By David Gordon & Lisa DiCarlucci, News Editor & Entertainment Editor

David Gordon:  So Lisa, what did you think of “Hair”

Lisa DiCarlucci:  I thought it was phenomenal. It really lifted my spirits. What about you?

DG:  I should start by saying that I saw this production in the summer of 2008, when it played the open-air Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. Many aspects (staging, casting) have improved considerably.

LD: Well, being that this was my first experience seeing a professional version of “Hair” I was extremely impressed. The amount of interactivity with the crowd really made the show for me, especially from Gavin Creel. He really took his role to an extreme, but it worked.

DG:  Creel is a vast improvement over the pixieish Jonathan Groff, who played the role (the conflicted Claude) in Central Park. Caissie Levy (the NYU student war protester) is also an improvement over her Park predecessor, Caren Lyn Manuel. Will Swenson as Berger remains a highlight of the show.

LD:  The cast did a great job of getting the audience in the mood for the show. They were having fun doing it and that made all the difference. I really enjoyed the female soloists. I thought their voices were extremely powerful yet effortless.

DG:  Speaking of getting the audience in the mood, it should be noted that they actively interact with the audience. If you don’t like to, say, be hugged by a bunch of people, then I’d suggest not getting a seat on the aisle. For the record, I sat on the aisle, and was hugged and poked and prodded. But that was fun.

LD:  I was jealous every time you were hugged. I think it’s a part of the experience. Dancing on stage at the end of the show was by far the highlight for me. What did you think of the design elements?

DG:  The set (by Scott Pask) was better than it was in the Park, where it was just basically a grass knoll. The evocative lighting (by Kevin Adams) was a particular highlight. I will say the highlight for me was to hear the score, one of the best ever written for a Broadway stage, played by such a large orchestra.

LD:  Yes, I would agree that there isn’t a bad song in the whole show and the cast singing as a whole has some of the most incredible harmonizing I’ve ever heard.

DG:  I agree. So I would say we both had a good time.

LD:  Absolutely. Overall I really felt the love and sunshine.

Will Swenson as Berger and the cast of the Broadway revival of HAIR (Photo Courtesy Joan Marcus)