Hair
Hair
Bwayfan4
Broadway Star Joined: 10/11/06
#2re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 11:24amJust curious...why are you changing all of your posts? Updated On: 5/4/08 at 11:24 AM
#2re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 11:26amhehe hehe sorry i thought i did but got the boards mixed up... i fixed it!!!
omg for the love of Jeff Bowen shut up about freakin jesus!!!!
KrissySim
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/08
#3re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 5:21pmI know I'm an outsider, but isn't Hair dated?
#4re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 5:57pmHair is coming with Jonathan Groff for a few days In July. I am pretty sure.
#5re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 5:59pmA 12 year old is such a reliable source!
He's a faker, and you've been taken in by his con. And in doing so, you are enabling him. He is doing more damage to aspergers than papa's words ever could. -Chane/Liverpool on me having asperger syndrome.
MrsVampyre
Stand-by Joined: 8/26/06
#6re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:22pm
Hair is very dated, and very much a period piece. It orginally came out in the late sixties. The story line would have to be updated. Remember, in the end, the main character gets' drafted anyway.
The play would have limited appeal (baby boomers) for today's audiences.. that didn't grow up with the draft, or the Vietman War.
The run would have to be limited, and even then, recouping the costs would be difficult.
#7re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:32pm
You're reminding me of people you hear at the movies asking questions every ten seconds, "Who is that? Why is that guy walking down the street? Who's that lady coming up to him? Uh-oh, why did that car go by? Why is it so dark in this theater?" - FindingNamo on strummergirl
"If artists were machines, then I'm just a different kind of machine...I'd probably be a toaster. Actually, I'd be a toaster oven because they're more versatile. And I like making grilled cheese" -Regina Spektor
"That's, like, twelve shows! ...Or seven." -Crazy SA Fangirl
"They say that just being relaxed is the most important thing [in acting]. I take that to another level, I think kinda like yawning and...like being partially asleep onstage is also good, but whatever." - Sherie Rene Scott
"If artists were machines, then I'm just a different kind of machine...I'd probably be a toaster. Actually, I'd be a toaster oven because they're more versatile. And I like making grilled cheese" -Regina Spektor
"That's, like, twelve shows! ...Or seven." -Crazy SA Fangirl
"They say that just being relaxed is the most important thing [in acting]. I take that to another level, I think kinda like yawning and...like being partially asleep onstage is also good, but whatever." - Sherie Rene Scott
MrsVampyre
Stand-by Joined: 8/26/06
#9re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:46pm
The music is great, and the play was wildly sucessful when it first ran. But past attempts to revive the play, and do readings didn't do well at all.
Just courious, but why do you think the play will do well if it was revived??
#10re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 6:52pmI don't know if it will do well, but if there is any show that could speak to the younger generation in the time of an unpopular war, it would be Hair. It all depends if the younger generation cares or is willing to listen.
MrsVampyre
Stand-by Joined: 8/26/06
#11re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 7:00pmGood point! But, as the play is dated, would the younger generation connect with the play? If the play were updated to more modern times, and takes into account terrorism, and the current war, it would have potential.
#12re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 7:04pmWell, I think if the audience is knowledgeable then it might be pretty easy to draw the connections from ‘68 to now (with some interesting concepts in staging and production values). But, yes, it would be interesting if someone could update the text.
SDav 10495
Broadway Star Joined: 7/21/06
#13re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 7:05pm
I don't know if it will do well, but if there is any show that could speak to the younger generation in the time of an unpopular war, it would be Hair. It all depends if the younger generation cares or is willing to listen.
Exactly. The idea that younger audiences need everything to be updated to their era is a bit condescending...the children of the baby boomers are perfectly capable of understanding that Hair is a product of its era, even if they weren't around to understand the time period firsthand. If anything, I think the productions that attempt to bring Hair into the present day have been the least successful and least resonant (an "official" updated version, with references to Iraq written in by James Rado, was apparently a failure, and a recent modern interpretation at NYU was considered interesting overall but didn't seem to connect with too many people). Leave the show the way it is...younger audiences will make the connections themselves.
We shall see how today's audiences react to a high-profile revival of Hair this summer, one that by all accounts looks like it will remain faithful to the time period. The baby boomers will be out in force, sure, but I have a feeling we'll see a lot of "boomlets" flocking to Central Park, too (and not just for Jonathan Groff). I know I'll be one.
"If there is going to be a restoration fee, there should also be a Renaissance fee, a Middle Ages fee and a Dark Ages fee. Someone must have men in the back room making up names, euphemisms for profit."
(Emanuel Azenberg)
Updated On: 5/4/08 at 07:05 PM
MrsVampyre
Stand-by Joined: 8/26/06
#14re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 7:15pm
You make a good point as well.
Hair is a great play, and the music is terrific. Hopefully, the revival that is set for Central Park will get the audience it deserves. I'll be there as well! I want to see how they would do the staging in the park.
Another play, although a drama that could stand with a revival that talks about war is "Johnny Got His Gun", or even Stalag 17, which takes place in a WW2 POW camp in Germany.
But Hair would have the best chance of any of these plays to make a connection across all generations.
#15re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 7:55pm
true... from playbill
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110920.html
MrsVampyre
Stand-by Joined: 8/26/06
#16re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 8:10pm
Thanks for the link!! I printed the article so I could mark off when the show is running.
I actually met Johnathan Groff at a charity event, but didn't make the connection... (that day was very hecktic for me). He's very nice, and I am totally looking forward to seeing him in the show, and how they handle the production.
SDav 10495
Broadway Star Joined: 7/21/06
#17re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 8:59pm
That link is outdated...it refers to the three-night concert they did this past September. This is a more recent article mentioning the summer 2008 production:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/116193.html
It is playing from July 22nd to August 17th.
Something I noticed--Karen Olivo played Sheila in the September concert, but she is left out of the cast list this time around (obviously because of her commitment to In the Heights). No mention is made of her part. Does anyone know if they've found a Sheila since the article was published?
"If there is going to be a restoration fee, there should also be a Renaissance fee, a Middle Ages fee and a Dark Ages fee. Someone must have men in the back room making up names, euphemisms for profit."
(Emanuel Azenberg)
#18re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 9:24pmThere was a casting notice posted on playbill about a week ago.
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
YourLilAssassin
Understudy Joined: 3/3/06
#19re: I think my fingers going to fall off
Posted: 5/4/08 at 10:51pmThey had EPAs on Friday and there is an ECC tomorrow, and according to the equity notices, they were looking for a Sheila still along with a few more tribe members as well, I believe.
KrissySim
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/08
#20Will HAIR be relevant today? (Just thoughts)
Posted: 5/5/08 at 4:50am
Aren't young adults today more likely to join the military service as a means of getting an education and getting a start on a career outside of the military? The current war is unpopular, but America isn't split as it was in the '60's (or is it?). Todays troops go to war, even if unpopular, because they see it as being their training and duty. Certainly there aren't the massive protests and demonstrations as there were in the 60's.
Wasn't the original Hair a part of a cultural movement in itself? A revival places it in a totally different context. Anyone have any thoughts or feelings about this?
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#21Will HAIR be relevant today? (Just thoughts)
Posted: 5/5/08 at 7:06am
I think the country is getting closer and closer to the same sentiments as VietNam. BUT...the big difference has always been: NOW when we express our dissent, we always want the service men and women to know that we support THEM and we just want to bring them home. THEN, if you were against the war you were against them as well.
BUT...I think the messages of Hair are still relevant...because it's also about friendship, love and dedication.
That being said: I think Hair in the park this summer is going to get a lot of recognition...they are gathering an amazing cast, and like it or not: Groff has gotten an amazing fan base. That alone will keep the numbers hight. Besides: people love FREE professional theater. They might be able to bring gads of folks to Central Park to see The Pirate Queen if it were free. (Maybe not.)
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#22Will HAIR be relevant today? (Just thoughts)
Posted: 5/10/08 at 5:01pm
I don't think it's dated.
I think it's a period piece, and of course it would not be nearly as controvertial now than it was when it came out.
I think, however, updating it would be a horrendous idea. People just aren't the same. It's set in the 60s and should be set there. The beauty of not updating it would be having people recognize the similiarites on their own.
<-- Gwen Stewart, SOLoist at the last show of RENT
Cages or wings? Which do you prefer? Ask the birds. Fear or love, baby? Don't say the answer Actions speak louder than words. (Tick, Tick... BOOM!)
Cages or wings? Which do you prefer? Ask the birds. Fear or love, baby? Don't say the answer Actions speak louder than words. (Tick, Tick... BOOM!)
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