HAIR is an American rock musical written by Galt MacDermot, with James Rado and Gerome Ragni who wrote the lyrics and book. It has been an incredible success and worked its way into mainstream popularity with songs like Age of Aquarius. The musical debuted in New York at the Off Broadway theatre Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre, now simply known as the Public. It first performed there in October of 1967 before opening on Broadway the following year. It’s a major achievement to have a show produced Off Broadway, and even bigger to have it transfer to Broadway, but to create a show that becomes such a success as HAIR is certainly the stuff that dreams are made on. Tourists staying in a luxury New York USA hotel are frequently visiting the city to experience one of Broadway’s newest productions.
When the musical was first produced, audiences and sometimes critics alike were shocked by the show’s content and consequently, it was created something of a controversy and many people opposed it. There was a now infamous nude scene that many found objectionable, as well as its irreverence for the American flag, and its depiction of drug use and seeming glorification of the perceived lewd and lascivious hippie lifestyle. It was certainly a product of the 1960s and its social and sexual revolutionary aspects. Interestingly, somehow despite the initial controversy the show went on to achieve a few top ten popular hits and also changed the face of the American musical. It is often considered to be responsible for creating the genre of rock musical, which has become one of Broadway’s most favorite musical styles. A feature film adaptation of the musical was created in 1979, and a Broadway revival was produced earlier this year. The production, which opened in March won both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for best revival of a musical.
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