''Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical'' is a

rock musical A rock musical is a musical theatre work with rock music. The genre of rock musical may overlap somewhat with album musicals, concept albums and song cycles, as they sometimes tell a story through the rock music, and some album musicals and con ...

with a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by

Galt MacDermot Arthur Terence Galt MacDermot (December 18, 1928 – December 17, 2018) was a Canadian-American composer, pianist and writer of musical theater. He won a Grammy Award for the song "African Waltz" in 1960. His most-successful musicals were '' Ha ...

. The work reflects the creators' observations of the

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. H ...

and

sexual revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the United States and the developed world from the 1 ...

of the late 1960s, and several of its songs became anthems of the

anti-Vietnam War Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War (before) or anti-Vietnam War movement (present) began with demonstrations in 1965 against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War and grew into a broad social mov ...

peace movement A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world pe ...

. The musical's profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wit ...

, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy. The work broke new ground in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

by defining the genre of "rock musical", using a racially integrated cast, and inviting the audience onstage for a "

Be-In The Human Be-In was an event held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park Polo Fields on January 14, 1967. It was a prelude to San Francisco's Summer of Love, which made the Haight-Ashbury district a symbol of American counterculture an ...

" finale.Pacheco, Patrick (June 17, 2001).
"Peace, Love and Freedom Party"
''Los Angeles Times'', p. 1. Retrieved on June 10, 2008 ''Hair'' tells the story of the "tribe", a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the "

Age of Aquarius The Age of Aquarius, in astrology, is either the current or forthcoming astrological age, depending on the method of calculation. Astrologers maintain that an astrological age is a product of the earth's slow precessional rotation and lasts for 2 ...

" living a

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

life in New York City and fighting against

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...

into the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. Claude, his good friend Berger, their roommate Sheila and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves, and the sexual revolution with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society. Ultimately, Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or to serve in Vietnam, compromising his

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campai ...

principles and risking his life. After an

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

debut on October 17, 1967, at

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a ...

Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...

and a run at the Cheetah nightclub from December 1967 through January 1968, the show opened on Broadway in April 1968 and ran for 1,750 performances. Simultaneous productions in cities across the United States and Europe followed shortly thereafter, including a successful London production that ran for 1,997 performances. Since then, numerous productions have been staged around the world, spawning dozens of recordings of the musical, including the 3 million-selling original Broadway cast recording. Some of the songs from its score became Top 10 hits, and a feature film adaptation was released in 1979. A Broadway revival opened in 2009, earning strong reviews and winning the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

and

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

for Best Revival of a Musical. In 2008, ''Time'' wrote, "Today ''Hair'' seems, if anything, more daring than ever." Zoglin, Richard.
"A New Dawn for ''Hair''"
''Time'', July 31, 2008 (in the August 11, 2008 issue, pp. 61–63)

History

''Hair'' was conceived by actors James Rado and Gerome Ragni. The two met in 1964 when they performed together in the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

flop ''Hang Down Your Head and Die'',Haun, Harry. "Age of Aquarius", ''Playbill'', April 2009, from ''Hair'' at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, p. 7 and they began writing ''Hair'' together in late 1964. Rado, James (February 14, 2003).
"Hairstory – The Story Behind the Story"
''hairthemusical.com''. Retrieved on April 11, 2008."''Viet Rock''"
. ''Lortel Archives: The Internet Off-Broadway Database''. Retrieved on April 11, 2008. The main characters were autobiographical, with Rado's Claude being a pensive romantic and Ragni's Berger an extrovert. Their close relationship, including its volatility, was reflected in the musical. Rado explained, "We were great friends. It was a passionate kind of relationship that we directed into creativity, into writing, into creating this piece. We put the drama between us on stage." Rado described the inspiration for ''Hair'' as "a combination of some characters we met in the streets, people we knew and our own imaginations. We knew this group of kids in the East Village who were dropping out and dodging the draft, and there were also lots of articles in the press about how kids were being kicked out of school for growing their hair long". He recalled, "There was so much excitement in the streets and the parks and the hippie areas, and we thought if we could transmit this excitement to the stage it would be wonderful. ... We hung out with them and went to their Be-Ins ndlet our hair grow."Taylor, Kate (September 14, 2007)
"The Beat Goes On"
. ''The New York Sun''. Retrieved on May 27, 2008. Many cast members (

Shelley Plimpton Shelley Plimpton (born February 27, 1947) is an American former actress and Broadway performer. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Crissy in the off-Broadway production of ''Hair'', a role she resumed when the production moved ...

in particular) were recruited right off the street. Rado said, "It was very important historically, and if we hadn't written it, there'd not be any examples. You could read about it and see film clips, but you'd never ''experience'' it. We thought, 'This is happening in the streets', and we wanted to bring it to the stage." According to Rado's obituary in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', the title was inspired by "a museum stroll in mid-1965, hen he and Ragni sawa painting of a tuft of hair by the Pop artist Jim Dine. Its title was 'Hair'." Rado and Ragni came from different artistic backgrounds. In college, Rado wrote musical revues and aspired to be a Broadway composer in the Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition. He went on to study acting with Lee Strasberg. Ragni, on the other hand, was an active member of

The Open Theater The Open Theater was an experimental theatre group active from 1963 to 1973. Foundation The Open Theater was founded in New York City by a group of former students of acting teacher Nola Chilton, together with director Joseph Chaikin (formerly of ...

, one of several groups, mostly Off-off Broadway, that were developing

experimental theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu plays as a rejection of both the age in particul ...

techniques.Miller, pp. 54–56 He introduced Rado to the modern theatre styles and methods being developed at The Open Theater. In 1966, while the two were developing ''Hair'', Ragni performed in The Open Theater's production of

Megan Terry Megan Terry (born July 22, 1932) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and theatre artist. She has produced over fifty works for theater, radio, and television, and is best known for her avant-garde theatrical work from the 1960s. As a found ...

's play, ''

Viet Rock ''Viet Rock'' is a rock musical by Megan Terry that served as inspiration to the musical ''Hair''. A violent denunciation of the American involvement in the Vietnam War, the play was described by its author as a "folk war movie" comprising scenes ...

'', a story about young men being deployed to the Vietnam War. In addition to the war theme, ''Viet Rock'' employed the improvisational exercises being used in the experimental theatre scene and later used in the development of ''Hair''. Rado and Ragni brought their drafts of the show to producer Eric Blau who, through common friend Nat Shapiro, connected the two with Canadian composer Galt MacDermot. MacDermot had won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1961 for his composition "African Waltz" (recorded by

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single " Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", w ...

). The composer's lifestyle was in marked contrast to his co-creators: "I had short hair, a wife, and, at that point, four children, and I lived on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

." "I never even heard of a hippie when I met Rado and Ragni." But he shared their enthusiasm to do a rock and roll show. "We work independently", explained MacDermot in May 1968. "I prefer it that way. They hand me the material. I set it to music." MacDermot wrote the first score in three weeks, starting with the songs "I Got Life", "Ain't Got No", "Where Do I Go" and the title song. He first wrote "Aquarius" as an unconventional art piece, but later rewrote it into an uplifting anthem.

Off-Broadway productions

The creators pitched the show to Broadway producers and received many rejections. Eventually Joe Papp, who ran the New York Shakespeare Festival, decided he wanted ''Hair'' to open the new

(still under construction) in New York City's East Village. The musical was the first work by living authors that Papp produced. The director, Gerald Freedman, the theater's associate artistic director, decided that Rado, at 35, was too old to play Claude, although he agreed to cast the 32-year-old Ragni as Berger. The production did not go smoothly: "The rehearsal and casting process was confused, the material itself incomprehensible to many of the theater's staff. reedmanwithdrew in frustration during the final week of rehearsals and offered his resignation. Papp accepted it, and the choreographer Anna Sokolow took over the show. ... After a disastrous final dress rehearsal, Papp wired Mr. Freedman in Washington, where he'd fled: 'Please come back.' Mr. Freedman did."Isherwood, Charles (September 16, 2007)
"The Aging of Aquarius"
. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved on May 25, 2008. ''Hair'' premiered off-Broadway at the Public on October 17, 1967, and ran for a limited engagement of six weeks. The lead roles were played by Walker Daniels as Claude, Ragni as Berger, Jill O'Hara as Sheila, Steve Dean as Woof,

Arnold Wilkerson Arnold Wilkerson (born April 6, 1943) is an American actor and the creator and owner of the Little Pie Company in Manhattan, New York City. As an actor, he is particularly known for portraying roles in the original productions of the musicals ...

as Hud, Sally Eaton as Jeanie and Shelley Plimpton as Crissy. Set design was by

Ming Cho Lee Ming Cho Lee (; October 3, 1930 – October 23, 2020) was a Chinese-American theatrical set designer and professor at the Yale School of Drama. Personal life Lee was born on Oct. 3, 1930, in Shanghai, China to Lee Tsu Fa and Tang Ing. Lee, whose ...

, costume design by Theoni Aldredge, and, although Anna Sokolow began rehearsals as choreographer, Freedman received choreographer credit. Although the production had a "tepid critical reception", it was popular with audiences. A cast album was released in 1967. Chicago businessman Michael Butler was planning to run for the U.S. Senate on an anti-war platform. After seeing an ad for ''Hair'' in ''The New York Times'' that led him to believe the show was about Native Americans, he watched the Public's production several times and joined forces with Joe Papp to reproduce the show at another New York venue after the close of its run at the Public. Papp and Butler first moved the show to The Cheetah, a discothèque at 53rd Street and Broadway. It opened there on December 22, 1967, and ran for 45 performances. There was no nudity in either the Public Theater or Cheetah production.Horn, pp. 87–88

Revision for Broadway

''Hair'' underwent a thorough overhaul between its closing at the Cheetah in January 1968 and its Broadway opening three months later. The off-Broadway book, already light on plot, was loosened even further and made more realistic.Planer, Lindsay.
"''Hair''_[Original_1967_Off-Broadway_Cast
/nowiki>".html" ;"title="riginal 1967 Off-Broadway Cast">"''Hair'' [Original 1967 Off-Broadway Cast
/nowiki>"">riginal 1967 Off-Broadway Cast">"''Hair'' [Original 1967 Off-Broadway Cast
/nowiki>" AllMusic.com, accessed February 3, 2011 were added,Horn, pp. 39–40 including "Let the Sun Shine In", to make the ending more uplifting. Before the move to Broadway, the creative team hired director Tom O'Horgan, who had built a reputation directing experimental theater at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. He had been the authors' first choice to direct the Public Theater production, but he was in Europe at the time. ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' described O'Horgan's directing style as "sensual, savage, and thoroughly musical ... edisintegrates verbal structure and often breaks up and distributes narrative and even character among different actors. ... He enjoys sensory bombardment." In rehearsals, O'Horgan used techniques passed down by

Viola Spolin Viola Spolin (November 7, 1906 — November 22, 1994) was an American theatre academic, educator and acting coach. She is considered an important innovator in 20th century American theater for creating directorial techniques to help actors to be ...

and

Paul Sills Paul Sills (born Paul Silverberg; November 18, 1927 – June 2, 2008) was an American director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City. Life and career Sills was born Paul Silverberg in Chicago, Illinoi ...

involving role playing and improvisational "games". Many of the improvisations tried during this process were incorporated into the Broadway script.Horn, p. 53 O'Horgan and new choreographer Julie Arenal encouraged freedom and spontaneity in their actors, introducing "an organic, expansive style of staging" that had never been seen before on Broadway. The inspiration to include nudity came when the authors saw an anti-war demonstration in Central Park where two men stripped naked as an expression of defiance and freedom, and they decided to incorporate the idea into the show. O'Horgan had used nudity in many of the plays he directed, and he helped integrate the idea into the fabric of the show. Papp declined to pursue a Broadway production, and so Butler produced the show himself. For a time it seemed that Butler would be unable to secure a Broadway theater, as the

Shuberts The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th cen ...

Nederlanders The Dutch (Dutch language, Dutch: ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Netherlands. They share a common history and culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, ...

and other theater owners deemed the material too controversial. However, Butler had family connections and knew important people; he persuaded Biltmore Theatre owner David Cogan to make his venue available.

Synopsis

Act I

Claude sits center stage as the "tribe" mingles with the audience. Tribe members Sheila, a

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

student who is a determined political activist, and Berger, an irreverent free spirit, cut a lock of Claude's hair and burn it in a receptacle. After the tribe converges in slow-motion toward the stage, through the audience, they begin their celebration as children of the Age of Aquarius ("Aquarius"). Berger removes his trousers to reveal a loincloth. Interacting with the audience, he introduces himself as a "psychedelic teddy bear" and reveals that he is "looking for my Donna" ("Donna"). The tribe recites a list of pharmaceuticals, legal and illegal ("Hashish"). Woof, a gentle soul, extols several sexual practices ("Sodomy") and says, "I grow things." He loves plants, his family and the audience, telling the audience, "We are all one." Hud, a militant African-American, is carried in upside down on a pole. He declares himself "president of the United States of Love" ("Colored Spade"). In a fake English accent, Claude says that he is "the most beautiful beast in the forest" from "

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

, England". A tribe member reminds him that he's really from Flushing, New York ("Manchester England"). Hud, Woof and Berger declare what color they are ("I'm Black"), while Claude says that he's "invisible". The tribe recites a list of things they lack ("Ain't Got No"). Four African-American tribe members recite street signs in symbolic sequence ("Dead End"). Sheila is carried onstage ("I Believe in Love") and leads the tribe in a protest chant. Jeanie, an eccentric young woman, appears wearing a gas mask, satirizing pollution ("Air"). She is pregnant and in love with Claude. Although she wishes it was Claude's baby, she was "knocked up by some crazy speed freak". The tribe link together LBJ (President Lyndon B. Johnson), FBI (the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

), CIA (the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

) and LSD ("Initials"). Six members of the tribe appear dressed as Claude's parents, berating him for his various transgressions – he does not have a job, and he collects "mountains of paper" clippings and notes. They say that they will not give him any more money, and "the army'll make a man out of you", presenting him with his draft notice. In defiance, Claude leads the tribe in celebrating their vitality ("I Got Life"). After handing out imaginary pills to the tribe members, saying the pills are for high-profile people such as

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

the Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, and " Alabama Wallace", Berger relates how he was expelled from high school. Three tribe members dress up as principals in Hitler mustaches and swastika arm bands, mocking the American education system. Berger and the tribe defy them, singing "Going Down". Claude returns from his draft board physical, which he passed. He pretends to burn his Vietnam War draft card, which Berger reveals as a library card. Claude agonizes about what to do about being drafted. Two tribe members dressed as tourists come down the aisle to ask the tribe why they have such long hair. In answer, Claude and Berger lead the tribe in explaining the significance of their locks ("Hair"). The woman states that kids should "be free, no guilt" and should "do whatever you want, just so long as you don't hurt anyone." She observes that long hair is natural, like the "elegant plumage" of male birds ("My Conviction"). She opens her coat to reveal that she's a man in drag. As the couple leaves, the tribe calls her

Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard C ...

. Sheila gives Berger a yellow shirt. He goofs around and ends up tearing it in two. Sheila voices her distress that Berger seems to care more about the "bleeding crowd" than about her (" Easy to Be Hard"). Jeanie summarizes everyone's romantic entanglements: "I'm hung up on Claude, Sheila's hung up on Berger, Berger is hung up everywhere. Claude is hung up on a cross over Sheila and Berger." Berger, Woof and another tribe member pay satiric tribute to the American flag as they fold it ("Don't Put it Down"). The tribe runs out to the audience, inviting them to a

. After young and innocent Crissy describes "Frank Mills", a boy she's looking for, the tribe participates in the "Be-In". The men of the tribe burn their draft cards. Claude puts his card in the fire, then changes his mind and pulls it out. He asks, "where is the something, where is the someone, that tells me why I live and die?" ("Where Do I Go"). The tribe emerges naked, intoning "beads, flowers, freedom, happiness."

Act II

Four tribe members have the "Electric Blues". After a black-out, the tribe enters worshiping in an attempt to summon Claude ("Oh Great God of Power"). Claude returns from the induction center, and tribe members act out an imagined conversation from Claude's draft interview, with Hud saying "the draft is white people sending black people to make war on the yellow people to defend the land they stole from the red people". Claude gives Woof a

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

poster, and Woof is excited about the gift, as he has said he's hung up on Jagger. Three white women of the tribe tell why they like "Black Boys" ("black boys are delicious ..."), and three black women of the tribe, dressed like

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

, explain why they like "White Boys" ("white boys are so pretty ..."). Berger gives a joint to Claude that is laced with a hallucinogen. Claude starts to trip as the tribe acts out his visions ("Walking in Space"). He hallucinates that he is skydiving from a plane into the jungles of Vietnam. Berger appears as General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

and is told to retreat because of an Indian attack. The Indians shoot all of Washington's men. General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...

appears and begins a roll call:

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

(played by a black female tribe member), John Wilkes Booth,

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

Scarlett O'Hara Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler is a fictional character and the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind'' and in the 1939 film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Leigh. She also is the ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

, Colonel George Custer. Claude Bukowski is called in the roll call, but Clark Gable says "he couldn't make it". They all dance a minuet until three African witch doctors kill them – all except for Abraham Lincoln who says, "I'm one of you". Lincoln, after the three Africans sing his praises, recites an alternate version of the Gettysburg Address ("Abie Baby"). Booth shoots Lincoln, but Lincoln says to him, "Shit! I'm not dyin' for no white man". As the visions continue, four Buddhist monks enter. One monk pours a can of gasoline over another monk, who is set afire (reminiscent of the self-immolation of

Thích Quảng Đức Thích Quảng Đức (; vi-hantu, , 1897 – 11 June 1963; born Lâm Văn Túc) was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11 June 1963. Quảng Đức was protesting the persec ...

) and runs off screaming. Three Catholic nuns strangle the three remaining Buddhist monks. Three astronauts shoot the nuns with ray guns. Three Chinese people stab the astronauts with knives. Three Native Americans kill the Chinese with bows and tomahawks. Three green berets kill the Native Americans with machine guns and then kill each other. A Sergeant and two parents appear holding up a suit on a hanger. The parents talk to the suit as if it is their son and they are very proud of him. The bodies rise and play like children. The play escalates to violence until they are all dead again. They rise again and comment about the casualties in Vietnam: "It's a dirty little war" ("

Three-Five-Zero-Zero "Three-Five-Zero-Zero" is an anti-war song, from the 1967 musical ''Hair'', consisting of a montage of words and phrases similar to those of the 1966 Allen Ginsberg poem " Wichita Vortex Sutra". In the song, the phrases are combined to create im ...

"). At the end of the trip sequence, two tribe members sing, over the dead bodies, a

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

speech about the nobility of Man ("What A Piece of Work Is Man"), set to music. After the trip, Claude says "I can't take this moment to moment living on the streets. ... I know what I want to be ... invisible". As they "look at the moon," Sheila and the others enjoy a light moment ("

Good Morning Starshine "Good Morning Starshine" is a pop song from the musical ''Hair'' (1967). It was a No. 3 hit in the United States in July 1969 and a No. 6 hit in the United Kingdom in October 1969 for the singer Oliver. The chorus makes extensive use of appare ...

"). The tribe pays tribute to an old mattress ("The Bed"). Claude is left alone with his doubts. He leaves as the tribe enters wrapped in blankets in the midst of a snow storm. They start a protest chant and then wonder where Claude has gone. Berger calls out "Claude! Claude!" Claude enters dressed in a military uniform, his hair short, but they do not see him because he is an invisible spirit. Claude says, "like it or not, they got me." Claude and everyone sing "Flesh Failures". The tribe moves in front of Claude as Sheila and Dionne take up the lyric. The whole tribe launches into "Let the Sun Shine In", and as they exit, they reveal Claude lying down center stage on a black cloth. During the curtain call, the tribe reprises "Let the Sun Shine In" and brings audience members up on stage to dance. (Note: ''This plot summary is based on the original Broadway script. The script has varied in subsequent productions.'')

Principal roles; original Off-Broadway and Broadway casts

*Claude Hooper Bukowski – Walker Daniels / James Rado *George Berger – Gerome Ragni *Sheila Franklin – Jill O'Hara / Lynn Kellogg *Jeanie – Sally Eaton *Neil "Woof" Donovan – Steve Dean / Steve Curry *Hud –

/ Lamont Washington *Crissy –

The original Broadway production also included Melba Moore as Dionne, Ronnie Dyson, Paul Jabara and Diane Keaton.

Early productions

Broadway

''Hair'' opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on April 29, 1968. The production was directed by Tom O'Horgan and choreographed by Julie Arenal, with set design by Robin Wagner, costume design by Nancy Potts, and lighting design by Jules Fisher. The original Broadway "tribe" (i.e., cast) included authors Rado and Ragni, who played the lead roles of Claude and Berger, respectively, Kellogg as Sheila, Washington as Hud, Eaton and Plimpton reprising their off-Broadway roles as Jeanie and Crissy, Moore as Dionne, Curry as Woof, Dyson (who sang "Aquarius" and "What a Piece of Work is Man"), Jabara and Keaton (both Moore and Keaton later played Sheila).original Broadway production of ''Hair''
at the Internet Broadway Database, accessed June 30, 2017 Among the performers who appeared in ''Hair'' during its original Broadway run were Ben Vereen, Keith Carradine, Barry McGuire,

Ted Lange Theodore William Lange III (; born January 5, 1948) is an American actor, director and screenwriter best known for his roles as bartender Isaac Washington in the TV series '' The Love Boat'' (1977-1986), and Junior in '' That's My Mama'' (1974- ...

, Meat Loaf, La La Brooks, Mary Seymour (of Musique), Joe Butler, Peppy Castro (of the

Blues Magoos The Blues Magoos are an American rock group from The Bronx, a borough of New York City, United States. They were at the forefront of the psychedelic music trend, beginning in 1966. They are best known for the hit song " (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet ...

), Robin McNamara, Heather MacRae (daughter of

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals '' Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

and

Sheila MacRae Sheila Margaret MacRae (née Stephens; 24 September 1921 – 6 March 2014) was an English-born American actress, singer, and dancer. Career MacRae appeared in such films as ''Caged'' (1950), '' Backfire'' (1950), and ''Sex and the Single Girl ...

Eddie Rambeau Eddie Rambeau (born Edward Cletus Fluri; June 30, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Career While performing in a high-school musical he had written, Rambeau met songwriter and musician Bud Rehak, who went on to become his ...

, Vicki Sue Robinson,

Beverly Bremers Beverly Ann Bremers (born March 10, 1950) is an American singer and actress. After roles on Broadway, Bremers recorded the 1972 Top 20 hit single, " Don't Say You Don't Remember". Early life/ career Beverly Bremers - her surname is pronounced ''br ...

, Dale Soules and Kim Milford. It was the first Broadway show to have a regular ticket price of $50, with 12 of the seats at this price for sale to large corporations from July 1968. The top price when it opened was $11. The ''Hair'' team soon became embroiled in a lawsuit with the organizers of the

s. After assuring producer Michael Butler that commencing previews by April 3, 1968, would assure eligibility for consideration for the 1968 Tonys, the New York Theatre League ruled ''Hair'' ineligible, moving the cutoff date to March 19. The producers brought suit but were unable to force the League to reconsider. At the 1969 Tonys, ''Hair'' was nominated for Best Musical and Best Director but lost out to '' 1776'' in both categories. The production ran for four years and 1,750 performances, closing on July 1, 1972.

Early regional productions

The West Coast version played at the Aquarius Theater in Los Angeles beginning about six months after the Broadway opening and running for an unprecedented two years. The Los Angeles tribe included Rado, Ragni, Ben Vereen (who replaced Ragni), Willie Weatherly (who played Berger and Claude), Ted Neeley (who replaced Rado), Meat Loaf, Gloria Jones, Táta Vega,

Jobriath Bruce Wayne Campbell (December 14, 1946 – August 3, 1983), known by his stage name Jobriath, was an American rock musician and actor. He was the first openly gay rock musician to be signed to a major record label, and one of the first in ...

, Jennifer Warnes and Dobie Gray. There were soon nine simultaneous productions in U.S. cities, followed by national tours.King, Betty Nygaard.
"''Hair''"
. ''Encyclopedia of Music in Canada''. Historica Foundation of Canada. Retrieved on May 31, 2008. Among the performers in these were Joe Mantegna,

André DeShields André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variati ...

, and Alaina Reed (Chicago), David Lasley, David Patrick Kelly, Meat Loaf, and

Shaun Murphy Shaun Peter Murphy (born 10 August 1982) is an English professional snooker player who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action and his long potting. Born in Harlow, Essex and r ...

(Detroit) Arnold McCuller (tour),

Bob Bingham Robert Franklin Bingham (born October 29, 1946) is a retired American actor and singer. Bingham is best known for playing the role of Caiaphas in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' in the first USA concer ...

(Seattle) and Philip Michael Thomas (San Francisco). The creative team from Broadway worked on ''Hair'' in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco, as the Broadway staging served as a rough template for these and other early regional productions. A notable addition to the team in Los Angeles was Tom Smothers, who served as co-producer. Regional casts consisted mostly of local actors, although a few Broadway cast members reprised their roles in other cities.Horn, pp. 100–01 O'Horgan or the authors sometimes took new ideas and improvisations from a regional show and brought them back to New York, such as when live chickens were tossed onto the stage in Los Angeles. It was rare for so many productions to run simultaneously during an initial Broadway run. Producer Michael Butler, who had declared that ''Hair'' is "the strongest anti-war statement ever written", said the reason that he opened so many productions was to influence public opinion against the Vietnam War and end it as soon as possible.

West End

''Hair'' opened at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was ...

in London on September 27, 1968, led by the same creative team as the Broadway production. The opening night was delayed until the abolition of

theatre censorship The Lord Chamberlain's Office is a department within the British Royal Household. It is concerned with matters such as protocol, state visits, investitures, garden parties, royal weddings and funerals. For example, in April 2005 it organised the ...

in England under the

Theatres Act 1968 The Theatres Act 1968 abolished censorship of the stage in the United Kingdom, receiving royal assent on 26 July 1968, after passing both Houses of Parliament.Sonja Kristina, Peter Straker, Paul Nicholas, Melba Moore, Annabel Leventon, Elaine Paige,

Paul Korda Paul Korda (born Paul Kunstler, 1948 – 11 March 2020) was a Singaporean songwriter, singer, musician, and actor. He wrote and performed music from the 1960s onwards, and his songs have been covered by artists such as Roger Daltrey, Dave ...

, Marsha Hunt, Floella Benjamin, Alex Harvey, Oliver Tobias,

Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...

and Tim Curry. This was Curry's first full-time theatrical acting role, where he met future ''

Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...

'' collaborator O'Brien. ''Hair''s engagement in London surpassed the Broadway production, running for 1,997 performances until its closure was forced by the roof of the theatre collapsing in July 1973.

Early international productions

The job of leading the foreign language productions of ''Hair'' was given to

Bertrand Castelli Bertrand Castelli (December 3, 1929, Salon-de-Provence – August 1, 2008) was a French producer, director, lighting designer, choreographer, painter and writer best known as the executive producer of many productions of the rock musical '' Hair'' ...

, Butler's partner and executive producer of the Broadway show.Horn, pp. 103–10 Castelli was a writer/producer who traveled in Paris art circles and rubbed elbows with

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

and

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

. Butler described him as a "crazy showman ... the guy with the business suit and beads". Castelli decided to do the show in the local language of each country at a time when Broadway shows were always done in English. The translations followed the original script closely, and the Broadway stagings were used. Each script contained local references, such as street names and the names or depictions of local politicians and celebrities. Castelli produced companies in France, Germany, Mexico and other countries, sometimes also directing the productions. The first European production opened in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

, Sweden, on September 20, 1968, with a cast including Ulf Brunnberg and Bill Öhrström, produced and directed by Pierre Fränckel and choreographed by Julie Arenal, and ran for 134 performances until March 1969. A German production, directed by Castelli, opened a month later in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

; the tribe included

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her musi ...

, Liz Mitchell and

Donna Wyant Donna Wyant (born Donna McLaughlin, and often credited as Donna McLaughlin Wyant) is an actress, director, singer, songwriter, and producer. She is an Emmy Award winning producer, and Clio Award recipient for her network television promotional camp ...

. A successful Parisian production of ''Hair'' opened on June 1, 1969. The original Australian production premiered in Sydney on June 6, 1969, produced by

Harry M. Miller Harry Maurice Miller (6 January 1934 – 4 July 2018) was a New Zealand Australian promoter, publicist and media agent. Life and career Born on 6 January 1934 in New Zealand, Miller grew up in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn. He moved to A ...

and directed by Jim Sharman, who also designed the production. The tribe included Keith Glass and then

Reg Livermore Reginald Dawson Livermore (born 11 December 1938) is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer and former television presenter. Childhood From a young age, Livermore demonstrated an interest in the performing arts. Regular outings to ...

as Berger, John Waters as Claude and Sharon Redd as The Magician. Redd was one of six African-Americans brought to Australia to provide a racially integrated tribe.''Hair'': Original Australian production
, MILESAGO: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964–1975, accessed April 29, 2009. The production broke local box-office records and ran for two years, but because of some of the language in the show, the cast album was banned in Queensland and New Zealand. The production transferred to Melbourne in 1971 and then had a national tour. It marked the stage debut of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

-born Australian vocalist

Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines, AM (born July 20, 1953), is an American-Australian vocalist and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical ''Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdalene ...

. In Mexico the production was banned by the government after one night in Acapulco. An 18-year-old

Sônia Braga Sônia Maria Campos Braga (; born 8 June 1950) is a Brazilian actress. She is known in the English-speaking world for her Golden Globe Award–nominated performances in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985) and '' Moon over Parador'' (1988). She ...

appeared in the 1969 Brazilian production. Another notable production was in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...

, in the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

, in 1969. It was the first ''Hair'' to be produced in a communist country. The show, translated into Serbian, was directed by female producer-director Mira Trailović at the Atelje 212 theatre.Nježić, T
"Autorima 'Kose' najviše se dopala beogradska verzija iz 1969"
, blic.rs, January 31, 2010, accessed May 25, 2016Lemon, Richard

, ''Performing Arts Magazine'', October 1969, accessed May 25, 2016 It featured

Dragan Nikolić Dragoslav "Dragan" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Драгослав Драган Николић, ; 20 August 1943 – 11 March 2016) was a Yugoslav and later, Serbian actor. Nikolić studied at Dramatic Arts Academy in Belgrade. In 1967 he starred in the ...

, Branko Milićević,

Seka Sablić Jelisaveta "Seka" Sablić ( sr-cyr, Јелисавета "Сека" Саблић; born 13 June 1942) is a Serbian actress. She had performed in theatre houses in Belgrade and on TV and film. She is the winner of major theatre awards in Serbia and ...

and

Dušan Prelević Dušan Prelević "Prele" (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Прелевић Преле; November 11, 1948 – July 28, 2007) was a Serbian singer, journalist, and writer. During his career Prelević released three solo albums and a large number of ...

. Over four years, the production received 250 performances and was attended by president

Tito Tito may refer to: People Mononyms *Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman *Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journal ...

. Local references in the script included barbs aimed at

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also Romanization of Chinese, romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the List of national founde ...

as well as

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

, Yugoslavia's traditional rival. By 1970, ''Hair'' was a huge financial success, and nineteen productions had been staged outside of North America. In addition to those named above, these included productions in Scandinavia, South America, Italy, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria. According to ''Billboard'', the various productions of the show were raking in almost $1 million every ten days, and royalties were being collected for 300 different recordings of the show's songs, making it "the most successful score in history as well as the most performed score ever written for the Broadway stage."Gross, Mike
"Hair Is Doing Runaway Business as Score & Play"
, ''Billboard'', michaelbutler.com, June 27, 1970, accessed April 18, 2008

Themes

''Hair'' explores many of the themes of the hippie movement of the 1960s. Theatre writer Scott Miller described these as follows:

e youth of America, especially those on college campuses, started protesting all the things that they saw wrong with America: racism, environmental destruction, poverty, sexism and sexual repression, violence at home and the war in Vietnam, depersonalization from new technologies, and corruption in politics. ... Contrary to popular opinion, the hippies had great respect for America and believed that they were the true patriots, the only ones who genuinely wanted to save our country and make it the best it could be once again. ... onghair was the hippies' flag – their ... symbol not only of rebellion but also of new possibilities, a symbol of the rejection of discrimination and restrictive gender roles (a philosophy celebrated in the song "My Conviction"). It symbolized equality between men and women. ... e hippies' chosen clothing also made statements. Drab work clothes (jeans, work shirts, pea coats) were a rejection of materialism. Clothing from other cultures, particularly the Third World and native Americans, represented their awareness of the global community and their rejection of U.S. imperialism and selfishness. Simple cotton dresses and other natural fabrics were a rejection of synthetics, a return to natural things and simpler times. Some hippies wore old World War II or Civil War jackets as way of co-opting the symbols of war into their newfound philosophy of nonviolence.Miller, Scott (2001)
"HAIR – An analysis by Scott Miller"; excerpt from ''Rebels with applause: Broadway's groundbreaking musicals''
. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Race and the tribe

Extending the precedents set by '' Show Boat'' (1927) and ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', ...

'' (1935), ''Hair'' opened the Broadway musical to racial integration; fully one-third of the cast was African American.Horn, p. 134 Except for satirically in skits, the roles for the black members of the tribe portrayed them as equals, breaking away from the traditional roles for black people in entertainment as slaves or servants. An '' Ebony'' magazine article declared that the show was the biggest outlet for black actors in the history of the U.S. stage. Several songs and scenes from the show address racial issues. "Colored Spade", which introduces the character Hud, a militant black male, is a long list of racial slurs ("jungle bunny ... little black sambo") topped off with the declaration that Hud is the "president of the United States of love". At the end of his song, he tells the tribe that the "boogie man" will get them, as the tribe pretends to be frightened. "Dead End", sung by black tribe members, is a list of street signs that symbolize black frustration and alienation. One of the tribe's protest chants is "What do we think is really great? To bomb, lynch and segregate!" "Black Boys/White Boys" is an exuberant acknowledgement of interracial sexual attraction; the U.S. Supreme Court had struck down laws banning interracial marriage in 1967. Another of the tribe's protest chants is "Black, white, yellow, red. Copulate in a king-sized bed." "Abie Baby" is part of the Act 2 "trip" sequence: four African witch doctors, who have just killed various American historical, cultural and fictional characters, sing the praises of Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by a black female tribe member, whom they decide not to kill. The first part of the song contains stereotypical language that black characters used in old movies, like "I's finished ... pluckin' y'all's chickens" and "I's free now thanks to y'all, Master Lincoln". The Lincoln character then recites a modernized version of the Gettysburg Address, while a white female tribe member polishes Lincoln's shoes with her blond hair. The many references to Native Americans throughout the script are part of the

anti-consumerism Anti-consumerism is a sociopolitical ideology that is opposed to consumerism, the continual buying and consuming of material possessions. Anti-consumerism is concerned with the private actions of business corporations in pursuit of financial an ...

, naturalism focus of the hippie movement and of ''Hair''. The characters in the show are referred to as the "tribe", borrowing the term for Native American communities. The cast of each production chooses a tribal name: "The practice is not just cosmetic ... the entire cast must work together, must like each other, and often within the show, must work as a single organism. All the sense of family, of belonging, of responsibility and loyalty inherent in the word 'tribe' has to be felt by the cast." To enhance this feeling, O'Horgan put the cast through sensitivity exercises based on trust, touching, listening and intensive examination that broke down barriers between the cast and crew and encouraged bonding. These exercises were based on techniques developed at the

Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanistic alternative education. The institute played a key role in the Human Potenti ...

and Polish Lab Theater. The idea of Claude, Berger and Sheila living together is another facet of the 1960s concept of ''tribe''.

Nudity, sexual freedom and drug use

The brief nude scene at the end of Act I was a subject of controversy and notoriety. Miller writes that "nudity was a big part of the hippie culture, both as a rejection of the sexual repression of their parents and also as a statement about naturalism, spirituality, honesty, openness, and freedom. The naked body was beautiful, something to be celebrated and appreciated, not scorned and hidden. They saw their bodies and their sexuality as gifts, not as 'dirty' things." ''Hair'' glorifies sexual freedom in a variety of ways. In addition to acceptance of interracial attraction, the characters' lifestyle acts as a sexually and politically charged updating of '' La bohème''; as Rado explained, "The love element of the peace movement was palpable." In the song "Sodomy", Woof exhorts everyone to "join the holy orgy Kama Sutra". Toward the end of Act 2, the tribe members reveal their free love tendencies when they banter back and forth about who will sleep with whom that night. Barnes, Clive (April 30, 1968).
"Theater: ''Hair'' – It's Fresh and Frank; Likable Rock Musical Moves to Broadway"
, ''The New York Times'', p. 40. Retrieved on April 11, 2008. Woof has a crush on Mick Jagger, and a three-way embrace between Claude, Berger and Sheila turns into a Claude–Berger kiss. Rado, James; Gerome Ragni 966, 1969 ''Hair'', Original Script, Tams Whitmark. Various illegal drugs are taken by the characters during the course of the show, most notably a hallucinogen during the trip sequence. The song "Walking in Space" begins the sequence, and the lyrics celebrate the experience declaring "how dare they try to end this beauty ... in this dive we rediscover sensation ... our eyes are open, wide, wide, wide". Similarly, in the song "Donna", Berger sings that "I'm evolving through the drugs that you put down." At another point, Jeanie smokes marijuana and dismisses the critics of "pot". Generally, the tribe favors hallucinogenic or "mind expanding" drugs, such as LSD and marijuana,Miller, p. 116 while disapproving of other drugs such as speed and depressants. For example, Jeanie, after revealing that she is pregnant by a "

speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quant ...

freak", says that "

methedrine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamp ...

is a bad scene". The song "Hashish" provides a list of pharmaceuticals, both illegal and legal, including cocaine, alcohol, LSD, opium and Thorazine, which is used as an

antipsychotic Antipsychotics, also known as neuroleptics, are a class of psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), principally in schizophrenia but also in a range of ...

Pacifism and environmentalism

The theme of opposition to the war that pervades the show is unified by the plot thread that progresses through the book – Claude's

moral dilemma In philosophy, ethical dilemmas, also called ethical paradoxes or moral dilemmas, are situations in which an agent stands under two (or more) ''conflicting moral requirements'', none of which ''overrides'' the other. A closely related definition c ...

over whether to burn his draft card.

Pacifism Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace camp ...

is explored throughout the extended trip sequence in Act 2. The lyrics to "

", which is sung during that sequence, evoke the horrors of war ("ripped open by metal explosion"). The song is based on

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

's 1966 poem, "

Wichita Vortex Sutra "Wichita Vortex Sutra" is an anti-war poem by Allen Ginsberg, written in 1966. It appears in his collection '' Planet News'' and has also been published in ''Collected Poems 1947-1995'' and ''Collected Poems 1947-1980''. The poem presents Ginsberg ...

". In the poem, General Maxwell Taylor proudly reports to the press the number of enemy soldiers killed in one month, repeating it digit by digit, for effect: "Three-Five-Zero-Zero." The song begins with images of death and dying and turns into a manic dance number, echoing Maxwell's glee at reporting the enemy casualties, as the tribe chants "Take weapons up and begin to kill". The song also includes the repeated phrase "Prisoners in niggertown/ It's a dirty little war". "Don't Put It Down" satirizes the unexamined patriotism of people who are "crazy for the American flag". "Be In (Hare Krishna)" praises the peace movement and events like the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

and

Central Park Be-In In the 1960s, several "be-ins" were held in Central Park, Manhattan, New York City to protest against various issues such as U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and racism. Background During the 1960s America was involved in the Vietnam War. Thi ...

s. Throughout the show, the tribe chants popular protest slogans like "What do we want? Peace! – When do we want it? Now!" and "Do not enter the induction center". The upbeat song, "Let the Sun Shine In", is a call to action, to reject the darkness of war and change the world for the better. ''Hair'' also aims its satire at the pollution caused by civilization. Jeanie appears from a trap door in the stage wearing a gas mask and then sings the song "Air": "Welcome, sulfur dioxide. Hello carbon monoxide. The air ... is everywhere". She suggests that pollution will eventually kill her, "vapor and fume at the stone of my tomb, breathing like a sullen perfume". In a comic, pro-green vein, when Woof introduces himself, he explains that he "grows things" like "beets, and corn ... and sweet peas" and that he "loves the flowers and the fuzz and the trees".

Religion and astrology

Religion, particularly Catholicism, appears both overtly and symbolically throughout the piece, and it is often made the brunt of a joke. Berger sings of looking for "my Donna", giving it the double meaning of the woman he's searching for and the

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

. During "Sodomy", a hymn-like paean to all that is "dirty" about sex, the cast strikes evocative religious positions: the

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning " pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific for ...

and Christ on the cross.Davis, Lorrie (1968). Album notes for Original Cast Recording of ''Hair'', pp. 5–6 (CD booklet),

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

(1150-2-RC).
''Hair''
at MusicBrainz. Before the song, Woof recites a modified rosary. In Act II, when Berger gives imaginary pills to various famous figures, he offers "a pill for

". In "Going Down", after being kicked out of school, Berger compares himself to Lucifer: "Just like the angel that fell / Banished forever to hell / Today have I been expelled / From high school heaven." Claude becomes a classic Christ figure at various points in the script.Miller, pp. 88–89 In Act I, Claude enters, saying, "I am the Son of God. I shall vanish and be forgotten," then gives benediction to the tribe and the audience. Claude suffers from indecision, and, in his Gethsemane at the end of Act I, he asks "Where Do I Go?". There are textual allusions to Claude being on a cross, and, in the end, he is chosen to give his life for the others. Berger has been seen as a

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

figure, preparing the way for Claude. Songs like "Good Morning, Starshine" and "Aquarius" reflect the 1960s cultural interest in astrological and cosmic concepts. "Aquarius" was the result of Rado's research into his own astrological sign."Rapping With Sally Eaton of ''Hair''"
. ''Astrology Today''. michaelbutler.com. Retrieved on April 11, 2008. The company's astrologer, Maria Crummere, was consulted about casting: Sheila was usually played by a Libra or Capricorn and Berger by a Leo, although Ragni, the original Berger, was a Virgo. Crummere was also consulted when deciding when the show would open on Broadway and in other cities."Hairzapoppin'"
. ''Time'' (December 12, 1969). Retrieved on May 29, 2008. The 1971 Broadway ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's p ...

'' reported that she chose April 29, 1968 for the Broadway premiere. "The 29th was auspicious ... because the moon was high, indicating that people would attend in masses. The position of the 'history makers' (

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...

Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus ( Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars), grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter) and father of ...

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousand ...

) in the 10th house made the show unique, powerful and a money-maker. And the fact that

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 time ...

was on the ascendancy foretold that ''Hair'' would develop a reputation involving sex."Dowling, Colette (May 1971).
"''Hair'' – Trusting the Kids and the Stars"
. ''Playbill''. Retrieved on June 1, 2008. In Mexico, where Crummere did not pick the opening date, the show was closed down by the government after one night. She was not pleased with the date of the

opening (where the producers were sued over the show's content) saying, "Jupiter will be in opposition to naughty

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

, and the show opens the very day of the sun's

eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three c ...

. Terrible." But there was no astrologically safe time in the near future.

Literary themes and symbolism

''Hair'' makes many references to

's plays, especially ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' and ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', and, at times, takes lyrical material directly from Shakespeare. For example, the lyrics to the song "What a Piece of Work Is Man" are from ''Hamlet'' (II: scene 2) and portions of "Flesh Failures" ("the rest is silence") are from Hamlet's final lines. In "Flesh Failures/Let The Sun Shine In", the lyrics "Eyes, look your last!/ Arms, take your last embrace! And lips, O you/ The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss" are from ''Romeo and Juliet'' (V: iii, 111–14). According to Miller, the ''Romeo'' suicide imagery makes the point that, with our complicity in war, we are killing ourselves. Symbolically, the running plot of Claude's indecision, especially his resistance to burning his draft card, which ultimately causes his demise, has been seen as a parallel to ''Hamlet'': "the melancholy hippie". The symbolism is carried into the last scene, where Claude appears as a ghostly spirit among his friends wearing an army uniform in an ironic echo of an earlier scene, where he says, "I know what I want to be ... invisible". According to Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, "Both 'Hair'' and ''Hamlet''center on idealistic brilliant men as they struggle to find their place in a world marred by war, violence, and venal politics. They see both the luminous possibilities and the harshest realities of being human. In the end, unable to effectively combat the evil around them, they tragically succumb." Other literary references include the song "Three-Five-Zero-Zero", based on Ginsberg's poem "Wichita Vortex Sutra", and, in the psychedelic drug trip sequence, the portrayal of

, from '' Gone with the Wind'', and activist African-American poet

LeRoi Jones Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...

Dramatics

In his introduction to the published script of ''Viet Rock'', Richard Schechner says, "performance, action, and event are the key terms of our theatre – and these terms are not literary." In the 1950s, Off-off Broadway theaters began experimenting with non-traditional theater roles, blurring the lines between playwright, director, and actor. The playwright's job was not just to put words on a page, but to create a theatrical experience based on a central idea. By 1967, theaters such as

The Living Theatre The Living Theatre is an American theatre company founded in 1947 and based in New York City. It is the oldest experimental theatre group in the United States. For most of its history it was led by its founders, actress Judith Malina and painter ...

La MaMa E.T.C. La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

and

The Open Theatre The Open Theater was an experimental theatre group active from 1963 to 1973. Foundation The Open Theater was founded in New York City by a group of former students of acting teacher Nola Chilton, together with director Joseph Chaikin (formerly of T ...

were actively devising plays from improvisational scenes crafted in the rehearsal space, rather than following a traditional script.Miller, pp. 56–58

''Viet Rock'' and ''Hair''

Megan Terry's ''Viet Rock'' was created using this improvisational process. Scenes in ''Viet Rock'' were connected in "prelogical ways": a scene could be built from a tangent from the scene before, it could be connected psychologically, or it could be in counterpoint to the previous scene. Actors were asked to switch roles in the middle of a show, and frequently in mid-scene. In her stage directions for a Senate hearing scene in ''Viet Rock'', Terry wrote, "The actors should take turns being senators and witnesses; the transformations should be abrupt and total. When the actor is finished with one character he becomes another, or just an actor." ''Hair'' was designed in much the same way. Tom O'Horgan, the show's Broadway director, was intimately involved in the experimental theatre movement. In the transition to Broadway, O'Horgan and the writers rearranged scenes to increase the experimental aspects of the show. ''Hair'' asks its actors to assume several different characters throughout the course of the piece, and, as in Claude's psychedelic trip in Act 2, sometimes during the same scene. Both ''Hair'' and ''Viet Rock'' include rock music, borrowed heavily from mass media, and frequently break down the invisible "

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

" to interact with the audience. For example, in the opening number, the tribe mingles with audience members, and at the end of the show, the audience is invited on stage.

Production design

In the original Broadway production, the stage was completely open, with no curtain and the fly area and grid exposed to the audience. The proscenium arch was outlined with climb-ready scaffolding. Wagner's spare set was painted in shades of grey with street

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

stenciled on the stage. The stage was raked, and a tower of abstract scaffolding upstage at the rear merged a Native American totem pole and a modern sculpture of a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (La ...

-shaped tree. This scaffolding was decorated with found objects that the cast had gathered from the streets of New York. These included a life-size papier-mâché bus driver, the head of Jesus, and a neon marquee of the Waverly movie theater in Greenwich Village.Horn, pp. 61–64 Potts' costumes were based on hippie street clothes, made more theatrical with enhanced color and texture. Some of these included mixed parts of military uniforms, bell bottom jeans with Ukrainian embroidery, tie dyed T-shirts and a red white and blue fringed coat. Early productions were primarily reproductions of this basic design.

Nude scene

"Much has been written about that scene ... most of it silly," wrote Gene Lees in '' High Fidelity''. The scene was inspired by two men who took off their clothes to antagonize the police during an informal anti-war gathering."40 years of 'Hair'"
. ''Newark Star-Ledger'' (July 19, 2008). Retrieved on July 26, 2008. During "Where Do I Go?", the stage was covered in a giant

scrim Scrim can refer to: * Scrim (material), either of two types of material (a lightweight, translucent fabric or a coarse, heavy material) * Scrim (lighting), a device used in lighting for films * Scrim (internet slang), friendly match between tea ...

, beneath which those choosing to participate in the scene removed their clothes. At the musical cue, "they toodnaked and motionless, their bodies bathed in Fisher's light projection of floral patterns. They chant dof 'beads, flowers, freedom, and happiness. It lasted only twenty seconds. Indeed, the scene happened so quickly and was so dimly lit that it prompted

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...

, during the interval at a London preview, to quip, "Did you happen to notice if any of them were Jewish?" Nevertheless, the scene prompted threats of censorship and even violent reactions in some places. It also became fodder for pop-cultural jokes.

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

quipped, "I was gonna go see it, and then I called up the theater. ... They said the tickets were $11 apiece. I told them I'd call back, went into my bathroom, took off all my clothes, and looked at myself in the full-length mirror. Then I called the theater and said, 'Forget it. The nudity was optional for the performers. The French cast was "the nudest" of the foreign groups, while the London cast "found nudity the hardest to achieve". The Swedish cast was reluctant to disrobe, but in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

, the tribe thought the nudity too tame and decided to walk naked up and down the aisle during the show's prelude. In some early performances, the Germans played their scene behind a big sheet labeled "CENSORED". Original Broadway cast member Natalie Mosco said, "I was dead set against the nude scene at first, but I remembered my acting teacher having said that part of acting is being private in public. So I did it." According to Melba Moore, "It doesn't mean anything except what you want it to mean. We put so much value on clothing. . ... It's like so much else people get uptight about." Donna Summer, who was in the German production, said that "it was not meant to be sexual. ... We stood naked to comment on the fact that society makes more of nudity than killing." Rado said that "being naked in front of an audience, you're baring your soul. Not only the soul but the whole body was being exposed. It was very apt, very honest and almost necessary."

Music

After studying the music of the

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle * Black Association for Nationa ...

Cape Town University The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university stat ...

, MacDermot incorporated African rhythms into the score of ''Hair''. He listened to "what he Bantucalled quaylas ... hich have avery characteristic beat, very similar to rock. Much deeper though. ... ''Hair'' is very African – a lot of herhythms, not the tunes so much." Quaylas stress beats on unexpected syllables, and this influence can be heard in songs like "What a Piece of Work Is Man" and "Ain't Got No Grass". MacDermot said, "My idea was to make a total funk show. They said they wanted rock & roll – but to me that translated to 'funk.'"Alapatt, Eothen; Galt MacDermot.
"Interview with Galt MacDermot by Eothen "Egon" Alapatt"
, "Volume 5: ''Hair'' and Thangs", November 1, 1999. Retrieved on November 9, 2013. That

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

is evident throughout the score, notably in songs like "Colored Spade" and "Walking in Space". MacDermot has claimed that the songs "can't all be the same. You've got to get different styles. ... I like to think they're all a little different." As such, the music in ''Hair'' runs the gamut of rock: from the

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and b ...

sensibilities of "Don't Put it Down" to the

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

rhythms of "Frank Mills" and "What a Piece of Work is Man". " Easy to Be Hard" is pure

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, and protest rock anthems abound: "Ain't Got No" and "The Flesh Failures". The acid rock of "Walking in Space" and "Aquarius" are balanced by the mainstream pop of "Good Morning Starshine". Scott Miller ties the music of ''Hair'' to the hippies' political themes: "The hippies ... were determined to create art of the people and their chosen art form, rock/folk music was by its definition, populist. ... e hippies' music was often very angry, its anger directed at those who would prostitute the Constitution, who would sell America out, who would betray what America stood for; in other words, directed at their parents and the government." Theatre historian John Kenrick explains the application of rock music to the medium of the stage: The music did not resonate with everyone.

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

remarked "the songs are just laundry lists"Berkvist, Robert (May 11, 1969).
"He Put ''Hair'' on Broadway's Chest"
''The New York Times'', p. D1. Retrieved on May 26, 2008. and walked out of the production.

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...

could only hear the beat and called it "one-third music".

John Fogerty John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was the lead s ...

said, "''Hair'' is such a watered down version of what is really going on that I can't get behind it at all." Gene Lees, writing for ''High Fidelity'', stated that

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

found it "dull", and he wrote, "I do not know any musician who thinks it's good."Lees, Gene (July 1969).
"''hair'' in Europe"
. ''High Fidelity''. Retrieved on May 26, 2008.

Songs

The score had many more songs than were typical of Broadway shows of the day. Most Broadway shows had about per act; ''Hairs total is in the thirties. This list reflects the most common Broadway lineup.Miller, pp. 70–77 Act I * "Aquarius" – Tribe and soloist (often Dionne) * "Donna" – Berger and Tribe * "Hashish" – Tribe * "Sodomy" – Woof and Tribe * "Colored Spade" – Hud, Woof, Berger, Claude and Tribe * "Manchester England" – Claude and Tribe * "I'm Black/Ain't Got No" – Woof, Hud, Dionne and Tribe * "I Believe in Love" – Sheila and Tribe trio * "Air" – Jeanie with Crissy and Dionne * "Initials (L.B.J.)" – Tribe * "I Got Life" – Claude and Tribe * "Going Down" – Berger and Tribe * "

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fi ...

" – Claude, Berger, and Tribe * "My Conviction" – Margaret Mead (tourist lady) * " Easy to Be Hard" – Sheila * "Don't Put It Down" – Berger, Woof and male Tribe member * "Frank Mills" – Crissy * "Be-In ( Hare Krishna)" – Tribe * "Where Do I Go?" – Claude and Tribe Act II * "Electric Blues" – Tribe quartet * "Black Boys" – Tribe sextet (three male, three female) * "White Boys" – Tribe Supremes trio * "Walking in Space" – Tribe * "Yes, I's Finished/Abie Baby" – Abraham Lincoln and Tribe trio (Hud and two men) * "

" – Tribe * "What a Piece of Work Is Man" – Tribe duo * "

" – Sheila and Tribe * "The Bed" – Tribe * "Aquarius" (reprise) – Tribe * "Manchester England" (reprise) – Claude and Tribe * "Eyes Look Your Last" – Claude and Tribe * "The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)" – Claude, Sheila, Dionne and Tribe The show was under almost perpetual re-write. Thirteen songs were added between the production at the Public Theater and Broadway, including "I Believe in Love". "The Climax" and "Dead End" were cut between the productions, and "Exanaplanetooch" and "You Are Standing on My Bed" were present in previews but cut before Broadway. The Shakespearean speech " What a piece of work is a man" was originally spoken by Claude and musicalized by MacDermot for Broadway, and "Hashish" was formed from an early speech of Berger's. Subsequent productions have included "Hello There", "Dead End", and "Hippie Life" – a song originally written for the film that Rado included in several productions in Europe in the 1990s. Rado, James (July 25, 2007).
"New lyrics for 'Hippie Life' song"
, ''hairthemusical.com'', accessed November 9, 2013 The 2009 Broadway revival included the ten-second "Sheila Franklin" and "O Great God of Power", two songs that were cut from the original production.

Recordings

The first recording of ''Hair'' was made in 1967 featuring the off-Broadway cast. The original Broadway cast recording received a Grammy Award in 1969 for

Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album The Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album has been awarded since 1959. The award is generally given to the album producer, principal vocalist(s), and the composer and lyricist if they have written a new score which comprises 51% or more pla ...

and sold nearly 3 million copies in the U.S. by December 1969. It charted at No. 1 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...

, the last Broadway cast album to do so (as of 2016). It stayed at No. 1 for 13 weeks in 1969. The album also peaked at number 2 in Australia in 1970. ''The New York Times'' noted in 2007 that "The cast album of ''Hair'' was ... a must-have for the middle classes. Its exotic orange-and-green cover art imprinted itself instantly and indelibly on the psyche. ... tbecame a pop-rock classic that, like all good pop, has an appeal that transcends particular tastes for genre or period." In 2019, the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

added the original Broadway cast album to the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservat ...

. The 1993 London revival cast album contains new music that has been incorporated into the standard rental version. A 1969 studio album, ''DisinHAIRited'' (

LSO-1163), contains the following songs that had been written for the show but saw varying amounts of stage time. Some of the songs were cut between the Public and Broadway productions, some had been left off the original cast album due to space, and a few were never performed onstage. * "One Thousand-Year-Old Man" * "So Sing the Children of the Avenue" * "Manhattan Beggar" * "Sheila Franklin/Reading the Writing" * "Washing the World" * "Exanaplanetooch" * "Hello There" * "Mr. Berger" * "I'm Hung" * "The Climax" * "Electric Blues" * "I Dig" * "Going Down" * "You Are Standing on My Bed" * "The Bed" * "Mess O' Dirt" * "Dead End" * "Oh Great God of Power" * "Eyes Look Your Last/Sentimental Ending" Songs from ''Hair'' have been recorded by numerous artists, including Shirley Bassey,

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

and

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

. "Good Morning Starshine" was sung on a 1969 episode of ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'' by cast member Bob McGrath, and versions by artists such as

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United State ...

, Petula Clark, and Strawberry Alarm Clock have been recorded. Artists as varied as

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

and The Lemonheads have recorded "Frank Mills", and Andrea McArdle, Jennifer Warnes, and Sérgio Mendes have each contributed versions of "Easy to Be Hard". ''Hair'' also helped launch recording careers for performers Meat Loaf, Dobie Gray, Jennifer Warnes,

Bert Sommer Bert Sommer (February 7, 1949 – July 23, 1990) was an American folk singer and songwriter. He appeared in the musical ''Hair'' and at the Woodstock Festival, and released several albums as a singer-songwriter. Life and career Sommer was born i ...

, Ronnie Dyson, Donna Summer and Melba Moore, among others. The score of ''Hair'' saw chart successes, as well.

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwe ...

released "

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In "Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" (commonly called "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", "The Age of Aquarius" or "Let the Sunshine In") is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical ''Hair'' by James Rado and Gerome ...

" in 1969, which won Record of the Year in 1970 and topped the charts for six weeks. The Cowsills' recording of the title song "Hair" climbed to on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. while Oliver's rendition of "Good Morning Starshine" reached . Three Dog Night's version of "Easy to Be Hard" went to . Nina Simone's 1968 medley of "Ain't Got No / I Got Life" reached the top 5 on the British charts. In 1970,

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

announced that "Aquarius" was played more frequently on U.S. radio and television than any other song that year. Productions in England, Germany, France, Sweden, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands, Australia and elsewhere released cast albums, and over 1,000 vocal and/or instrumental performances of individual songs from ''Hair'' have been recorded. Such broad attention was paid to the recordings of ''Hair'' that, after an unprecedented bidding war,

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

was willing to pay a record amount for MacDermot's next Broadway adaptation '' Two Gentlemen of Verona''. The 2009 revival recording, released on June 23, debuted at on ''Billboards "Top Cast Album" chart and at in the Top 200, qualifying it as the highest debuting album in Ghostlight Records history.

Critical reception

Reception to ''Hair'' upon its Broadway premiere was, with exceptions, overwhelmingly positive. Clive Barnes wrote in the ''New York Times'': "What is so likable about ''Hair'' ... ? I think it is simply that it is so likable. So new, so fresh, and so unassuming, even in its pretensions." John J. O'Connor of ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' said the show was "exuberantly defiant and the production explodes into every nook and cranny of the Biltmore Theater". Richard Watts Jr. of the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' wrote that "it has a surprising if perhaps unintentional charm, its high spirits are contagious, and its young zestfulness makes it difficult to resist." Television reviews were even more enthusiastic. Allan Jeffreys of ABC said the actors were "the most talented hippies you'll ever see ... directed in a wonderfully wild fashion by Tom O'Horgan." Leonard Probst of NBC said "''Hair'' is the only new concept in musicals on Broadway in years and it's more fun than any other this season". John Wingate of WOR TV praised MacDermot's "dynamic score" that "blasts and soars", and Len Harris of CBS said "I've finally found the best musical of the Broadway season ... it's that sloppy, vulgar, terrific tribal love rock musical ''Hair''." A reviewer from '' Variety'', on the other hand, called the show "loony" and "without a story, form, music, dancing, beauty or artistry. ... It's impossible to tell whether he cast hastalent. Maybe talent is irrelevant in this new kind of show business." Reviews in the news weeklies were mixed; Jack Kroll in ''Newsweek'' wrote, "There is no denying the sheer kinetic drive of this new ''Hair'' ... there is something hard, grabby, slightly corrupt about O'Horgan's virtuosity, like Busby Berkeley gone bitchy." But a reviewer from ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' wrote that although the show "thrums with vitality t iscrippled by being a bookless musical and, like a boneless fish, it drifts when it should swim." Reviews were mixed when ''Hair'' opened in London. Irving Wardle in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'' wrote, "Its honesty and passion give it the quality of a true theatrical celebration – the joyous sound of a group of people telling the world exactly what they feel." In the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', B. A. Young agreed that ''Hair'' was "not only a wildly enjoyable evening, but a thoroughly moral one." However, in his final review before retiring after 48 years, 78-year-old W. A. Darlington of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' wrote that he had "tried hard", but found the evening "a complete bore – noisy, ugly and quite desperately funny". Acknowledging the show's critics, Scott Miller wrote in 2001 that "some people can't see past the appearance of chaos and randomness to the brilliant construction and sophisticated imagery underneath." Miller notes, "Not only did many of the lyrics not rhyme, but many of the songs didn't really have endings, just a slowing down and stopping, so the audience didn't know when to applaud. ... The show rejected every convention of Broadway, of traditional theatre in general, and of the American musical in specific. And it was brilliant."

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

2009 Broadway revival

Social change

''Hair'' challenged many of the norms held by Western society in 1968. The name itself, inspired by the name of a Jim Dine painting depicting a comb and a few strands of hair,Rizzo, Frank (August 31, 2008).
"''Hair'': Reviving the Revolution"
. ''Hartford Courant'', courant.com. Retrieved on November 9, 2013 (subscription required) was a reaction to the restrictions of civilization and consumerism and a preference for naturalism. Rado remembers that long hair "was a visible form of awareness in the consciousness expansion. The longer the hair got, the more expansive the mind was. Long hair was shocking, and it was a revolutionary act to grow long hair. It was kind of a flag, really." The musical caused controversy when it was first staged. The Act I finale was the first time a Broadway show had seen totally naked actors and actresses, and the show was charged with the desecration of the American flag and the use of obscene language. These controversies, in addition to the anti-Vietnam War theme, attracted occasional threats and acts of violence during the show's early years and became the basis for legal actions both when the show opened in other cities and on tour. Two cases eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

Legal challenges and violent reactions

The touring company of ''Hair'' met with resistance throughout the United States. In South Bend, Indiana, the Morris Civic Auditorium refused booking,Hair Ruffles Officials In Ind'p'ls; South Bend Nix, Evansville Maybe
". ''Variety'' (michaelbutler.com). June 26, 1968. Retrieved on June 6, 2008. and in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city i ...

, the production was picketed by several church groups. In

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

, the producers had difficulty securing a theater, and city authorities suggested that the cast wear body stockings as a compromise to the city's ordinance prohibiting publicly displayed nudity. Productions were frequently confronted with the closure of theaters by the fire marshal, as in Gladewater, Texas.

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

's 1972 refusal to allow the play to be shown at the city-owned Memorial Auditorium was later found by the U.S. Supreme Court to be an unlawful prior restraint. The legal challenges against the Boston production were appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Chief of the Licensing Bureau took exception to the portrayal of the American flag in the piece, saying, "anyone who desecrates the flag should be whipped on Boston Common."Livingston, Guy (April 15, 1970).
Nudity and Flag "Desecration" Figure In Appeal Against Hair Foldo in Hub
". ''Variety'' (michaelbutler.com). Retrieved on April 11, 2008. Although the scene was removed before opening, the

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...

's office began plans to stop the show, claiming that "lewd and lascivious" actions were taking place onstage. The ''Hair'' legal team obtained an

injunction An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in p ...

against criminal prosecution from the Superior Court, and the D.A. appealed to the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously func ...

. At the request of both parties, several of the justices viewed the production and handed down a ruling that "each member of the cast ustbe clothed to a reasonable extent." The cast defiantly played the scene nude later that night, stating that the ruling was vague as to when it would take effect. The next day, April 10, 1970, the production closed, and movie houses, fearing the ruling on nudity, began excising scenes from films in their exhibition. After the Federal

appellate In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

bench reversed the Massachusetts court's ruling, the D.A. appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 4–4 decision, the Court upheld the lower court's decision, allowing ''Hair'' to re-open on May 22.Supreme Court Clears ''Hair'' for Boston Run
". ''The New York Times'': p. 26. May 23, 1970. Retrieved on April 11, 2008. In April 1971, a bomb was thrown at the exterior of a theater in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, Ohio that had been housing a production, bouncing off the marquee and shattering windows in the building and in nearby storefronts. That same month, the families of cast member Jonathon Johnson and stage manager Rusty Carlson died in a fire in the Cleveland hotel where 33 members of the show's troupe had been staying. The Sydney, Australia production's opening night was interrupted by a bomb scare in June 1969.

Worldwide reactions

Local reactions to the controversial material varied greatly. San Francisco's large hippie population considered the show an extension of the street activities there, often blurring the barrier between art and life by meditating with the cast and frequently finding themselves onstage during the show. An 18-year-old

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

was seen dancing onstage in London, and in Washington DC,

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

attended. In St. Paul, Minnesota, a protesting clergyman released 18 white mice into the lobby hoping to frighten the audience. Capt. Jim Lovell and

Jack Swigert John Leonard Swigert Jr. (August 30, 1931 – December 27, 1982) was an American NASA astronaut, test pilot, mechanical engineer, aerospace engineer, United States Air Force pilot, and politician. In April 1970, as command module pilot of Ap ...

, after dubbing

Apollo 13 Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted aft ...

lunar module The Apollo Lunar Module (LM ), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed ...

"Aquarius" after the song, walked out of the production at the Biltmore in protest of perceived anti-Americanism and disrespect of the flag. An

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has ...

, Mexico production of ''Hair'', directed by Castelli, played in 1969 for one night. After the performance, the theater, located across the street from a popular local bordello, was padlocked by the government, which said the production was "detrimental to the morals of youth." The cast was arrested soon after the performance and taken to Immigration, where they agreed to leave the country, but because of legal complications they were forced to go into hiding.Johnson, p. 43 They were expelled from Mexico days later. ''Hair'' effectively marked the end of stage censorship in the United Kingdom.Lewis, Anthony (September 29, 1968).
Londoners Cool to ''Hairs Nudity; Four-Letter Words Shock Few at Musical's Debut
". ''The New York Times'': p. 76. Retrieved on April 11, 2008. London's stage censor, the

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main c ...

, originally refused to license the musical, and the opening was delayed until Parliament passed a bill stripping him of his licensing power. In Munich, authorities threatened to close the production if the nude scene remained; however, after a local ''Hair'' spokesman declared that his relatives had been marched nude into

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed int ...

, the authorities relented. In

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...

, Norway, local citizens formed a human barricade to try to prevent the performance. The Parisian production encountered little controversy, and the cast disrobed for the nude scene "almost religiously" according to Castelli, nudity being common on stage in Paris. Even in Paris there was nevertheless occasional opposition, however, such as when a member of the local

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

used a portable loud speaker to exhort the audience to halt the presentation.

Subsequent productions

1970s

A Broadway revival of ''Hair'' opened in 1977 for a run of 43 performances. It was produced by Butler, directed by O'Horgan and performed in the Biltmore Theater, where the original Broadway production had played. The cast included Ellen Foley,

Annie Golden Annie Golden (born October 19, 1951) is an American actress and singer. She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums. She began her acting career as Mother in t ...

, Loretta Devine, Cleavant Derricks and

Kristen Vigard Kristen Vigard (born May 15, 1963) is an American actress and singer. She is known for being the first actress to play the title role in '' Annie'' in its pre-Broadway run and for her two-year run as Morgan Richards on ''Guiding Light'' (1980–8 ...

. Newcomer Peter Gallagher left the ensemble during previews to take the role of Danny Zuko in a tour of '' Grease''. Reviews were generally negative, and critics accused the production of "showing its gray". Few major revivals of ''Hair'' followed until the early 1990s.

1980s and 1990s

A 20th anniversary concert event was held in May 1988 at the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

to benefit children with AIDS. The event was sponsored by

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in Ne ...

with

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...

giving the night's opening introduction.Horn, pp. 118–20 Rado, Ragni and MacDermot reunited to write nine new songs for the concert. The cast of 163 actors included former stars from various productions around the globe: Moore, Vereen, Williams and Summer, as well as guest performers Bea Arthur, Frank Stallone and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Ticket prices ranged from $250 to $5,000 and the proceeds went to the United States Committee for

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to c ...

and the Creo Society's Fund for Children with AIDS. A 1985 production of ''Hair'' mounted in Montreal was reportedly the 70th professional production of the musical. In November 1988, Michael Butler produced ''Hair'' at Chicago's

Vic Theater The Vic Theatre is a music venue located in Chicago, Illinois. Vic Theatre can easily accommodate 1,400 people or with a seated capacity of 1,000. History Vic Theatre, designed by architect John Eberson, opened in 1912 as the Victoria Theatre. ...

to celebrate the shows' 20th anniversary. The production was well received and ran until February 1989. From 1990 to 1991, Pink Lace Productions ran a U.S. national tour of ''Hair'' that included stops in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, Georgia,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. After Ragni died in 1991, MacDermot and Rado continued to write new songs for revivals through the 1990s. ''Hair Sarajevo, AD 1992'' was staged during the

siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav ...

as an appeal for peace. Rado directed a $1 million, 11 city national tour in 1994 that featured actor Luther Creek. With MacDermot returning to oversee the music, Rado's tour celebrated the show's 25th anniversary. A small 1990 "bus and truck" production of ''Hair'' toured Europe for over 3 years,Gowan, Anne (March 6, 1994)
"''Hair'' Today"
. ''The Washington Times'' (michaelbutler.com). Retrieved April 11, 2008. and Rado directed various European productions from 1995 to 1999. A production opened in Australia in 1992 and a short-lived London revival starring John Barrowman and Paul Hipp opened at the Old Vic in London in 1993, directed by Michael Bogdanov. While the London production was faithful to the original, a member of the production staff said the reason it "flopped" was because the tribe consisted of " Thatcher's children who didn't really get it". Other productions were mounted around the world, including South Africa, where the show had been banned until the eradication of

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. In 1996, Butler brought a month-long production to Chicago, employing the Pacific Musical Theater, a professional troupe in residence at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU ...

. Butler ran the show concurrently with the 1996 Democratic National Convention, echoing the last time the DNC was in Chicago:

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

. A 30th Anniversary Off-Off Broadway production was staged at Third Eye Repertory. It was directed by Shawn Rozsa.

2000s and 2010s

In 2001, the Reprise! theatre company in Los Angeles performed ''Hair'' at the Wadsworth Theatre, starring Steven Weber as Berger, Sam Harris as Claude and Jennifer Leigh Warren as Sheila. That same year, ''

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & ...

Great American Musicals in Concert'' ended its 2001 City Center season with a production of ''Hair'' starring Luther Creek, Idina Menzel and Tom Plotkin, and featuring ''Hair'' composer Galt MacDermot on stage playing the keyboards. An Actors' Fund benefit of the show was performed for one night at the

New Amsterdam Theater The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...

in New York City in 2004. The Tribe included Shoshana Bean, Raúl Esparza,

Jim J. Bullock James Jackson Bullock (born February 9, 1955) is an American actor and comedian of stage, television, and motion pictures. He starred in the sitcom ''Too Close for Comfort''. Early life Bullock was born in Casper, Wyoming, and raised in Odessa, ...

, Liz Callaway,

Gavin Creel Gavin James Creel (born April 18, 1976) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater. Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 in the leading role of Jimmy in ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' before starring a ...

, Eden Espinosa, Harvey Fierstein, Ana Gasteyer, Annie Golden, Jennifer Hudson,

Julia Murney Julia Kathleen Murney (born January 14, 1969) is an American actress and singer, also known for television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway. This ...

, Jai Rodriguez,

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series '' RuPaul's Drag Race ...

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in ''Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in ''T ...

, Laura Benanti and

Adam Pascal Adam Pascal (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor, singer, and musician, known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson's musical '' Rent'' on Broadway, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and th ...

. In 2005, a London production opened at the Gate Theatre, directed by Daniel Kramer. James Rado approved an updating of the musical's script to place it in the context of the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

instead of the Vietnam War. Kramer's modernized interpretation included "Aquarius" sung over a megaphone in Times Square, and nudity that called to mind images from

Abu Ghraib Abu Ghraib (; ar, أبو غريب, ''Abū Ghurayb'') is a city in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq, located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000 (2003). The old road ...

. In March 2006, Rado collaborated with director Robert Prior for a CanStage production of ''Hair'' in Toronto, and a revival produced by

Pieter Toerien Pieter Toerien (born 1942) is a South African producer and theatre manager, responsible for bringing many large scale musicals to South African stages, including ''Cats'', Disney's ''Beauty and the Beast'', ''The Lion King'' and '' Phantom of ...

toured South Africa in 2007. Directed by Paul Warwick Griffin, with choreography by Timothy Le Roux, the show ran at the Montecasino Theatre in Johannesburg and at Theatre on the Bay in Cape Town. A two-week run played at the

Teatro Tapia Teatro Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (commonly referred as "Teatro Tapia"), is the oldest free-standing drama stage building located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is named after Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (1826–1882), a Puerto Rican poet and dramati ...

in Old San Juan,

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, in March 2010, directed by Yinoelle Colón. Michael Butler produced ''Hair'' at the MET Theatre in Los Angeles from September 14 through December 30, 2007. The show was directed and choreographed by Bo Crowell, with musical direction from Christian Nesmith (son of Michael Nesmith). Butler's production of ''Hair'' won the

LA Weekly Theater Award LA Weekly Theater Award was an annual critics' award system established in 1979, organized by the ''LA Weekly'' for outstanding achievements in small theatre productions in Southern California. Nominees were typically announced in January for E ...

for Musical of the Year. For three nights in September 2007, Joe's Pub and the

presented a 40th anniversary production of ''Hair'' at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. This concert version, directed by Diane Paulus, featured Jonathan Groff as Claude and Galt MacDermot on stage on the keyboards. The cast also included

Karen Olivo Karen Olivo (born August 7, 1976) is an American stage and television actor, theater educator, and singer. In 2008, Olivo originated the role of Vanessa in ''In the Heights'' on Broadway. The following year, they won the 2009 Tony Award for Best ...

as Sheila and Will Swenson as Berger. Actors from the original Broadway production joined the cast on stage during the encore of "Let the Sun Shine In." Demand for the show was overwhelming, as long lines and overnight waits for tickets far exceeded that for other Delacorte productions such as ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...

'' starring Meryl Streep and

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award and three Tony Awards. In addition, he has received nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five ...

. Nine months later, The Public Theater presented a fully staged production of ''Hair'' at the Delacorte in a limited run from July 22, 2008, to September 14, 2008. Paulus again directed, with choreography by Karole Armitage. Groff and Swenson returned as Claude and Berger, together with others from the concert cast. Caren Lyn Manuel played Sheila, and Christopher J. Hanke replaced Groff as Claude on August 17. Reviews were generally positive, with Ben Brantley of ''

'' writing that "this production establishes the show as more than a vivacious period piece. ''Hair,'' it seems, has deeper roots than anyone remembered". ''

'' magazine wrote: "''Hair'' ... has been reinvigorated and reclaimed as one of the great milestones in musical-theatre history. ... Today ''Hair'' seems, if anything, more daring than ever."

2009 Broadway revival and 2010 U.S. National Tour

The Public Theater production transferred to Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, beginning previews on March 6, 2009, with an official opening on March 31, 2009. Paulus and Armitage again directed and choreographed, and most of the cast returned from the production in the park. A pre-performance ticket lottery was held nightly for $25 box-seat tickets. The opening cast included

as Claude, Will Swenson as Berger, Caissie Levy as Sheila,

Megan Lawrence Megan Lawrence (born 1972) is an American actress best known for her roles on Broadway. Among other honors, she has been nominated for a Tony Award. She has also appeared Off-Broadway, in regional theatre and on television. Life and career Lawre ...

as Mother and Sasha Allen as Dionne. Designers included Scott Pask (sets), Michael McDonald (costumes) and Kevin Adams (lighting). Critical response was almost uniformly positive. The ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ...

'' headline proclaimed "''Hair'' Revival's High Fun". The review praised the daring direction, "colorfully kinetic" choreography and technical accomplishments of the show, especially the lighting, commenting that "as a smile-inducing celebration of life and freedom, 'Hair'' ishighly communicable"; but warning: "If you're seated on the aisle, count on

he cast He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

to be in your face or your lap or ... braiding your tresses." The ''

'' wrote that the production "has emerged triumphant. ... These days, the nation is fixated less on war and more on the economy. As a result, the scenes that resonate most are the ones in which the kids exultantly reject the rat race." ''Variety'' enthused, "Director Diane Paulus and her prodigiously talented cast connect with the material in ways that cut right to the 1967 rock musical's heart, generating tremendous energy that radiates to the rafters. ... What could have been mere nostalgia instead becomes a full-immersion happening. ... If this explosive production doesn't stir something in you, it may be time to check your pulse." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' dissented, saying that the production "felt canned" and "overblown" and that the revival "feels unbearably naive and unforgivably glib". Ben Brantley, writing for ''The New York Times'', reflected the majority, however, delivering a glowing review: The Public Theater struggled to raise the $5.5 million budgeted for the Broadway transfer, because of the severity of the economic recession in late 2008, but it reached its goal by adding new producing partners. Director Diane Paulus helped keep costs low by using an inexpensive set. The show grossed a healthy $822,889 in its second week. On April 30, 2009, on the

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

, the cast recreated a performance on the same stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater by the original tribe. The production won the

Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical has been awarded since 1994. Before that time, both plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival. The award is given to the best musical play which has already appeare ...

, the

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The category was created in the 1994 c ...

and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Revival of a Musical. By August 2009, the revival had recouped its entire $5,760,000 investment, becoming one of the fastest-recouping musicals in Broadway history. Its cast album was nominated for the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album."Review Roundup: HAIR National Tour"
. BroadwayWorld.com, March 10, 2011 When the Broadway cast transferred to London for the 2010 West-End revival, a mostly new tribe took over on Broadway on March 9, 2010, including former ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

'' finalists

Ace Young Brett "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He gained national recognition while appearing on the fifth season of ''American Idol''. Young is married to ''American Idol'' season-three runner-up Diana ...

as Berger and Diana DeGarmo as Sheila. Kyle Riabko assumed the role of Claude,

Annaleigh Ashford Annaleigh Amanda Ashford (née Swanson; born June 25, 1985) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is known for her work on television as Betty DiMello on the Showtime period drama ''Masters of Sex'', and on Broadway as Lauren in '' Kin ...

played Jeanie, and

Vanessa Ray Vanessa Ray Liptak (born June 24, 1981) is an American actress. She is known for her role on ''Pretty Little Liars'' as Charlotte Drake; and also for her roles as Jenny on the legal drama series '' Suits'', Teri Ciccone on the soap opera ''As t ...

was Chrissie. Rachel Bay Jones later played Mother and other roles. Sales decreased after the original cast transferred to London, and the revival closed on June 27, 2010, after 29 previews and 519 regular performances. A U.S. National Tour of the production began on October 21, 2010. Principals included Steel Burkhardt as Berger, Paris Remillard as Claude and Caren Lyn Tackett as Sheila. The tour received mostly positive reviews. The show returned to Broadway for an engagement at the St. James Theatre from July 5 through September 10, 2011. After that stop, the tour resumed. The tour ended on January 29, 2012.

2010 West End revival

The 2009 Broadway production was duplicated at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End. Previews began on April 1, 2010, with an official opening on April 14. The producers were the Public Theater, together with Cameron Mackintosh and Broadway Across America. Nearly all of the New York cast relocated to London, but Luther Creek played Woof. The London revival closed on September 4, 2010. The production received mostly enthusiastic reviews. Michael Billington of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' described it as "a vibrant, joyous piece of living theatre", writing, "it celebrates a period when the joy of life was pitted against the forces of intolerance and the death-dealing might of the

military–industrial complex The expression military–industrial complex (MIC) describes the relationship between a country's military and the defense industry that supplies it, seen together as a vested interest which influences public policy. A driving factor behind the ...

. As Shakespeare once said: 'There's sap in't yet.'" Charles Spencer in ''

'' agreed: "This is a timely and irresistibly vital revival of the greatest of all rock musicals. ... The verve and energy of the company ... is irresistible." Michael Coveney of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' wrote that ''Hair'' is "one of the great musicals of all time, and a phenomenon that, I'm relieved to discover, stands up as a period piece". In ''

'', Benedict Nightingale commented that "it's exhilarating, as well as oddly poignant, when a multihued cast dressed in everything from billowing kaftans to

Ruritania Ruritania is a fictional country, originally located in central Europe as a setting for novels by Anthony Hope, such as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1894). Nowadays the term connotes a quaint minor European country, or is used as a placeholder name f ...

n army jackets race downstage while delivering that tuneful salute to an age of Aquarius that still refuses to dawn."

2014 Hollywood Bowl

In August 2014, the 2009 Broadway version returned for a three-night engagement at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

. Directed by

Adam Shankman Adam Michael Shankman (born November 27, 1964) is an American film director, producer, writer, dancer, author, actor, and choreographer. He was a permanent judge on season 6–7 of the television program ''So You Think You Can Dance''. He began h ...

, the cast included Kristen Bell as Sheila,

Hunter Parrish Hunter Parrish Tharp (born May 13, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing the role of Silas Botwin in the Showtime series '' Weeds'' and for his performances in the Broadway productions of '' Godspell'' in the role of J ...

as Claude, Benjamin Walker as Berger,

Amber Riley Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986), sometimes known mononymously as RILEY, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series '' Glee'' (2009–2015). For her perf ...

as Dionne,

Jenna Ushkowitz Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz (; born April 28, 1986) (born Min Ji []) is a South Korean-born American actress, singer, producer and podcast host. She is known for her performances in Broadway musicals such as ''The King and I'' and '' Waitress (musica ...

as Jeanie,

Sarah Hyland Sarah Jane Hyland (born November 24, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Born in Manhattan, she attended the Professional Performing Arts School before having small roles in the films '' Private Parts'' (1997), '' Annie'' (1999) and '' Bl ...

as Crissy,

Mario is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...

as Hud, and

Beverly D'Angelo Beverly Heather D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951) is an American actress who starred as Ellen Griswold in the ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' films (1983–2015). She has appeared in over 60 films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for h ...

and

Kevin Chamberlin Kevin Chamberlin (born November 25, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his theatre roles such as Horton in '' Seussical'' and Uncle Fester in '' The Addams Family''. For his theatre work, he received three Tony Award and three Drama Des ...

as Claude's parents.

UK 50th anniversary production and 2019 national tour

A 2016 production in Manchester, England, at the Hope Mill Theatre, directed by Jonathan O'Boyle and choreographed by William Whelton, starring Robert Metson as Claude, Laura Johnson as Sheila and Ryan Anderson as Berger, earned positive reviews. In 2017, the musical's 50th anniversary, the staging was repeated Off West-End at The Vaults theatre in London, with Metson and Johnson repeating their roles and Andy Coxon as Berger. The production won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production. A UK national tour of the production began in March 2019, starring Jake Quickenden as Berger, Daisy Wood-Davis as Sheila, Paul Wilkins as Claude and Marcus Collins as Hud.

International success

Swedish 1968 Hair Cast 2015 Stockholm (2)

''Hair'' has been performed in most of the countries of the world. After the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the gover ...

fell, the show traveled for the first time to Poland, Lebanon, the Czech Republic and Sarajevo (featured on ABC's

Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the prog ...

with Ted Koppel, when Phil Alden Robinson visited that city in 1996 and discovered a production of ''Hair'' there in the midst of the war). In 1999, Michael Butler and director Bo Crowell helped produce ''Hair'' in Russia at the Stas Namin Theatre located in Moscow's Gorky Park. The Moscow production caused a similar reaction as the original did 30 years earlier because Russian soldiers were fighting in Chechnya at the time. Rado wrote in 2003 that the only places where the show had not been performed were "China, India, Vietnam, the Arctic and Antarctic continents as well as most African countries." Since then, an Indian production has been mounted.

Adaptations

Film

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

of the same name was released in 1979. Directed by

Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...

with choreography by

Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...

and a screenplay by

Michael Weller Michael Weller (born September 26, 1942) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and screen writer. His plays include '' Moonchildren'', ''Loose Ends'', ''Spoils of War'' and ''Fifty Words''. His screenplays include ''Ragtime'', for which he was nominat ...

, the film stars John Savage, Treat Williams and

, with Golden, Melba Moore, Dyson, Foley,

Dorsey Wright Dorsey Wright (born Jan 8th 1957) is an American actor, best known for his role as Cleon in the 1979 film '' The Warriors''. Biography Wright was born in The Bronx, New York City on April 21, 1957, and earned his first acting role in 1979, in '' ...

, Don Dacus, Nell Carter and

Cheryl Barnes Cheryl Barnes (b. 1951 in Westfield, New Jersey) is an American singer and actress. She is best known for her role in Miloš Forman's 1979 film adaptation of ''Hair'', where she played the mother of Hud's little son. Biography Raised in West ...

. It was nominated for two

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture (for Williams), and Forman was nominated for a

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...

.Horn, pp. 117–18 Several songs were deleted, and the film's storyline departs significantly from the musical. The character of Claude is rewritten as an innocent draftee from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

, newly arrived in New York to join the military, and Sheila is a high-society

debutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal ...

who catches his eye. In perhaps the greatest diversion, a mistake leads Berger to go to Vietnam in Claude's place, where he is killed. While the film received generally positive reviews, Ragni and Rado said it failed to capture the essence of ''Hair'' by portraying hippies as "oddballs" without any connection to the peace movement.

Cultural impact

Popular culture

''The New York Times'' noted, in 2007, that "''Hair'' was one of the last Broadway musicals to saturate the culture as shows from the golden age once regularly did." Songs from the show continue to be recorded by major artists. In the 1990s, Evan Dando's group The Lemonheads recorded "Frank Mills" for their 1992 album '' It's a Shame About Ray'', and Run DMC sampled "Where Do I Go" for their 1993 single "Down With the King" which went to on the ''Billboard'' rap charts and reached the top 25 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. In 2004 "Aquarius", from the 1979 film version, was honored at number 33 on AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs. Red Bank Hair

Songs from the musical have been featured in films and television episodes. For example, in the 2005 film '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', the character

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel '' Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and proprieto ...

welcomed the children with lyrics from "Good Morning Starshine". "Aquarius" was performed in the final episode of '' Laverne and Shirley'' in 1983, where the character Carmine moves to New York City to become an actor, and auditions for ''Hair''. "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" was also performed in the final scene in the film '' The 40-Year-Old Virgin'', and Three Dog Night's recording of "Easy to Be Hard" was featured in the first part of David Fincher's film ''Zodiac''. On the ''

Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...

'' episode "

The Springfield Files "The Springfield Files" is the tenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 12, 1997. In the episode, Homer believes he has ...

", the townspeople,

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the '' Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, th ...

Chewbacca Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and fi ...

, Dana Scully and

Fox Mulder Fox William Mulder () is a fictional FBI Special Agent and one of the two protagonists of the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series ''The X-Files'', played by David Duchovny. Mulder's peers dismiss his many theories on extraterrest ...

all sing "Good Morning Starshine". The episode "

Hairography "Hairography" is the eleventh episode of the American television series ''Glee''. The episode premiered on the Fox network on November 25, 2009. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan and directed by Bill D'Elia. The episode introduces New ...

" of the show '' Glee'' includes a much-criticized mash-up of the songs "Hair" and " Crazy in Love" by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

. In addition, ''Head of the Class'' featured a two-part episode in 1990 where the head of the English department is determined to disrupt the school's performance of ''Hair''. The continued popularity of ''Hair'' is seen in its number ten ranking in a 2006 BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "[United Kingdom]'s Number One Essential Musicals". Because of the universality of its pacifist theme, ''Hair'' continues to be a popular choice for high-school and university productions. Amateur productions of ''Hair'' are also popular worldwide. In 2002, Peter Jennings featured a Boulder, Colorado, high school production of ''Hair'' for his ABC documentary series ''In Search of America''. A September 2006 community theater production at the 2,000-seat Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, was praised by original producer Michael Butler, who said it was "one of the best ''Hair''s I have seen in a long time." Another example of a recent large-scale amateur production is the Mountain Play production at the 4,000-seat Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre in Mount Tamalpais State Park in Mill Valley, California, in the spring of 2007.

Legacy

''Hair'' was Broadway's "first fully realized" concept musical, a form that dominated the musical theatre of the seventies,Horn, pp. 127–29 including shows like ''Company (musical), Company'', ''Follies'', ''Pacific Overtures'' and ''A Chorus Line''. While the development of the concept musical was an unexpected consequence of ''Hair'' tenure on Broadway, the expected rock music revolution on Broadway turned out to be less than complete. MacDermot followed ''Hair'' with three successive rock scores: ''Two Gentlemen of Verona'' (1971); ''Dude (musical), Dude'' (1972), a second collaboration with Ragni; and ''Via Galactica'' (1972). While ''Two Gentlemen of Verona'' found receptive audiences and a Tony for Best Musical, ''Dude'' failed after just sixteen performances, and ''Via Galactica'' flopped after a month.Horn, pp. 131–32 According to Horn, these and other such "failures may have been the result of producers simply relying on the label 'rock musical' to attract audiences without regard to the quality of the material presented". ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (1970) and ''Godspell'' (1971) were two religiously themed successes of the genre. '' Grease'' (1971) reverted to the rock sounds of the 1950s, and black-themed musicals like ''The Wiz'' (1975) were heavily influenced by gospel, R&B and soul music. By the late 1970s, the genre had played itself out. Except for a few outposts of rock, like ''Dreamgirls (musical), Dreamgirls'' (1981) and ''Little Shop of Horrors (musical), Little Shop of Horrors'' (1982), audience tastes in the 1980s turned to megamusicals with pop scores, like ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérables'' (1985) and ''The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical), The Phantom of the Opera'' (1986). Some later rock musicals, such as ''Rent (musical), Rent'' (1996) and ''Spring Awakening (musical), Spring Awakening'' (2006), as well as jukebox musicals featuring rock music, like ''We Will Rock You (musical), We Will Rock You'' (2002) and ''Rock of Ages (musical), Rock of Ages'' (2009), have found success. But the rock musical did not quickly come to dominate the musical theatre stage after ''Hair''. Critic Clive Barnes (critic), Clive Barnes commented, "There really weren't any rock musicals. No major rock musician ever did a rock score for Broadway. ... You might think of the musical ''Tommy (rock opera), Tommy'', but it was never conceived as a Broadway show. ... And one can see why. There's so much more money in records and rock concerts. I mean, why bother going through the pain of a musical which may close in Philadelphia?" On the other hand, ''Hair'' had a profound effect not only on what was acceptable on Broadway, but as part of the very social movements that it celebrated. For example, in 1970, Butler, Castelli and the various ''Hair'' casts contributed to fundraising for the World Youth Assembly, a United Nations–sponsored organization formed in connection with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the United Nations.Teltsch, Kathleen
"Youth Assembly Finds an Angel on Broadway"
, ''The New York Times'', May 19, 1970. Retrieved on November 9, 2013 The Assembly enabled 750 young representatives from around the world to meet in New York in July 1970 to discuss social issues.
. Press release, June 1970, accessed April 19, 2011 For about a week, cast members worldwide collected donations at every show for the fund. ''Hair'' raised around $250,000 and ended up being the principal financier of the Assembly.Johnson, pp. 84–85 Cast and crew members also contributed a day's pay, and Butler contributed a day's profits from these productions. Moreover, as Ellen Stewart, La MaMa's founder, noted:

References

Notes Bibliography * Davis, Lorrie and Rachel Gallagher. ''Letting Down My Hair: Two Years with the Love Rock Tribe'' (1973) A. Fields Books * Horn, Barbara Lee. ''The Age of Hair: Evolution and the Impact of Broadway's First Rock Musical'' (New York, 1991) * Johnson, Jonathon. ''Good Hair Days: A Personal Journey with the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical Hair'' (iUniverse, 2004) * Miller, Scott. ''Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of Hair'' (Heinemann, 2003) * Wollman, Elizabeth Lara, ''The Theatre Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical from Hair to Hedwig'' (University of Michigan Press, 2006)

External links

* * *
The ''HAIR'' Archives
at Michael Butler.com, curator Nina Machlin Dayton, containing numerous historical documents about the musical
Official ''HAIR'' blog from Michael Butler
the musical's original producer

* [http://www.galtmacdermot.com/hair.html Official Galt MacDermot ''Hair'' website]
''HAIR'' Pages
(1995–2009 archive) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hair (Musical) 1967 musicals Broadway musicals Hippie movement Nudity in theatre and dance Anti-war plays Counterculture of the 1960s Off-Broadway musicals Original musicals West End musicals Plays set in New York City Plays set in the United States Plays set in the 1960s Musicals by Galt MacDermot Sexual revolution American rock musicals Tony Award-winning musicals Obscenity controversies in theatre