‘Hair’ grows free while ‘Rent’ turns self in

Bolted town after exams last May? Don’t worry; WSN got the scoop on the best theater from the summer.

[title of show]

One of the best Broadway musicals this summer was “[title of show].” Not a print error, the new musical is actually called “[title of show]” — a whimsical decision by actors/creators Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell just before entering the piece into the New York Music Theatre Festival. Uncovering the realities and struggles inevitable when pioneering a musical for the Great White Way, “[title of show’s]” staged simplicity is life imitating art imitating life. Bowen, Bell and actresses Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell leave audience members awestruck by this inspirational and relatable story. Tickets are available at the box office (149 W. 45th St.) and at www.telecharge.com.

— Katie Polin


Hamlet

’Fess up — you haven’t seen “Hamlet.” Sure, you might’ve read the play in high school or seen Ethan Hawke trudge through the film, but a full onstage production? As The Public Theater proved this summer at Shakespeare in the Park’s outdoor Delacorte Theater, the play is the thing. In a performance both carefully constructed and unabashedly liberated, Michael Stuhlbarg made the case for “Hamlet” as it should be: live, long and outside. His “Hamlet” was relentlessly watchable and truly entertaining. Yes, the show was almost three-and-a-half hours long. Yes, “Hamlet” has sprouted more academic research than any other work in Western literature. But as directed by Oskar Eustis, Stuhlbarg revealed what is so compelling at the core of “Hamlet”: a real, complicated and confused person. I left concerned not with some interpretive theory but with an intense feeling of kinship. “Hamlet” gets what it is to be human.

— Harrison Hill


Hair

The Public Theater’s revival of “Hair” is not just a show. From the five-hour ticket line to the audience participatory encore, it is an experience. The story revolves primarily around Claude (Christopher J. Hanke), a young hippie who is content to live a life of free love and irreverence until he receives his Vietnam draft card. He then faces a dilemma: He can burn it in protest or defend his country in an unpopular war. The parallels to the war in Iraq are impossible to miss. Behind the acid-trip sequences and the characters’ odes to their “brilliantine, biblical hair” are poignant musings on issues of race, religion and identity. The show does not shy away from mocking the hypocrisy of the hippie movement or the naiveté of its followers, and it is all the more powerful for its honesty. “Hair” runs until Sept. 14. Tickets are free but be sure to line up before 8 a.m. For more information check the Delacorte Theater’s website at www.publictheater.org.

— Kayla Epstein


Rent

Out of all the shows on Broadway this summer, “Rent” was one of the most captivating, even after 12 years on Broadway. You might wonder if anyone could stand up to original cast members Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, but in fact the final cast supersedes the originals not only in vocal performance but also in the passion they hold for their characters. Adam Kantor brings life to Mark, an otherwise one-dimensional character, while Will Chase exploits the opportunities to showcase his powerful voice. “Rent” is a show that has touched many and will be missed by all when it closes for good Sept. 7.

— Brittany Rotella