Arts & Ammo

Hair - Plus 40

Forty years ago today, the musical Hair opened on Broadway.

It was a phenomenon, to say the least, and became an artistic icon of its very peculiar and self-obsessed generation (of which I am one). Whatever opinions you hold of that generation, and whatever memories or fantasies you have about those times, it was a generation with its own music, and Hair was a major element in its repertoire.

I made a comment recently in another context that seems applicable here:

We could teach the history of the 20^th century through the pop music that gave voice, for better or worse, to every social whim and cultural upheaval. But young people today share music primarily in the technological sense. Music does not give them a common voice; they all have their individualized playlists.

Jim Rado maintains the official web site for Hair with lots of pictures, history, and some sound files.

HAIR was created as an original idea by Gerome Ragni (Jerry) and, myself, James Rado (Jim). We collaborated on the story, text, characters, dialogue and lyrics over the years 1965, 1966 and 1967. From the start, I envisioned that the score of HAIR would be something new for Broadway, a kind of pop rock/showtune hybrid. At first we had considerable difficulty, and we rejected several composers, until finally, in early 1967, we found the music for our lyrics. It was a case of love at first hearing. The composer was Galt MacDermot. It was more than a fulfillment of a dream. I would call it a clear illustration of a marriage made in heaven.

HAIR has played pretty much continuously ever since its opening at Broadway’s Biltmore Theatre on West 47^th Street in 1968, and it was translated into many languages and produced around the world, from Japan and Australia to South & Central America, from Europe to Israel. Once the initial popularity waned, it seemed for a spell that HAIR was not an especially viable commodity; there was a major slump of interest in it from around the mid 1970s into the early 80s, to my recollection. But then, in the mid-80s, a new interest arose which took hold and grew.

Visit the site and reminisce.

April 29th, 2008 Posted by Fitzroy | Music, Theater | no comments