Posted on Apr 29, 2018
7
7
0
In a year marked by as much social and cultural upheaval as 1968, it was understandable that the New York Times review of a controversial musical newly arrived on Broadway would describe the show in political terms. “You probably don’t have to be a supporter of Eugene McCarthy to love it,” wrote critic Clive Barnes, “but I wouldn’t give it much chance among the adherents of Governor Reagan.” The show in question was Hair, the now-famous “tribal love-rock musical” that introduced the era-defining song “Aquarius” and gave New York theatergoers a full-frontal glimpse of the burgeoning 60s-counterculture esthetic. Hair premiered on Broadway on April 29, 1968.
Hair was not a brand-new show when it opened at the Biltmore Theater on this night in 1968. It began its run 40 blocks to the south, in the East Village, as the inaugural production of Joseph Papp’s Public Theater. Despite mediocre reviews, Hair was a big enough hit with audiences during its six-week run at the Public to win financial backing for a proposed move to Broadway. While this kind of move would later become more common, it was exceedingly rare for a musical at the time, and it was a particularly bold move for a musical with a nontraditional score. Hair, after all, was the first rock musical to make a play for mainstream success on the Great White Way. But the novelty of the show didn’t stop with its music or references to sex and drugs. Hair also featured a much-talked-about scene at the end of its first act in which the cast appeared completely nude on the dimly lit stage.
It turned out that these potentially shocking breaks from Broadway tradition turned didn’t turn off Broadway audiences at all. Hair quickly became not just a smash-hit show, but a genuine cultural phenomenon that spawned a million-selling original cast recording and a #1 song on the pop charts for the Fifth Dimension. Forty years after its initial downtown opening, Charles Isherwood, writing for the New York Times, placed Hair in its proper historical context: “For darker, knottier and more richly textured sonic experiences of the times, you turn to the Doors or Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell or Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin. Or all of them. For an escapist dose of the sweet sound of youth brimming with hope that the world is going to change tomorrow, you listen to Hair and let the sunshine in.”
Hair was not a brand-new show when it opened at the Biltmore Theater on this night in 1968. It began its run 40 blocks to the south, in the East Village, as the inaugural production of Joseph Papp’s Public Theater. Despite mediocre reviews, Hair was a big enough hit with audiences during its six-week run at the Public to win financial backing for a proposed move to Broadway. While this kind of move would later become more common, it was exceedingly rare for a musical at the time, and it was a particularly bold move for a musical with a nontraditional score. Hair, after all, was the first rock musical to make a play for mainstream success on the Great White Way. But the novelty of the show didn’t stop with its music or references to sex and drugs. Hair also featured a much-talked-about scene at the end of its first act in which the cast appeared completely nude on the dimly lit stage.
It turned out that these potentially shocking breaks from Broadway tradition turned didn’t turn off Broadway audiences at all. Hair quickly became not just a smash-hit show, but a genuine cultural phenomenon that spawned a million-selling original cast recording and a #1 song on the pop charts for the Fifth Dimension. Forty years after its initial downtown opening, Charles Isherwood, writing for the New York Times, placed Hair in its proper historical context: “For darker, knottier and more richly textured sonic experiences of the times, you turn to the Doors or Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell or Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin. Or all of them. For an escapist dose of the sweet sound of youth brimming with hope that the world is going to change tomorrow, you listen to Hair and let the sunshine in.”
Hair premieres on Broadway - Apr 29, 1968 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.comPosted in these groups: 
Music
Music
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
6
6
0
Hair - 1969 - "Let The Sun Shine In"
Extrait de la comédie musicale "Hair", version de 1969
Thank you TSgt Joe C. for reminding us that on April 29, 1968 the musical Hair premiered on Broadway
Background from nytimes.com/2018/04/29/theater/when-hair-opened-on-broadway-it-courted-controversy-from-the-start.html
"Less than a month after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and just a week before student protests in Paris kicked off, an anti-Vietnam War musical heralding the arrival of an era of freedom, rebellion and compassion introduced the Broadway set to the burgeoning counterculture.
After stints Off Broadway at the Public Theater and at the now-defunct Cheetah nightclub, “Hair” opened at the Biltmore Theater on April 29, 1968. It would run for more than four years, and during its time, Robert Kennedy would also fall to an assassin’s bullet, Charles de Gaulle would flee the Élysée Palace to avoid the ire of protesters and the Vietnam War would continue unabated.
The show, written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado with music by Galt MacDermot, follows Claude, a young man on the verge of being drafted, and the group of hippies of which he is a part. It courted controversy from the beginning.
The Times’s review of “Hair” as it appeared in the April 30, 1968, issue.
In his review from April 30, our critic Clive Barnes called it “the frankest show in town.” He wrote that letters from readers had prodded him to warn potential viewers what they could expect. “Spell out what is happening onstage,” he said he was asked.
Mr. Barnes found he was unable to comply fully. “Spell it out I cannot, for this remains a family newspaper,” he wrote. “However, a great many four-letter words, such as ‘love,’ are used very freely.”
Profanity would turn out to be among the least shocking features of “Hair.” Sexual politics, drugs and the treatment of the American flag are crucial elements of the show.
Mr. Barnes includes them in his warning: “Frequent references — frequent approving references — are made to the expanding benefits of drugs. Homosexuality is not frowned upon — one boy announces that is in love with Mick Jagger, in terms unusually frank. The American flag is not desecrated — that would be a federal offense, wouldn’t it? — but it is used in a manner that not everyone would call respectful.”
Nevertheless, he praised the show’s cast and attitude. “The show is the first Broadway musical in some time to have the authentic voice of today rather than the day before yesterday,” he wrote.
Just how many people appeared nude in “Hair” was “the subject of urgent dispute” among theatergoers during previews of the musical.
The show’s use of nudity, new for the Broadway production, would become one of its trademarks. The London premiere of the musical at the Shaftesbury Theater was delayed until Parliament abolished theater censorship in 1968 so that the production could include nudity and strong language.
New York audiences were warned about what they would see. On April 28, Marilyn Bender wrote an article about the show’s nudity in The Times. “The first act of the rock musical ends with several healthy young men facing front and center in the altogether. Just how many stark naked males there are and whether the girl hippies are equally unclothed has been the subject of urgent dispute among those who have been attending previews of ‘Hair’ during the last three weeks.”
Ms. Bender reported that the amount of nudity varied throughout the preview performances. Mr. Ragni told her, “Anybody who feels like it can take his clothes off. Everybody wants to now, even the stagehands. We turned them on.”
The nudity in “Hair” continues to push boundaries. In 2014, a production of the show in Los Angeles marked the first time full-frontal nudity was seen onstage at the Hollywood Bowl. And in 2017, a London production at The Vaults included a clothing-optional performance.
‘Hair’ and Its Cultural Relevance Today
Today, gay characters are routinely portrayed onstage, marijuana enjoys legal protection in some states and antiwar sentiment is less prevalent in the United States. Nudity, if not ubiquitous, appears onstage with some frequency. And bad language? It’s no big deal.
Though much has changed between 1968 and 2018, “Hair” continues to be relevant. Many of the cultural divides that began to express themselves in 1968 seem to still exist today. Flag burning, for example, remains a contentious issue.
Perhaps this is why “Hair” has continued to be produced so frequently. Since the first Broadway production closed in 1972, four subsequent Broadway revivals have been staged, the most recent at the St. James Theater in 2011.
Or maybe it’s just the music that drives its popularity. Mr. Barnes said in his review, “This is a happy show musically,” while also noting “Galt MacDermot’s music is merely pop-rock, with strong soothing overtones of Broadway melody.” Despite this somewhat lukewarm appraisal, Mr. Barnes wrote that the music “precisely serves its purpose, and its noisy and cheerful conservatism is just right for an audience that might wince at ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.’”
A cultural mismatch between the subjects of “Hair” and some of its audience was inevitable. “You probably don’t have to be a supporter of Eugene McCarthy to love it, but I wouldn’t give it much chance among adherents of Governor Reagan,” Mr. Barnes wrote.
Yet he also connected the show’s characters to an American archetype. “As long as Thoreau is a part of America’s heritage, others will respond to this musical that marches to a different drummer,” he wrote.
If longevity and popularity are anything to go by, that drummer beats on."
Hair - 1969 - "Let The Sun Shine In"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYDrgLRK_p4
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright Maj Marty Hogan PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
Background from nytimes.com/2018/04/29/theater/when-hair-opened-on-broadway-it-courted-controversy-from-the-start.html
"Less than a month after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and just a week before student protests in Paris kicked off, an anti-Vietnam War musical heralding the arrival of an era of freedom, rebellion and compassion introduced the Broadway set to the burgeoning counterculture.
After stints Off Broadway at the Public Theater and at the now-defunct Cheetah nightclub, “Hair” opened at the Biltmore Theater on April 29, 1968. It would run for more than four years, and during its time, Robert Kennedy would also fall to an assassin’s bullet, Charles de Gaulle would flee the Élysée Palace to avoid the ire of protesters and the Vietnam War would continue unabated.
The show, written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado with music by Galt MacDermot, follows Claude, a young man on the verge of being drafted, and the group of hippies of which he is a part. It courted controversy from the beginning.
The Times’s review of “Hair” as it appeared in the April 30, 1968, issue.
In his review from April 30, our critic Clive Barnes called it “the frankest show in town.” He wrote that letters from readers had prodded him to warn potential viewers what they could expect. “Spell out what is happening onstage,” he said he was asked.
Mr. Barnes found he was unable to comply fully. “Spell it out I cannot, for this remains a family newspaper,” he wrote. “However, a great many four-letter words, such as ‘love,’ are used very freely.”
Profanity would turn out to be among the least shocking features of “Hair.” Sexual politics, drugs and the treatment of the American flag are crucial elements of the show.
Mr. Barnes includes them in his warning: “Frequent references — frequent approving references — are made to the expanding benefits of drugs. Homosexuality is not frowned upon — one boy announces that is in love with Mick Jagger, in terms unusually frank. The American flag is not desecrated — that would be a federal offense, wouldn’t it? — but it is used in a manner that not everyone would call respectful.”
Nevertheless, he praised the show’s cast and attitude. “The show is the first Broadway musical in some time to have the authentic voice of today rather than the day before yesterday,” he wrote.
Just how many people appeared nude in “Hair” was “the subject of urgent dispute” among theatergoers during previews of the musical.
The show’s use of nudity, new for the Broadway production, would become one of its trademarks. The London premiere of the musical at the Shaftesbury Theater was delayed until Parliament abolished theater censorship in 1968 so that the production could include nudity and strong language.
New York audiences were warned about what they would see. On April 28, Marilyn Bender wrote an article about the show’s nudity in The Times. “The first act of the rock musical ends with several healthy young men facing front and center in the altogether. Just how many stark naked males there are and whether the girl hippies are equally unclothed has been the subject of urgent dispute among those who have been attending previews of ‘Hair’ during the last three weeks.”
Ms. Bender reported that the amount of nudity varied throughout the preview performances. Mr. Ragni told her, “Anybody who feels like it can take his clothes off. Everybody wants to now, even the stagehands. We turned them on.”
The nudity in “Hair” continues to push boundaries. In 2014, a production of the show in Los Angeles marked the first time full-frontal nudity was seen onstage at the Hollywood Bowl. And in 2017, a London production at The Vaults included a clothing-optional performance.
‘Hair’ and Its Cultural Relevance Today
Today, gay characters are routinely portrayed onstage, marijuana enjoys legal protection in some states and antiwar sentiment is less prevalent in the United States. Nudity, if not ubiquitous, appears onstage with some frequency. And bad language? It’s no big deal.
Though much has changed between 1968 and 2018, “Hair” continues to be relevant. Many of the cultural divides that began to express themselves in 1968 seem to still exist today. Flag burning, for example, remains a contentious issue.
Perhaps this is why “Hair” has continued to be produced so frequently. Since the first Broadway production closed in 1972, four subsequent Broadway revivals have been staged, the most recent at the St. James Theater in 2011.
Or maybe it’s just the music that drives its popularity. Mr. Barnes said in his review, “This is a happy show musically,” while also noting “Galt MacDermot’s music is merely pop-rock, with strong soothing overtones of Broadway melody.” Despite this somewhat lukewarm appraisal, Mr. Barnes wrote that the music “precisely serves its purpose, and its noisy and cheerful conservatism is just right for an audience that might wince at ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.’”
A cultural mismatch between the subjects of “Hair” and some of its audience was inevitable. “You probably don’t have to be a supporter of Eugene McCarthy to love it, but I wouldn’t give it much chance among adherents of Governor Reagan,” Mr. Barnes wrote.
Yet he also connected the show’s characters to an American archetype. “As long as Thoreau is a part of America’s heritage, others will respond to this musical that marches to a different drummer,” he wrote.
If longevity and popularity are anything to go by, that drummer beats on."
Hair - 1969 - "Let The Sun Shine In"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYDrgLRK_p4
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright Maj Marty Hogan PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
(6)
(0)
5
5
0
best part of the hippie musical Hair
People were shocked by the show. Great songs.
https://youtu.be/7dyl0j3WU6Y
LTC Stephen F. TSgt Joe C. Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Sgt Randy Wilber CPL Dave Hoover CPT Jack Durish CW5 Jack Cardwell SGT Mark Halmrast SP5 Mark Kuzinski LTC Jeff Shearer Sgt Kelli Mays SGT (Join to see) MSG Dan Walther
https://youtu.be/7dyl0j3WU6Y
LTC Stephen F. TSgt Joe C. Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Sgt Randy Wilber CPL Dave Hoover CPT Jack Durish CW5 Jack Cardwell SGT Mark Halmrast SP5 Mark Kuzinski LTC Jeff Shearer Sgt Kelli Mays SGT (Join to see) MSG Dan Walther
(5)
(0)
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
And for those not totally freaked out by this, a couple years later Jesus Christ Superstar came out. Another great song play. Recently saw the John Legend update/remake, still one of the great rock opera musicals.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
SGT Brian Nile SGT Robert George SFC Shirley Whitfield MSG Mark Million Christine C Cullinan COL Lee Flemming SFC George Smith SrA Christopher Wright LTC (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell PO1 Tony Holland SGT (Join to see) Alan K. SPC Mike Lake SFC Anthony Beck Sgt Trevor Barrett LTC Greg Henning
(2)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google