Ever since I wrote about the Studio Players production of Spring Awakening for Baristanet, I've been on a Spring Awakening kick since its preview show.
Seriously, what is up with his hair?
I've always wondered this. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, here is the original design of Moritz Stiefel, as played by John Gallagher, Jr. in the Broadway version:
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| John Gallagher, Jr. as "Moritz Stiefel" performing at the 2007 Tony Awards |
Okay, now that you've seen it, let's talk about it. His hair definitely stands out. It stands out so much that when I first saw the Studio Players production and all of the guys first came out during the "Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)", I immediately was able to pinpoint which cast member was playing Moritz based on his hair alone. He didn't have to do anything, he didn't have to say anything. All he had to do was walk out with his hair sticking up and flipped over and I was all like, "That's Moritz."
Here is the Studio Players version of Moritz Stiefel, as played by Montclair State University musical theater major Chris Newhouse:
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| Photo Credit: Claudia Budris https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=785384631493916&set=pb.103139329718453.-2207520000.1402362290.&type=3&theater |
What's funny is it took me a little while to realize which actor was playing the lead character, resident radical Melchior Gabor. I didn't have this issue with Moritz by any means.
This tells me that the hairstyle for Moritz is so intentional that every actor who plays him has to make his hair look this way. I'm actually sensing that Newhouse grew and styled his hair out purposely for the role. If you look at the original costume sketches for the character from the book I have, you'll notice that his hair is the same there as well:
In fact, it is so iconic that it even HAS ITS OWN GOOGLE SEARCH RESULT.
So the question is: why?