CRANFORD—TheAmericanclassic rock-musical Hair, the final production of the 105th season at CDC Theatre, celebrates the sixties counterculture in all its barefoot, long-haired, bellbottomed, beaded and fringed glory.To an infectiously energetic rock beat, the show wows audiences with songs like “Aquarius,” “Good Morning, Starshine,” “Hair,” “I Got Life” and “Let The Sunshine In.”
Exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility and peace, Hair remains as relevant as ever as it examines what it means to be a young person in a changing world.
Considered controversial in 1968, with its rock music, hippies, nude scene, multiracial cast and anti-war irreverence, the show billed itself as “the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.”
Audiences didn’t quite know what to make of that. But they figured it out eventually. To appreciate how unexpected Hair was in 1968, consider what else was playing on Broadway the week it opened: Hello, Dolly!, Man of La Mancha, Funny Girl and Fiddler on the Roof. One of Fiddler’s signature numbers, of course, is an anthem about the importance of “Tradition.” This new musical questioned everything about tradition.
Up until Hair, Broadway’s idea of rock music had been the Elvis-like character in Bye Bye Birdie. Galt MacDermot’s music for Hair was much closer to the real thing. And the flower-power lyrics of James Rado and Jerome Ragni, like those from the second act’s “Three-Five-Zero-Zero,” didn’t sound like traditional showtunes either. This thoroughly American “Tribal Love-Rock Musical” soon became a hit all over the world making rock music something that theater was forced to reckon with. In shows like Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Dreamgirls and Rock of Ages the rock musical became a Broadway genre. Hair got there first.
The show will run weekends from May 3 through May 19. For the best selections and prices, visit cdctheatre.org for tickets.
