HAIR was written more than 50 years ago by Gerome Ragni, James Rado and Galt MacDermot and broke new ground in musical theatre by defining the genre of 'rock musical' as well as using a racially integrated cast and inviting the audience onstage to join in the a?oeBe-Ina?? finale. But at the time it opened off Broadway at the end of 1967, it seemed unlikely that HAIR would be relevant five decades later. A product of the hippie counter-culture, sexual revolution, and Vietnam War protests of the late 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-war movement, while its profanity, depiction of the use of illegal drugs, treatment of open sexuality, irreverence for the American flag, and full-frontal nude scene caused much comment and controversy at the time. Yet today it seems what was shocking has become so common place that even a few children were in the audience at the performance I attended.
BWW REVIEW: Guest Reviewer George Farmakidis Shares His Thoughts On HAIR
First recorded in 1969, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT with music and lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, finally opened Off-Broadway in November 1981 and then moved to The Great White Way in January 1982 where the production received six Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Book and Score. This ever-popular musical based on the a?oeCoat of Many Colorsa?? story from the Bible's Book of Genesis failed to win even one Tony, but has gone on to be one of the most popular, family-friendly stories with actors of all ages involved in the big-scale production performed around the world. Now being presented as the 40th production by The Aerospace Players, directed by John Woodcock and Angela Asch (who also choreographed the show), the dedicated (and all volunteer) cast features stand-out performances by many in the leading roles who make the story as fun to watch as it is entertaining.
Having seen the musical HAMILTON when it was in Los Angeles, like many others I learned more important details about the founding fathers while watching it than I felt I had ever learned in school. Lin-Manuel Miranda who created that uber-successful musical in 2015, has said that 1776 THE MUSICAL, written in 1969, during another time of political and social unrest in the United States, has 'one of the best books-if not the best-ever written for musical theatre.' And now I can say I certainly agree with him. In fact, The perfect way to prove the arts can teach valuable history lessons to its audiences is by encouraging everyone to see 1776 THE MUSICAL, presented by La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment with musical direction by Jeff Rizzo and impeccably directed & staged by Glenn Casale through Sunday, February 3, 2019 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts or at The Soraya at CSUN from Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10.
REPRISE 2.0 (led by Producing Artistic Director Marcia Seligson), in association with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television's Department of Theater (UCLA TFT) chaired by Brian Kite, presents its inaugural production of Sweet Charity. Directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall with musical direction by Gerald Sternbach, the classic Broadway hit plays through July 1 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Take a look at photos from the show's opening night below!
On Friday, June 30, The Sherman Playhouse will premiere its summer production of the rock musical Hair, with book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music byGalt MacDermot. The curtain rises at 8:00 p.m. for a five-week run.
On Friday, June 30, The Sherman Playhouse will premiere its summer production of the rock musical Hair, with book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. The curtain rises at 8:00 p.m. for a five-week run.
In Europe any day now and in Connecticut in June.
In Chicago last night (November 9), two-time Tony Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Andre De Shields was honored by The Theatre School at DePaul University with the 2015 Award for Excellence in the Arts. The 27th Annual Awards for Excellence in the Arts Gala, which also honored Broadway In Chicago President Lou Raizin and Theatre School alumna Karen Aldridge, was held in the Atlantic Ballroom of the Radisson Blue Aqua Hotel. Scroll down for photos!
Monday, January 23 was the Aquarius New Moon AND Chinese New Year (year of the Dragon) - it was also the 80th birthday of one of our national treasures - James Rado - co-author of the legendary musical HAIR. Rado celebrated this milestone at The Copacabana, with a crowd of over 125 - family and friends - including original Broadway HAIR cast members - Natalie Mosco, Marjorie LiPari, Robert I. Rubinsky (aka Bobby The Middle-Aged Celebrity); HAIR alumni including Heather MacRae, André De Shields, Ula Hedwig, Zora Rasmussen, Dale Soules. Other guests included Luther Creek (SPIDER-MAN, 25th Anniversary tour of HAIR, RENT) who performed excerpts from Rado's latest musical AMERICAN SOLDIER (written with brother Ted Rado) at the party along with Rosalind Brown, A.D. Coughlan, Ula Hedwig, Sean Jenness, Marjorie LiPari, Michael Lynch, Natalie Mosco, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Gordon Ramsey, Robert I. Rubinsky, Sam Underwood and Alex York.
The National Tour of HAIR debuted in Toronto on Wednesday night at the gorgeous Royal Alexandra Theatre, where it will play until New Year's Eve. On hand to celebrate the show's triumphant return to our city were many of the members of the original Canadian production of HAIR. BWW is thrilled to bring you these exclusive photos from the final 'curtain call' and the after-party, where the tribe from the sixties met the tribe from the new millennium.
The artists of New Line Theatre, 'The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre,' are very proud to announce the opening of the company's Twentieth Anniversary Season of provocative, adult, alternative musical theatre, with the hilarious Sexual Revolution jazz musical, I LOVE MY WIFE, running Sept. 30-October 23, 2010, at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School), 6501 Clayton Road, just east of Big Bend.
The Who's Tommy is a roof-raising musical explosion based on The Who's 1969 concept album. This exhilarating story of hope, healing and the human spirit is filled with iconic hit songs like 'Pinball Wizard,' 'See Me, Feel Me,' 'Acid Queen' and more.
Lovingly 'ripped-off' from the internationally famous comedy team's most popular motion picture, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Spamalot is the winner of three 2005 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director (Mike Nichols), as well as the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for Best Musical. This Broadway/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presentation will clip-clop its way into the San Diego Civic Theatre from September 8 - 13, 2009.
Taking Woodstock is coming to select cities on August 14th from Focus Features. The film had a New York City premiere on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on 143 East Houston Street (between Chrystie and Allen Streets). BroadwayWorld.com cameras were there as the stars arrived!
Summer 2009 at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre gets into full swing when 'Monty Python's Spamalot' opens Wednesday, July 8, 2009, at 8 p.m. The popular musical lovingly ripped-off from the internationally famous comedy team's most popular motion picture, 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,' will play for nine weeks only through September 6, 2009.
Jump-starting New York's Gay Pride weekend, some of the city's most talented dance, drag and theater performers recreated the scene that started it all - the Stonewall riots. In 1969, gays and lesbians fought back against the persecution of homosexuals, thereby igniting the yearly tradition of the Gay Pride march.
The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis will produce the world premiere of Jack O'Hara and Tim Brickley's The Zippers of Zoomerville, or 200 Laps and a Lass: a mini-mockeretta in the Frank & Katrina Basile Theatre at the Phoenix May 7 through June 6, 2009.
The hippies once again took over The Ed SullivanTheatre, that landmark of television history, when the new Broadway cast of HAIR made its national television debut with a performance on CBS' 'The Late Show With David Letterman' yesterday, Thursday, April 30th.
The Tony Award-winning Manhattan Theatre Club (Peter J. Solomon, Chairman of the Board; Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) dedicated its Broadway theatre the 'Samuel J. Friedman Theatre' on Thursday, September 4. The ceremony began at the theatre (261 West 47th Street at 8th Avenue) . MTC previously announced that it was renaming its Broadway home, until now known as the Biltmore Theatre, the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in recognition of the pioneering Broadway publicist.
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