Hair the Musical

[SNAFU]

This show is brilliant. Yes, it lacks a strong book.I will agree. Milos Foreman's movie was the first experience I had with it other them the OBC recording I grew up with. Never saw the play. I loved the movie! Then I saw the recent Paulus revival.
The show I realized is like a watercolor. Character songs being carefully laid over period related philosophical and sociological tribal songs, gives you a strong sense of a time and place. Foreman's forced book and reimagined relationships, now seemed forced and distracting.
I have been meaning to revisit the movie.

[CarlosAlberto]

Ragni and Rado hated the film version of HAIR stating, "The film version of Hair has not been made yet"

I don't think a better film version of the musical could be made. Count me in as one who absolutely loves the film version. That ending always, always gets me. It wasn't a box office success when it was released in 1979, *but* it did receive great reviews and Forman's new arrangements were top-of-the-line, so much so that they've been incorporated into stage productions over the years including Paulus' revival and the recent Hollywood Bowl concert.

The film's reputation has grown positively over the years. It's a classic.

[Musical Master]

It was indeed a critic darling when it was released and I love the film myself. If only NINE came as close to be really good.

[CarlosAlberto]

Ewww...don't get me started on NINE. One of the most beautiful pieces of music from that show and it's murdered by one Nicole Kidman. UNFORGIVABLE!!!

[Musical Master]

I agree, Nicole was all sorts of wrong for Claudia, heck Anne Hathaway audition to play the role. Can you imagine "Unusual Way" being much better with Anne's singing?

[FindingNamo]

"It was indeed a critic darling when it was released…"

HAIR? The HAIR movie? Not it wasn't. The critics who liked it took great pains to express their decidedly mixed feelings about it. Where did you get the idea it was otherwise? I know you're far far far too young to even have been alive when the movie was released.

[Musical Master]

Namo, did you read Carlos' post that I replied to?

[EricMontreal22]

"I know this is heresy, but I prefer Forman's film. I think it makes the same points through characters one can actually care about. "

I would argue that that is no longer true. Countless times now I have read people who say they prefer the movie... (I do too.)

[CarlosAlberto]

The HAIR movie did in fact receive favorable reviews from the critics.

Roger Ebert gave it his thumbs up in 1979:
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hair-1979

New York Times Review by Vincent Canby is positive as well:
http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173BBE2CA7494CC3B679958C6896

Time Magazine's Frank Rich also gave it a positive review: (you have to subscribe to read the full review but the first paragraph says it all:
http://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,947038,00.html

From what I've researched the majority walked in thinking it would come off a relic and not work on the screen at all and were pleasantly surprised at what was achieved.

[Musical Master]

As I have said, loved by critics and a good amount of audiences who did see it. But disliked by the original creators.

[Mr. Nowack]

The "Star Wars" of Movie Musicals was the head pull-quote???? I get the point they're trying to make but it seems so random.

[Musical Master]

It does seem to be a strange critic's quote, but I've seen more weirder quotes than that.

[darquegk]

I'll say this- the Diane Paulus version of the Hair script is much more streamlined and character focused than the versions before it. I'm not sure why it's not the current licensed script. More character development and less bizarre sketch-comedy-like digressions (the "Claude makes a movie with his friends" scene has always stuck out a bit).

[Musical Master]

Didn't the Paulus revival restored the "We're fighting a war" scene?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

"...use atomic weapons and win it for Crissake"? Yeah. But basically that line was restored to a scene that already existed.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

I'll say this- the Diane Paulus version of the Hair script is much more streamlined and character focused than the versions before it. I'm not sure why it's not the current licensed script.

Maybe because it's since seen additional work. "Dead End" and "Exanaplanetooch" have been restored as of the recent actor/musician tour that kind of happened on the D.L. and then disappeared, and the American Theater Company run in Chicago saw even more restorative work done. I feel the ATC version may be the best of this new trend of revision.