Hair first roared onto the stage more than 55 years ago. Thaumatrope Theatre’s revival production, directed by Isabella Cesari, shows why this “American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” continues to matter. The counterculture touchstones remain familiar: long hair, peace signs, and defiant rock anthems. Yet in Theatre Passe Muraille’s two-level Mainspace – and in the hands of a young, hugely committed cast – Hair emerges not as a snapshot of the 1960s, but as a lens through which the cultural crises of 2025 come into focus.
Working without a formal set, Cesari embraces the open architecture of the venue. Performers from the large cast set the scene before the musical begins, filling the stage’s lower level and spilling across the upper level’s platforms, staircases, and railings with restless energy. During the show, only a few suggestive props and strategically calibrated shadow work shape the world of the piece: otherwise, the cast itself — costumed in vivid, eclectic colours — becomes the set. The visually striking result is a living environment that shifts with the Tribe’s moods, politics, and communal rituals.
At the centre of the musical’s episodic collage is a striking bisexual love triangle. Recently drafted Claude (John Harley) is a gentle soul who is torn between following his conscience and submitting to his middle-class family and country’s expectations that he go fight the Vietnam War. Best friend Berger (Aidan Sharpe) radiates a loud, anarchic, and draft-defying charisma – while activist Sheila (Maya Bogojevic) channels earnest political idealism and righteous anger. Around them gathers the Tribe: Woof (Jacob Dowdall), Jeanie (Lila Wright), Dionne (Tega Aror), Crissy (Natalie Maclagan), Ronny (Lyara Malvar), Hud (Justus Alexander), and many others. The songs and scenes of this diverse and colourfully-clad diverse ensemble map a patchwork of identities, conflicts, and hopes.
The production honours the original’s loose, vignette-driven structure. Rather than seeking to tighten or channel it, Cesari leans into the show’s collage-like quality. Simple, but powerfully executed choreography allows joy, satire, protest, and vulnerability to ebb, flow and exist side by side. This choice pays off most powerfully in the second act, as Claude’s hallucinations bleed into scenes of war, and the Tribe’s exuberance curdles into fear. Harley brings a touching introspection to Claude’s internal struggle, while Bogojevic and Sharpe deliver strong vocal and emotional counterpoints.
Musically, the production shines. Under band director Sophie Jestadt, the live band delivers Galt MacDermot’s score with drive and clarity. The musicians, visible at stage right from all points in the house, become part of the vibrant communal atmosphere, rather than an accompaniment hidden away. And the balance between singers and band is excellent, particularly in ensemble numbers like “Aquarius”, “Hair”, “Good Morning Starshine”, and the anthemic “Let the Sunshine In” – where voices rise and overlap in a plea of ernest hope that feels painfully contemporary.
Ultimately, what gives this Hair relevance is its thematic resonance. Anti-war protest, generational conflict, racial justice, sexual freedom, communal care, and the tension between individual conscience and institutional pressure remain deeply – painfully – topical. As our world grapples with war, institutional power, assaults on bodily autonomy, environmental collapse and cultural polarization, the Tribe’s insistence on radical sincerity, chosen family and group movement feels like a template for needed resistance.
Thaumatrope Theatre, still early in its journey, is quickly developing a reputation for bringing new life to classic works. Following successful productions such as Pasek and Paul’s Dogfight: The Musical, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, and their annual Shakespeare in Lawrence Park, the company continues to advance its mission of creating opportunities for early-career artists and producing high-quality, accessible theatre that leaves a lasting impression. Since its inaugural production in 2022, this energetic company has grown steadily in ambition and artistry.
We look forward to seeing how they continue to flourish — and what they have on offer next.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
