Taking A Walk Down Memory Lane With Hair On Broadway - Something's Never Go Out Of Style

By Author: Al Terry
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It's back with a bang, and if you haven't seen Hair on Broadway yet then you can now! Though you might have to brave hundreds of fellow New Yorkers standing in queue from the early hours of the morning, it's completely worth it. This revival directed by Diane Paulus is backed by a spectacularly talented creative team that includes Karole Armitage for choreography, Scott Pask for sets and Kevin Adams for lighting. The roles of Dionne, Crissy and Claude are played by Sasha Allen, Allison Case and Gavin Creel respectively, who are also joined by other rising talent from the NY theatre scene. And though you might feel that Hair would be less relevant today than the time of its premiere in 1967, Paulus's offering is a rediscovery of sorts. While she doesn't reinvent the story, she does go deeper into the characters and focuses attention on the individuals within the group. So rather than a motley group of rag tag, revolutionary characters, you get to see people of today.

The audience first got to see Hair on Broadway in 1968 with a very successful run of 1,750 performances. Written by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, it is partly ...
... autobiographical and partly based on the general mood and expressions of the youth of America in the sixties. The writers drew inspiration from youth trying to escape the draft, kids who dropped out of school and grew their hair long as a sign of rebellion against the establishment. The ‘tribe' as they are called in the musical is a group of political activists/hippies who struggle to manage their lives and relationships in spite of possible expulsion from society. But in the end no matter how much you express your rebellion, the truth can only be told when you do the action you speak about.

Hair on Broadway in the 1960's was a mirror of what the youth out in the streets were facing. And that's the main reason why it was such a big hit. But to see it so popular even today in 2009 might come as a surprise to some. Most of the issues the musical talks about have now been resolved or have become obsolete. Growing your hair long and dropping out of school to follow a career of your choice is now seen as fashionable. Forcible recruitment into the army is no longer in existence, and even discussing its possibility is not relevant or necessary. The only possible reason why Hair on Broadway will never go out of fashion is that as we evolve into world citizens, there are parts of history that are important to remember. That being an African American in the 1960's was considered to be a stroke of bad luck, but today that very same person is probably a distant relation of President Obama. Nudity and sex are no longer as controversial as they were and are now seen as expressions of art that have almost become commonplace.

So while watching Hair on Broadway might seem like a fun way to look back at America's short history, you might want to remember that it's just as popular as it was in 1968 and probably will always be. And that's why you need to make sure that you have your tickets booked in advance. Now this no longer needs to be done via the cumbersome standing-in-long-queues method. All you need to do now is to visit one of the websites that allow you to book tickets online. Depending on the one you select, the tickets will either be delivered to your doorstep or picked up at the venue itself before the show. So go ahead and confirm your seats from the comfort of your home. You're definitely not going to regret taking this groovy walk down memory lane.
Al enjoys to write online entertainment reviews which include Tips For Getting Hair On Broadway Tickets for fans. His site includes up to date information and reviews on all concert events plus resources for Hair on Broadway tickets for any show.