Table Of Content
She opens her coat to reveal that she's a man in drag. As the couple leaves, the tribe calls her Margaret Mead.
Aquarius
Interacting with the audience, he introduces himself as a "psychedelic teddy bear" and reveals that he is "looking for my Donna" ("Donna"). The tribe moves in front of Claude as Sheila and Dionne take up the lyric. The whole tribe launches into "Let the Sun Shine In", and as they exit, they reveal Claude lying down center stage on a black cloth. During the curtain call, the tribe reprises "Let the Sun Shine In" and brings audience members up on stage to dance.
Original Broadway Cast of Hair
After a black-out, the tribe enters worshiping in an attempt to summon Claude ("Oh Great God of Power"). Claude gives Woof a Mick Jagger poster, and Woof is excited about the gift, as he has said he's hung up on Jagger. Three white women of the tribe tell why they like "Black Boys" ("black boys are delicious ..."), and three black women of the tribe, dressed like The Supremes, explain why they like "White Boys" ("white boys are so pretty ..."). This is the original Broadway cast recording of HAIR, a groundbreaking and controversial musical centered around the hippie counterculture in the 1960s.
White Boys by Lorrie Davis, Emmaretta Marks, & Melba Moore
The stage was raked, and a tower of abstract scaffolding upstage at the rear merged a Native American totem pole and a modern sculpture of a crucifix-shaped tree. This scaffolding was decorated with found objects that the cast had gathered from the streets of New York. One of the shows that defined the "rock musical," Hair garnered some serious controversy when it debuted off Broadway in 1967. It was unabashedly political, featured nudity, and made heavy use of profanity.
Easy to Be Hard
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. Claude, his good friend Berger, their roommate Sheila and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves and the sexual revolution, with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society. Ultimately, Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or to serve in Vietnam, compromising his pacifist principles and risking his life.
I’m Black by Lamont Washington, Steve Curry, Gerome Ragni, & James Rado
In the original Broadway production, the stage was completely open, with no curtain and the fly area and grid exposed to the audience. The proscenium arch was outlined with climb-ready scaffolding. Wagner's spare set was painted in shades of grey with street graffiti stenciled on the stage.
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Recordings
Hud, Woof and Berger declare what color they are ("I'm Black"), while Claude says that he's "invisible". The tribe recites a list of things they lack ("Ain't Got No"). Four African-American tribe members recite street signs in symbolic sequence ("Dead End"). Everyone has heard some songs from Hair, the ones that went on to become hits in their own right. "Aquarius," "Let the Sunshine In," "Good Morning, Starshine," and the titular "Hair" are all well known counterculture ballads that captured the spirit of the '60s. But what about other - more controversial - songs on the Hair soundtrack listing?
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
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Sheila is carried onstage ("I Believe in Love") and leads the tribe in a protest chant. Jeanie, an eccentric young woman, appears wearing a gas mask, satirizing pollution ("Air"). Although she wishes it was Claude's baby, she was "knocked up by some crazy speed freak". The tribe link together LBJ (President Lyndon B. Johnson), FBI (the Federal Bureau of Investigation), CIA (the Central Intelligence Agency) and LSD ("Initials"). Six members of the tribe appear dressed as Claude's parents, berating him for his various transgressions – he does not have a job, and he collects "mountains of paper" clippings and notes. They say that they will not give him any more money, and "the army'll make a man out of you", presenting him with his draft notice.
He leaves as the tribe enters wrapped in blankets in the midst of a snow storm. They start a protest chant and then wonder where Claude has gone. Berger calls out "Claude! Claude!" Claude enters dressed in a military uniform, his hair short, but they do not see him because he is an invisible spirit. Two tribe members dressed as tourists come down the aisle to ask the tribe why they have such long hair. In answer, Claude and Berger lead the tribe in explaining the significance of their locks ("Hair"). The woman states that kids should "be free, no guilt" and should "do whatever you want, just so long as you don't hurt anyone." She observes that long hair is natural, like the "elegant plumage" of male birds ("My Conviction").
He pretends to burn his Vietnam War draft card, which Berger reveals as a library card. Claude sits center stage as the "tribe" mingles with the audience. Tribe members Sheila, a New York University student who is a determined political activist, and Berger, an irreverent free spirit, cut a lock of Claude's hair and burn it in a receptacle. After the tribe converges in slow-motion toward the stage, through the audience, they begin their celebration as children of the Age of Aquarius ("Aquarius").
Many songs demonstrated something beyond the basic peace and love virtues. "Hashish" sings of the heavy drug use at the time and "I'm Black" dealt directly with racial tensions. After the trip, Claude says "I can't take this moment to moment living on the streets. ... I know what I want to be ... invisible". As they "look at the Moon," Sheila and the others enjoy a light moment ("Good Morning Starshine"). The tribe pays tribute to an old mattress ("The Bed").
In defiance, Claude leads the tribe in celebrating their vitality ("I Got Life"). The tribe recites a list of pharmaceuticals, legal and illegal ("Hashish"). He declares himself "president of the United States of Love" ("Colored Spade"). In a fake English accent, Claude says that he is "the most beautiful beast in the forest" from "Manchester, England". A tribe member reminds him that he's really from Flushing, New York ("Manchester England").
It made it to Broadway by 1968 and became a sensation with the counterculture. Several songs were adopted by the anti-Vietnam War protesters, so you've probably heard some songs from the Hair soundtrack even if you've never seen the show. Here, you'll find all songs in Hair ranked by your votes.
After handing out imaginary pills to the tribe members, saying the pills are for high-profile people such as Richard Nixon, the Pope, and "Alabama Wallace", Berger relates how he was expelled from high school. Three tribe members dress up as principals in Hitler mustaches and swastika arm bands, mocking the American education system. Claude returns from his draft board physical, which he passed.
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