Image:Hairposter.gif
'''Hair''', subtitled '''The American Tribal Love/Rock Musical''', is a musical about Hippies and was a significant part of the drug, music and peace-love culture of the 1960s. It is famous for originally being performed with all the players totally naked in some scenes. It was written by James_Rado and Gerome_Ragni (lyrics), and Galt_MacDermot (music). The original cast previewed a few performances at a go-go club called The Cheetah. It premiered Off-Broadway, with much fanfare, as the inaugural performance of the Public_Theater, on October_17, 1967, and moved to the Biltmore Theater on Broadway on April_29 1968 where it stayed for 1,472 performances. It opened at the Shaftesbury_Theatre in London on September_27 1968, continuing for 1,998 performances until closure was forced by the roof collapsing in July 1973. It went on to stage productions across the world and continues to be performed today.
A movie version of ''Hair'' was directed by Milos_Forman in 1979 with a cast including Treat_Williams, Beverly_D'Angelo and John Savage.
It came tenth in a BBC_Radio_2 listener Poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals" (wherein Nation refers to the United Kingdom). http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/paige/essentialvote.shtml
==Political and cultural significance==
The show challenged many of the Norms held by Western society at the time.
It caused controversy when it was first staged, and much publicity was provoked by the Act I finale which included male and female Nudity. This became a legal issue when the show left New_York on tour. Stage nudity was acceptable in New York at that time but was unknown elsewhere in the U.S. The show was also charged with the desecration of the American_flag and the use of obscene language. The case eventually went to the U.S._Supreme_Court. The show also effectively marked the end of stage Censorship in the United_Kingdom.
==Story outline==
{{spoiler}}
STAGE STORY:
The show follows 'The Tribe', a group of politically-active, long-haired 'Hippies of the Age of Aquarius' fighting against conscription to the Vietnam_War. Among them are Claude and Berger — a pair of friends battling against Claude's draft notice (which is a battle they ultimately lose and Claude decides that the tribe life isn't for him and goes to Vietnam, unlike the movie's story), and Sheila, who is in love with both of them, but doesn't always have time for them because she is always protesting somewhere. Together with Jeanie, Woof, Crissy, Hud, and Dionne, they epitomise the hippy days of the late Sixties.
The many songs include "Aquarius", "Good Morning Starshine", "Let the Sunshine In", "Hare Krishna", "Easy to be Hard", and the title song, "Hair".
MOVIE STORY:
Claude is divided between his loyalty to the tribe and the pressure he feels to conform to his draft notice. In the end, Claude reports for boot camp. When Sheila recieves a letter from Claude, the tribe decides to go to Nevada and visit him. When they arrive the base is under lock down and Berger sneaks in to take Claude's place so Claude can see Sheila and the tribe one more time. Unexpectedly, Claude's unit gets sent to Vietnam before Claude comes back, and Berger goes to Vietnam in his place, where he is killed. Songs in the play celebrate life and sexuality in all their diverse aspects.
==Players==
* The original New_York "tribe" (''i.e.'', cast) included James_Rado, Gerome_Ragni, Shelley_Plimpton, Kim_Milford, Melba_Moore, Paul_Jabara, and Diane_Keaton (in a minor role). Keaton did not appear nude in the musical's finale.
* The original London tribe included Paul_Nicholas, Richard_O'Brien, Melba_Moore, Elaine_Paige, Tim_Curry, Marsha Hunt, and Alex_Harvey.
* The original Berlin tribe included Donna_Summer.
* A special benefit performance of the show was performed at the New_Amsterdam_Theater in New_York_City on September 20, 2004. The tribe included: Shoshana_Bean, JM_J._Bullock, Liz_Callaway, Gavin_Creel, Harvey_Fierstein, Ana_Gasteyer, Annie_Golden, Jennifer_Hudson, Jai_Rodriguez, RuPaul, Michael_McKean, and others.
==Later productions==
The Endicott Performing Arts Center Repertory Company in Endicott, New York will present a production of "HAIR" March 10,11,12,17,18,19 2006.
See http://www.endicottarts.com for more info.
*James Rado has given his blessing to an updating of the musical's script to place it in the context of the 2003 Gulf War instead of the Vietnam War. The new show is due to open at the Gate Theatre, London in September 2005. ''UPDATE: As of 10/28/05, Rado no longer supports said updating despite excellent reviews and a sell out run at the Gate. It is unknown why.''
* Original producer Michael Butler is helping New York City's LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts launch a production of ''Hair'' December 8-11, 2005 and December 16-17, 2005. See the LaGuardia website for details.
* The University of Vermont mounted a production of "Hair" at the Royall Tyler Theater from November 9-20, 2005. http://www.uvmtheatre.org/performances-hair.shtml
* West_Virginia_Wesleyan_College is performing "HAIR" at Atkinson Theater in Buckhannon,_West_Virginia from November 9-13, 2005. The show will feature: Jamie_Markel, Kati Coleman, Carrie Greenberg, Erin Wolford, AJ Spencer, David Green, and Taavon Gamble. Also, a special Interfaith 'Be-In' inspired by the Divine Hair-Mass in F lead by Junior Religion major Cody Sweet will be taking place on November_8, 2005. For more information: http://www.wvwc.edu
*Brown University is producing HAIR March 9-12 & 16-19, 2006 under the direction of Chris Bayes.
For more info check out: http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/Theatre/hair.htm
*Glendale College, in Glendale, CA is producing HAIR for three weekends in March, 2006 under the direction of Ken Gray. For more information go to http://www.glendale.cc.ca.us/theatre/
==Soundtrack Listing==
Original Off-Broadway Songlist (taken from the recent remastered CD):
*Ain't Got No
*I Got Life
*Air
*Going Down
*Hair
*Dead End
*Frank Mills
*Hare Krishna
*Where Do I Go?
*Electric Blues
*Easy to Be Hard
*Manchester
*White Boys
*Black Boys
*Walking in Space
*Aquarius
*Good Morning Starshine
*Exanaplanetooch (*)
*The Climax (*)
*Opening
*Red Blue and White
*Sentimental Ending (*)
Possible initial Broadway list (taken from ''Great Rock Musicals'' by Stanley Richards):
*Aquarius
*Introductions:
1. Manchester 2. Manhattan (*) 3. Colored Spade 4. Sodomy
*Ain't Got No
*I Got Life
*Air
*Initials
*Going Down
*Hair
*My Conviction
*Dead End
*Don't Put It Down
*Frank Mills
*Hare Krishna
*Where Do I Go
*Electric Blues
*Easy to Be Hard
*Manchester (reprise)
*White Boys
*Black Boys
*Walking in Space
*Prisoners in Niggertown
*Walking in Space (reprise)
*Good Morning, Starshine
*The Bed
*Exanaplanetooch (*)
*Climax (*)
*Sentimental Ending (*)
Broadway song list (taken from the recent remastered CD):
*Aquarius
*Donna
*Hashish
*Sodomy
*Colored Spade
*Manchester England
*I'm Black
*Ain't Got No
*I Believe in Love
*Ain't Got No Grass
*Air
*Initials (L.B.J)
*I Got Life
*Going Down
*Hair
*My Conviction
*Easy to Be Hard
*Don't Put It Down
*Frank Mills
*Be-In (Hare Krishna)
*Where Do I Go?
*Electric Blues
*Manchester England (Reprise)
*Black Boys
*White Boys
*Walking in Space
*Abie Baby
*Three-Five-Zero-Zero
*What a Piece of Work Is Man
*Good Morning Starshine
*The Bed
*The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)
Added in the 1995 revision:
*Hippie Life
(*) denotes songs eventually dropped from the Broadway show.
==See also==
* The movie ''Hair''
*Public_Theater
*Love._It_Comes_in_All_Colors, a 1970 US national advertising campaign using a song from ''Hair''.
* The title and lyrics of the song ''What a Piece of Work Is Man'' are from Hamlet (act 2 scene 2).
==References==
*Clive_Barnes. "Theatre: 'Hair'--It's Fresh and Frank." ''The New_York_Times.'' April_30, 1968. 40.
*As of 2005, four songs from 'Hair' were featured in ''The_Simpsons'': ''Aquarius'', ''Good Morning Starshine'', the title song and ''Easy to be Hard''. The songs were featured in this order.
==External links==
*Website on Hair from Michael Butler, the musical's original producer
*Fansite with a detailed history of the show
*Fansite with lyrics
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