[Mb-hair] Visceral connections

[Martin Eayrs]

Richard

I wasn't belittling the Iraq war - just saying times were different 
and people were being conscripted back in the 60s - 'be the first one 
on the block to have your boy come home in a box' is not so relevant 
today. Not yet.

But your second point is a good one, if confused. (Not you confused, 
the point confusing two things). If HAiR arrives DOA it is DOA in the 
commercial sense. Most (all really) of my theatrical life has been in 
amateur theatre where making money is merely hoping to cover costs if 
you couldn't find a sponsor.

Nothing wrong with amateur theatre (yeh, I know, 'theater' to you 
guys) and nothing wrong with professional theatre either (and a 
guy/gal has to eat) but the confusion comes in when you consider how 
to rate success.

If success is measured in $$ signs then we're betraying values we 
once believed in (maybe rightly, who am I to say). But a show can be 
a great show and not make money. Does that make it any worse a show. 
The public is notoriously fickle, often intellectually challenged and 
mentalised by reviewers and such. Why did Paul Simon's Capeman flop ?

Maybe HAiR will never have the impact it once had - maybe it won't 
have the long runs - but that doesn't make it any worse. Sure, people 
won't react viscerally to the issues - it would be odd if they did if 
you think about it - but it's not the fault of the musical itself or 
the production.

The decision to stage HAiR can't be an easy one today given the cost 
of mounting any show - but if I had an amateur theatre group of young 
people wanting to stage a fun musical and learn about themselves 
maybe HAiR would still be a good candidate.

Martin