Potter. Being a huge fan of the 1933 classic King Kong he wanted to create a spoof comedy version for the stage and his work is now available for all to see.
Keeping close to the original film storyline, filmmaker Carl Denham charters a New York ship for a project but is unable to secure an actress for the female role. After a search he finds penniless Ann and convinces her to join the crew for an adventure of a lifetime. They head for Skull Island.
There follows a series of adventures that culminate in the capture of Kong, who is brought back to New York to be paraded as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Eventually escaping and climbing the Empire State Building, Kong is shot and falls to his death. Denham says the classic line ‘it wasn’t the airplanes, it was Beauty that killed the Beast’.
Set designer Simon Scullion makes the most of the arched space and has created an adaptable four tier pyramid set that creates a sense of the ship, Skull Island and the Empire State Building. The sound is loud and clear bringing in particular a hidden beast to life. Lighting is basic but effective.
The five competent actors play various roles and each commands the set throughout the 80 minute show. Various props are brought onto the set and there is a hilarious use of puppetry in the ‘sacrifice’ scene.
Rob Crouch as Denham (looking every part the film director in his linen suit) has a strong voice that leads us through the storyline. Ben Chamberlain plays the wimpy sailor scared of almost everything but provides the love interest with Ann (Alix Dunmore). Sam Donnelly is the archetypal seafaring Skipper and Brendan Murphy is a hilarious Token Guy. The cast obviously enjoyed bringing this comic romp to the stage.
Fans of King Kong will undoubtedly want to witness this show though it does has a much wider appeal and there was a good cross section of ages in the audience. Whether those younger members quite understood some of the humour is questionable but they would have enjoyed the visual delights on offer.
The show was laugh out loud in places and mildly funny in others. The humour seemed to represent a mixture between pantomime, an end of the pier show, Monty Python and a little bit of Marx Brothers. There was a feeling though that the whole wasn’t greater than the sum of its parts.
In conclusion this was a well acted and presented show that made for a fun night out and a tonic for those wanting a bit of silliness to brighten their week. It is indeed a bananas production and worth a visit.
