I was playing around on IBDB tonight, and I came across what appears to be the logo for the upcoming Broadway revival of Hair. (See image left)
Pretty hideous, huh? The colors are washed-out and lifeless, the font is cheesy, and the composition is flat. I find nothing redeeming in this image, and it does little to make me want to see the show. And I've seen it already, and can attest to its quality. (Read my review of the show's Central Park stint.) There's a lot more inspiration involved in the production itself than apparently went into its visual identity. I still plan to see it again, but I can only hope the marketing folk plan to come up with something a bit more evocative and esthetically pleasing to get other folks interested.
The full cast for Hair has yet to be announced, but news has been trickling out. Gavin Creel, who was to have been Jesus in the canceled...er, postponed revival of Godspell, was recently cast in the central role of Claude. I saw Jonathan Groff play the role, and he was terrific, but apparently the Hair producers are asking the performers to work for scale, and Groff balked. Another potential performer who's taken a walk is Eden Espinosa, who was supposed to have played Sheila, but recently withdrew "for personal reasons." (Hmm...) No word yet on whether Will Swenson will return to the show as Berger, or whether he'll instead follow Rock of Ages to Broadway. The ROA gig might mean more money, although perhaps not, since the ROA tickets are priced to sell (at a relatively inexpensive $99 price point).
And it's not just the on-stage players in Hair that are changing. Producer Elizabeth I. McCann was recently relegated to more of a supporting role when the Public Theater brought in Spring Awakening producers Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel as lead producers. Perhaps this is because McCann was having trouble raising the money to get the show up and running? Whatever, the opening night for Hair has moved from March 5th to March 31st to accomodate the personnel changes. Will the show retain its Central Park sparkle amid the sturm and drang? Stay tuned.
