In 1968, when Tim Curry was only 22 years old, he landed his first major acting gig, performing at the Shaftesbury theater in London. He played the role of Woof and was part of the ensemble in a production of "Hair," the popular counterculture "hippie" musical Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and Galt MacDermot. Woof was the role played by Don Dacus in Miloš Forman's celebrated 1979 film adaptation. Prior to this, Curry studied acting in college, and had sung in choirs as a boy. It seems Curry had no screenplay-ready moments of catharsis or quirky episodes of serendipity when wanting to become an actor; he wasn't plucked from a construction job by a producer. He wanted to act, he got educated, and he got acting jobs. Sometimes, we merely achieve what we set out to do.
It was on the set of "Hair" that Curry would meet one Richard O'Brien, a stunt performer for feature films,...
It was on the set of "Hair" that Curry would meet one Richard O'Brien, a stunt performer for feature films,...
- 3/5/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
James Rado, co-creator of the groundbreaking hippie musical Hair, which celebrated protest, pot and free love and paved the way for the sound of rock on Broadway, has died. He was 90.
Rado died Tuesday night in New York City of cardio respiratory arrest, according to friend and publicist Merle Frimark.
Hair, which has a story and lyrics by Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot, was the first rock musical on Broadway, the first Broadway show to feature full nudity and the first to feature a same-sex kiss.
Hair made possible other rock musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar and Rent. Like Hamilton, it was one of only a handful of Broadway shows in the past few decades to find its songs on the pop charts.
The so-called “American tribal love-rock musical,” had its world premiere at the Public Theater in New...
James Rado, co-creator of the groundbreaking hippie musical Hair, which celebrated protest, pot and free love and paved the way for the sound of rock on Broadway, has died. He was 90.
Rado died Tuesday night in New York City of cardio respiratory arrest, according to friend and publicist Merle Frimark.
Hair, which has a story and lyrics by Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot, was the first rock musical on Broadway, the first Broadway show to feature full nudity and the first to feature a same-sex kiss.
Hair made possible other rock musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar and Rent. Like Hamilton, it was one of only a handful of Broadway shows in the past few decades to find its songs on the pop charts.
The so-called “American tribal love-rock musical,” had its world premiere at the Public Theater in New...
- 6/22/2022
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James Rado, who along with his friend and writing partner Gerome Ragni created Broadway’s seminal Age of Aquarius musical Hair, died peacefully Tuesday evening of cardio respiratory arrest in New York City, surrounded by family. He was 90.
His death was announced by his longtime friend, publicist Merle Frimark.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Rado and Ragni, who died in 1991, wrote the book and lyrics to the landmark musical (full title: Hair – The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical), with music composed by Galt MacDermot, who died in 2018. In addition to its hugely influential insertion of a ’60s counterculture sensibility into Broadway’s mainstream, the musical contributed a score of songs that would become radio hits (often in cover versions) and stage musical standards: “Aquarius,” “Let The Sunshine In,” “Hair,” “Ain’t Got No/I Got Life,” “Good Morning Starshine,” “Easy To Be Hard,” among others.
In addition to co-creating the musical,...
His death was announced by his longtime friend, publicist Merle Frimark.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Rado and Ragni, who died in 1991, wrote the book and lyrics to the landmark musical (full title: Hair – The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical), with music composed by Galt MacDermot, who died in 2018. In addition to its hugely influential insertion of a ’60s counterculture sensibility into Broadway’s mainstream, the musical contributed a score of songs that would become radio hits (often in cover versions) and stage musical standards: “Aquarius,” “Let The Sunshine In,” “Hair,” “Ain’t Got No/I Got Life,” “Good Morning Starshine,” “Easy To Be Hard,” among others.
In addition to co-creating the musical,...
- 6/22/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Rae Allen, the Tony-winning stage and screen veteran known for her role as nosy reporter Gloria Thorpe in “Damn Yankees” and as Quintina Blundetto on “The Sopranos,” died Wednesday, her rep Kyle Fritz confirmed to Variety. She was 95.
Born in Brooklyn as Rae Julia Theresa Abruzzo, Allen began her career on the stage after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947. Her first Broadway credit was in 1948, as an ensemble member in the George Abbott directed and written “Where’s Charley?” Over the next few years, Rae would continue to appear in Abbott’s various musicals, including “Call Me Madam” in 1950 and “The Pajama Game” in 1954, where she played the small role of Poopsie, a union activist at the factory the show is set in.
A year later, Rae reunited with Abbott and the composers and lyricists of “The Pajama Game,” Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, for “Damn Yankees.
Born in Brooklyn as Rae Julia Theresa Abruzzo, Allen began her career on the stage after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947. Her first Broadway credit was in 1948, as an ensemble member in the George Abbott directed and written “Where’s Charley?” Over the next few years, Rae would continue to appear in Abbott’s various musicals, including “Call Me Madam” in 1950 and “The Pajama Game” in 1954, where she played the small role of Poopsie, a union activist at the factory the show is set in.
A year later, Rae reunited with Abbott and the composers and lyricists of “The Pajama Game,” Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, for “Damn Yankees.
- 4/7/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
A line-up of nearly 30 stars – from Glenn Close, Patti LuPone, Darren Criss, Kelsey Grammar and David Alan Grier to Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Henry and Phillipa Soo – will perform title songs from more than 20 musicals for a special livestreamed musical event next month benefiting The Actors Fund.
The event, called Show of Titles, will feature title songs of Broadway musicals spanning nine decades, from “Lady Be Good” to “The Light in the Piazza.” In addition to the above-mentioned performers, the line-up includes Annaleigh Ashford, Len Cariou, Santino Fontana, Isabelle Huppert, Norm Lewis, Rob McClure, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Melba Moore, Jessie Mueller, Eva Noblezada, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Osnes, Steven Pasquale, Michael Rupert, Ernie Sabella, Lea Salonga, Will Swenson, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Uggams, Vanessa Williams and Patrick Wilson.
Making special appearances will be Broadway Inspirational Voices, Candice Bergen, Danny Burstein, Bryan Cranston, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, John Lithgow, Lindsay Mendez, Phylicia Rashad,...
The event, called Show of Titles, will feature title songs of Broadway musicals spanning nine decades, from “Lady Be Good” to “The Light in the Piazza.” In addition to the above-mentioned performers, the line-up includes Annaleigh Ashford, Len Cariou, Santino Fontana, Isabelle Huppert, Norm Lewis, Rob McClure, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Melba Moore, Jessie Mueller, Eva Noblezada, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Osnes, Steven Pasquale, Michael Rupert, Ernie Sabella, Lea Salonga, Will Swenson, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Uggams, Vanessa Williams and Patrick Wilson.
Making special appearances will be Broadway Inspirational Voices, Candice Bergen, Danny Burstein, Bryan Cranston, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, John Lithgow, Lindsay Mendez, Phylicia Rashad,...
- 5/17/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Bring back the Age of Aquarius! Olive Films returns with the company’s best Signature Edition ever. The show is an excellent choice for a special edition, as seen by the simply terrific interviews in its battery of added value featurettes. Top creative contributors have been tapped for some great memories. Rather than filming a simple adaptation, Milos Forman reinterprets the hit show, allowing Twyla Tharp’s choreographic genius to soak into most every scene — the result is a marvelous melding of theatrical and cinematic effects.
Hair
Blu-ray
Olive Signature
1979 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date June 30, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D’Angelo, Annie Golden, Dorsey Wright, Don Dacus, Cheryl Barnes, Richard Bright, Nicholas Ray.
Cinematography: Miroslav Ondricek
Film Editors: Lynzee Kingman, Stanley Warnow, Alan Heim
Music: Galt McDermott
Written by Michael Weller from the musical book by Gerome Ragni and James Rado
Produced by Michael Butler, Lester Persky...
Hair
Blu-ray
Olive Signature
1979 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date June 30, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D’Angelo, Annie Golden, Dorsey Wright, Don Dacus, Cheryl Barnes, Richard Bright, Nicholas Ray.
Cinematography: Miroslav Ondricek
Film Editors: Lynzee Kingman, Stanley Warnow, Alan Heim
Music: Galt McDermott
Written by Michael Weller from the musical book by Gerome Ragni and James Rado
Produced by Michael Butler, Lester Persky...
- 6/30/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Many filmmakers have taught me how to look at the world, but Agnès Varda is teaching me how to age. She died this week at the age of 90, leaving behind an example we should all strive to meet as we get on in years.
One of the legendary filmmakers who made up the Nouvelle Vague, France’s influential cinematic New Wave of the 1960s, she continually embraced life and a changing world, even after losing her beloved husband and fellow New Wave icon, Jacques Demy, in 1990. In the years when one might have expected her to grow more home-bound, perhaps venturing forth to publish a memoir or pick up the occasional award, she instead continued to plunge into the ever-changing technology of cinema.
As a filmmaker, she constantly experimented with digital cameras and editing, never afraid to step into the arena of the young and always open to completely upending...
One of the legendary filmmakers who made up the Nouvelle Vague, France’s influential cinematic New Wave of the 1960s, she continually embraced life and a changing world, even after losing her beloved husband and fellow New Wave icon, Jacques Demy, in 1990. In the years when one might have expected her to grow more home-bound, perhaps venturing forth to publish a memoir or pick up the occasional award, she instead continued to plunge into the ever-changing technology of cinema.
As a filmmaker, she constantly experimented with digital cameras and editing, never afraid to step into the arena of the young and always open to completely upending...
- 3/29/2019
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Galt MacDermot, who composed the hit Broadway musicals Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona, died Monday, a day before his 90th birthday. His death was confirmed to Playbill by his granddaughter, though a cause of death was not revealed.
After cutting records in the early part of the Sixties, including the Grammy-winning “African Waltz” for saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, the Montreal-born composer moved to New York. Upon meeting lyricists Gerome Ragni and James Rado, he began setting their writings to music and the trio eventually created Hair, which opened off-Broadway in...
After cutting records in the early part of the Sixties, including the Grammy-winning “African Waltz” for saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, the Montreal-born composer moved to New York. Upon meeting lyricists Gerome Ragni and James Rado, he began setting their writings to music and the trio eventually created Hair, which opened off-Broadway in...
- 12/17/2018
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
NBC's next live musical is 'Hair Live,' the original rock musical that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Stage directorDiane Paulus, the Tony Award-winning director of Broadway's 2009 Best Revival of the musical written by James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot will join Emmy Award-winningAlex Rudzinski, who will serve as live television director as he did for 'Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.' 'Hair Live' is set for broadcast on Sunday, May 19, 2019 before a live audience.Check out just-released promo art below...
- 11/19/2018
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Shortly before “Hair” opened at Broadway’s Biltmore Theater on April 29, 1968 — 50 years ago this month — Variety reported, “The musical is vehemently anti-establishment and pro-dissenting youth.” Before then, most plays, films and TV shows had avoided antiwar protests and the sexual revolution, or mentioned those topics as a way of reasserting middle-class values. Variety reported another radical aspect: The show “includes a scene of total nudity, with several men and femmes facing downstage.” Police raids and arrests were common with nude shows, though “New York City authorities have adopted a hands-off policy re sexually extreme legit fare,” Variety said. While “Hair” was safe in Gotham, it was vulnerable in other cities: In Mexico, the show was shut down after one performance and the cast album was banned in some countries.
The “American tribal love-rock musical,” as it was billed, was originally produced off-Broadway by the New York Shakespeare Festival, then moved to the Cheetah,...
The “American tribal love-rock musical,” as it was billed, was originally produced off-Broadway by the New York Shakespeare Festival, then moved to the Cheetah,...
- 4/13/2018
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Criterion Reflections is David Blakeslee’s ongoing project to watch all of the films included in the Criterion Collection in chronological order of their original release. Each episode features panel conversations and 1:1 interviews offering insights on movies that premiered in a particular season of a year in the past, which were destined to eventually bear the Criterion imprint. In this episode, David is joined by Jon Laubinger, Jordan Essoe and William Remmers to discuss four titles from the Summer of 1969: Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool, Alberto Isaac’s The Olympics in Mexico, Federico Fellini’s Fellini Satyricon, and Agnes Varda’s Lions Love (…and Lies).
Episode Time Markers Introduction: 0:00:00 – 0:06:31 Medium Cool: 0:06:32 – 0:53:26 The Olympics in Mexico: 0:53:27 – 1:28:29 Fellini Satyricon: 1:28:30 – 2:20:24 Lions Love (and Lies…): 2:20:25 – 3:19:15 Medium Cool (8/27/69)
Guest: Jon Laubinger
Criterion...
Episode Time Markers Introduction: 0:00:00 – 0:06:31 Medium Cool: 0:06:32 – 0:53:26 The Olympics in Mexico: 0:53:27 – 1:28:29 Fellini Satyricon: 1:28:30 – 2:20:24 Lions Love (and Lies…): 2:20:25 – 3:19:15 Medium Cool (8/27/69)
Guest: Jon Laubinger
Criterion...
- 11/9/2017
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Today in 2011, the return engagement of the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 67 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 7/13/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 2009, the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where it ran for 519 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 3/31/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 43: Agnès Varda in California.
About the films:
The legendary French filmmaker Agnès Varda, whose remarkable career began in the 1950s and has continued into the twenty-first century, produced some of her most provocative works in the United States. After temporarily relocating to California in the late sixties with her husband, Jacques Demy, Varda, inspired by the politics, youth culture, and sunshine of the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, created three works that use documentary and fiction in various ways. She returned a decade later, and made two other fascinating portraits of outsiderness. Her five revealing, entertaining California films, encompassing shorts and features, are collected in this set,...
About the films:
The legendary French filmmaker Agnès Varda, whose remarkable career began in the 1950s and has continued into the twenty-first century, produced some of her most provocative works in the United States. After temporarily relocating to California in the late sixties with her husband, Jacques Demy, Varda, inspired by the politics, youth culture, and sunshine of the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, created three works that use documentary and fiction in various ways. She returned a decade later, and made two other fascinating portraits of outsiderness. Her five revealing, entertaining California films, encompassing shorts and features, are collected in this set,...
- 9/21/2015
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
In the wake of the wild success of Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the idiosyncratic French filmmaker was lured by Hollywood move to southern California to produce what would become Model Shop. With his wife and fellow cinematic genius Agnès Varda in tow, they moved to Los Angeles in 1967 where Varda would dive headlong into a series of expressively free form personal projects that would be begin with an adventure North to Sausalito where she would meet a distant relative and the subject of her first film included in Criterion’s wonderful new Agnès Varda in California Eclipse set, Uncle Yanco.
Fitting right in line with the personal essay films that would become somewhat of a signature in her late period output with works like The Gleaners and I and The Beaches of Agnès, Uncle Yanco is an invigorating sun-kissed introduction to the progressive, hippy lifestyle that her...
Fitting right in line with the personal essay films that would become somewhat of a signature in her late period output with works like The Gleaners and I and The Beaches of Agnès, Uncle Yanco is an invigorating sun-kissed introduction to the progressive, hippy lifestyle that her...
- 8/18/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Today in 2011, the return engagement of the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 67 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 7/13/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 2009, the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where it ran for 519 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 3/31/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 2011, the return engagement of the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 67 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 7/13/2014
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Chicago – At intermission, I remarked to a fellow theater patron that the musical “Hair,” presented by the American Theater Company (Atc) of Chicago, still has a solid impact. His logical reply, “it’s hard to mess this one up.” The Atc does the classic hippie musical proud, with a raucous rendition.
Play Rating: 4.0/5.0
“Hair” is an American musical theater icon, filled with songs that have become embedded into the DNA of the culture. “Aquarius,” “Hair,” “Easy to Be Hard.” “Good Morning Starshine” and “Let the Sunshine In” all became hits on their own, and when integrated into the “happening” – as Atc likened to call their production – elicits a gut-wrenching power. The energetic cast takes the time trip back to 1968 with no irony, and deliver their flower power with a bit of extra bloom, which made their version that much more impressive – even overcoming some pacing issues. “Hair” is a celebration and a cautionary tale,...
Play Rating: 4.0/5.0
“Hair” is an American musical theater icon, filled with songs that have become embedded into the DNA of the culture. “Aquarius,” “Hair,” “Easy to Be Hard.” “Good Morning Starshine” and “Let the Sunshine In” all became hits on their own, and when integrated into the “happening” – as Atc likened to call their production – elicits a gut-wrenching power. The energetic cast takes the time trip back to 1968 with no irony, and deliver their flower power with a bit of extra bloom, which made their version that much more impressive – even overcoming some pacing issues. “Hair” is a celebration and a cautionary tale,...
- 6/3/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – At intermission, I remarked to a fellow theater patron that the musical “Hair,” presented by the American Theater Company (Atc) of Chicago, still has a solid impact. His logical reply, “it’s hard to mess this one up.” The Atc does the classic hippie musical proud, with a raucous rendition.
Play Rating: 4.0/5.0
“Hair” is an American musical theater icon, filled with songs that have become embedded into the DNA of the culture. “Aquarius,” “Hair,” “Easy to Be Hard.” “Good Morning Starshine” and “Let the Sunshine In” all became hits on their own, and when integrated into the “happening” – as Atc likened to call their production – elicits a gut-wrenching power. The energetic cast takes the time trip back to 1968 with no irony, and deliver their flower power with a bit of extra bloom, which made their version that much more impressive – even overcoming some pacing issues. “Hair” is a celebration and a cautionary tale,...
Play Rating: 4.0/5.0
“Hair” is an American musical theater icon, filled with songs that have become embedded into the DNA of the culture. “Aquarius,” “Hair,” “Easy to Be Hard.” “Good Morning Starshine” and “Let the Sunshine In” all became hits on their own, and when integrated into the “happening” – as Atc likened to call their production – elicits a gut-wrenching power. The energetic cast takes the time trip back to 1968 with no irony, and deliver their flower power with a bit of extra bloom, which made their version that much more impressive – even overcoming some pacing issues. “Hair” is a celebration and a cautionary tale,...
- 6/3/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Today in 2009, the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where it ran for 519 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 3/31/2014
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 2011, the return engagement of the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 67 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 7/13/2013
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 2009, the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where it ran for 519 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the 'tribe', a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the 'Age of Aquarius' living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 3/31/2013
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 2009, the second Broadway revival of Hair opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where it ran for 519 performances. Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. Hair tells the story of the tribe, a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the Age of Aquarius living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
- 3/31/2012
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
What's most remarkable about the latest revival of "Hair" that officially opened Wednesday, July 13, at the St. James Theatre, is what a great time the actors seem to be having.
That spirit is contagious. By the end, as everyone sings "Let the Sun Shine In," the audience is caught up in the giant love fest, and people rush the stage to groove with the dancers.
That's what it's meant to be. Still, don't let the good vibes mask that this is a musical with a serious message. Set in 1967, it's about a group of young adults in the midst of the seismic changes rocking the country. They're against the Vietnam War, for free love, and women and blacks are fighting for equality.
The musical, which does seem to open and revive itself with astounding frequency, was controversial when it opened in 1968. With song titles such as "Sodomy," actors simulating sex on stage,...
That spirit is contagious. By the end, as everyone sings "Let the Sun Shine In," the audience is caught up in the giant love fest, and people rush the stage to groove with the dancers.
That's what it's meant to be. Still, don't let the good vibes mask that this is a musical with a serious message. Set in 1967, it's about a group of young adults in the midst of the seismic changes rocking the country. They're against the Vietnam War, for free love, and women and blacks are fighting for equality.
The musical, which does seem to open and revive itself with astounding frequency, was controversial when it opened in 1968. With song titles such as "Sodomy," actors simulating sex on stage,...
- 7/14/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
There are those who love or are tolerant of the hippies, and those who cross the road at the slightest hint of their presence. Hair, the American rock musical that’s debuting in Delhi this weekend, places itself unapologetically on this psychosomatic divide. The musical, based on the politically-charged lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, opened in New York in 1967. It tells about ‘the tribe’ that engages with the anti-Vietnam protests of the time and the free love embraced by the flower power generation. “The tribe always does things together. It has a life of its own, it’s a ...
- 4/23/2010
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
The revival of Broadway's "Hair" is being sheared by charges its co-author James Rado has turned his back on the visionary who made the famed hippie musical a smash hit.
At an East Village memorial for Tom O'Horgan -- who directed the original 1968 production and died in January -- Ellen Stewart, founder of the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, drew wild applause as she claimed Rado, who wrote the book and lyrics with Gerome Ragni, has ignored O'Horgan in the latest incarnation.
"O'Horgan has had his name erased from history,...
At an East Village memorial for Tom O'Horgan -- who directed the original 1968 production and died in January -- Ellen Stewart, founder of the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, drew wild applause as she claimed Rado, who wrote the book and lyrics with Gerome Ragni, has ignored O'Horgan in the latest incarnation.
"O'Horgan has had his name erased from history,...
- 5/10/2009
- NYPost.com
Welsh singer Tom Jones will receive this year's the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award at the 2009 Songwriters Hall of Fame 40th Anniversary Awards. The event will be held June 18 at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel.
The veteran singer was chosen as the recipient due to his "exceptional staying power and accomplishments, along with his unique artistry," Songwriters Hall of Fame chairman/CEO Hal David said in a statement.
Since the mid-sixties, the septuagenarian has sold over 100 million records and his hits include "Thunderball," the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name; "Green Green Grass of Home," his highest-charting U.S. single, "She's A Lady;" "Delilah;" "Help Yourself;" and "A Boy From Nowhere," Billboard reports.
Inductees at this year's Songwriter Hall Of Fame Awards include Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora; Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati of The Young Rascals; Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Galt MacDermot,...
The veteran singer was chosen as the recipient due to his "exceptional staying power and accomplishments, along with his unique artistry," Songwriters Hall of Fame chairman/CEO Hal David said in a statement.
Since the mid-sixties, the septuagenarian has sold over 100 million records and his hits include "Thunderball," the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name; "Green Green Grass of Home," his highest-charting U.S. single, "She's A Lady;" "Delilah;" "Help Yourself;" and "A Boy From Nowhere," Billboard reports.
Inductees at this year's Songwriter Hall Of Fame Awards include Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora; Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati of The Young Rascals; Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Galt MacDermot,...
- 4/23/2009
- icelebz.com
Hair began preview performances on Friday, March 6th, and celebrated its official opening on night, Tuesday, March 31, 2009. After a smash-hit run at Central Park's Delacorte Theater last summer, Hair returns to Broadway for the first time in over 30 years. BroadwayWorld.com and Broadway Beat bring you highlights from the production and Opening Night interviews with the cast and creative team! The story of a group of young Americans searching for love and peace during the Vietnam era, Hair is a timeless portrait of a movement that changed the world. Its groundbreaking rock score paved the way for some of the greatest musicals of our time. Now, the "Age of Aquarius" dawns again in this jubilant new production directed by Diane Paulus, with choreography by Karole Armitage. Hair features a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and music by Galt MacDermot.
- 4/2/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Just over four decades since it first offered a message of peace, love, and freedom for a troubled era, Hair has returned to Broadway. The self-styled "American tribal love-rock musical," by James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot, will open March 31 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Director Diane Paulus has shepherded this revival through two previous incarnations -- a hugely popular three-month run as part of the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park program last summer and a 40th-anniversary celebratory concert, also presented in Central Park, for three nights in 2007 -- and for her, the key to success is casting.From the get-go, Paulus told the Public that for even a concert of Hair to work, she had to have the right cast, because so much of the show depends on the "being" of the actors. So she searched for performers who made her believe they cared about the material,...
- 3/30/2009
- by Gerard Raymond
- backstage.com
After playing a brainy, hormonal student defying the strict world of 1891 Germany in the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, actor Jonathan Groff is once again playing a rule-breaking youth. This time it's in the Public Theater's revival of Hair at the Delacorte Theater in New York's Central Park. Originally produced by the Public in 1967, the tuner, with book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot, was famously unconfined by sexual boundaries, a linear plot, or conventional hairstyles.As Claude, a Vietnam War draftee, Groff sprints through the audience, climbs railings, rolls on the ground, and sings with the ensemble in just the first few moments of the show, then remains on stage for much of the night. "It feels like organized chaos," he says. "You have to trust that if you flail your body, the other cast members will accommodate you."Groff also has a...
- 8/6/2008
- by Halley Bondy
- backstage.com
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