Hair: The Musical

Five stars

Theatre Royal, Brighton, runs until Saturday

A MUSICAL that questions the status quo of America in the middle of a controversial war, Hair is a show where racial tensions run high.

The differences between the left and right-wing politics, and the ability to control them, hardly needs to be set in the 1970s – an idea nodded to in the opening broadcast headlines which give a mention to Trump.

However, after that first instance the rest of the show is left up to its audience to find any modern day parallels for itself.

The music, costume, dance and sheer youthful energy are the stars here, and if you want to take more away from it then that is up to you.

Leads Paul Wilkins (Claude) and Jake Quickenden (Berger) are clear and captivating, lost in their own haze of exploration and sexual freedoms.

Whereas Daisy Wood-Davis (Sheila) and Aisha Pease (Dione) are strong and vocal as the women leading the way in politicising their way of life – all supported by an electric ensemble, which the leads easily stepped back into whenever out of the spotlight.

And despite the hippy tone the choreography was both sharp and uplifting, as hope turned to heartbreaking desperation for the reprise of Let The Sunshine In.

Beautiful, energising, uniting and a healthy reminder that being on the “right” side of history is not always clear cut.

Victoria Nangle