About the work
Hair is a rock musical by Galt MacDermot (music) with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, premiered Off-Broadway in 1967 and on Broadway in 1968. As the "American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" it brought rock music and the hippie counterculture fully onto the stage for the first time.
Plot
A group of young hippies—the "tribe"—lives in late-1960s New York amid drugs, free love, political protest, and the constant threat of the Vietnam War. At its centre is Claude, who has received his draft notice and is torn between his ideals, his parents' pressure, and loyalty to the tribe. As his friends rise up against the war, Claude wrestles with the decision—with a tragic outcome.
Cultural significance
Hair revolutionised the musical and became the anthem of a generation; it openly addressed drugs, sexuality, racism, and draft resistance for the first time and featured a famous nude scene. Songs such as Aquarius, Let the Sunshine In, and Good Morning Starshine became worldwide hits. The work opened Broadway to rock and is regarded as a milestone of political musical theatre.