HAiR: The Intellectual Conversation Thread

Consider this a place where the social, cultural, and political impact of HAiR can be discussed without competing with the newest picture of Gavin Creel's dog for attention.

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Updated On: 8/24/09 at 12:43 AM

Namo will be thrilled.

oh my god, there are HAIR fans who actually like talking about things rather than the cast getting naked, and the fun songs you get to dance too??

I am so glad, I have found you all. Lets begin.

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HAIR can be discussed without competing with the newest picture of Gavin Creel's dog for attention.

Ouch!

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Hey everybody! since this is the intellectual thread i figured this is the best place to post this:

I saw hair the other day and while I loved it, I was confused alot.
Some of the things going on just didn't seem necessary to the plot [like frank mills and claude's trip] maybe somebody can explain it to me a little better?

Mmmm, I wonder if Gavin Creel uses shampoo to wash his dog's hair.

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Well, Hair is kind of notorious for not having much of a plot. The other day at the Barnes and Noble event, Rado and MacDermot were talking about how they don't really see it as a book musical, and explained that there was a lot more book that got chipped away as they streamlined the show. But yeah, a lot of it is kind of random and out there, because while it has a definitive storyline, it does have a pretty loose plot. Though I actually think Claude's trip is one of the big plot-driving sequences in the show because it's a picture of everything that's going on in his mind. You really see what he's afraid of.

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Updated On: 8/24/09 at 01:16 AM

I was front row for the B&N event and didn't understand that untill I saw the show later that night haha

and thanks for clearing it up a bit for me
I thought I was just seriously missing the point and being slow haha

Yes, Hair is driven by the music instead of by the plot. I used to think Hair wouldn't really work in today's theatre because it was more of a revue than the plot-driven musicals that have become the norm. I couldn't see audiences reacting well after 40 years of being steered away from it. I'm still not sure if people can accept a show in this style, or are just tolerating it because it's HAIR.


Growing up, my parents loved Hair, even if it stood for everything they didn't. They had the original cast LP, as well as The 5th Dimension and Oliver's covers on 45s. They managed to separate the show from the image of the hippies they remembered (they were a bit too young and came of age in the reactionary 70s), into whimsical characters with punchlines. It would be like Rudy Giuliani singing along to Christmas Bells at Rent with the homeless junkies.

It's a fascinating era, and this production is really trying to capture some of that feeling. I wish it were a bit more free-flowing and less rehearsed, but I suppose that's an unattainable goal in theatre.

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Updated On: 8/24/09 at 01:39 AM

I feel that HAIR is more of a theatrical experience, where the audience has joined the tribe for a night, and things just happen to transpire while the audience is there. This is one reason why audiences are connecting to this production so well...that, and the actors are doing such a fantastic job of creating a reality. When I saw the show, I felt like the tribe (meaning, the CHARACTERS) had become good friends of mine. I'm sure many others have felt the same way.

I laughed, I cried, I smiled, and I jumped to my feet at the end. I'll never forget the thrill of dancing on that stage and turning to look at an SRO crowd on its feet, dancing and singing together...feeling connected in such a sincere and honest way with over 1,000 people all the way to the last row of the Mezzanine.

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^So does my son, but he's 8. But he listens to both...actually he listens to the off b'way recording once in a while as well.


I know -- some of you think I'm nuts for letting an 8 year old listen to it: but he loves it -- even if he has no idea what he's listening to. He refers to "Sodomy" as the "relaxing song." Really.

I don't really have a preference, I rotate which I chose to listen to.

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This might end being a very short thread.

Maybe it really is all about the music, the experience, the nudity....oh and the dog.

Thats what happens to all the 'love' threads.


Mel --- that's not uncommon. Even the original production of 1776 could boast that. Or many movies/tv shows/plays/musicals that are historic.

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