Tribe Reunited! Jonathan Groff, Caissie Levy, Will Swenson & More Alumni Perform HAIR Again for Tonight's Public Theater Benefit

The Public Theater hosts a one-night-only 50th Anniversary benefit celebration of the legendary musical HAIR, which first premiered at The Public in 1967, tonight, October 25.

With book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, and music by Galt MacDermot, the anniversary evening will be directed by Diane Paulus, who directed the 2009 Tony Award-winning revival, with associate director Nancy Harrington and music direction by Nadia DiGiallonardo, the original music director of the Broadway revival. The show will feature original company members of the Free Shakespeare in the Park production and recent Tony Award-winning revival.

The company of the HAIR benefit performance includes Ato Blankson-Wood (Tribe), Steel Burkhardt (Tribe), Allison Case (Crissy), Lauren Elder (Tribe), Jonathan Groff (Claude), Anthony Hollock (Tribe), Kaitlin Kiyan (Tribe), Andrew Kober (Dad), Megan Lawrence (Mother), Caissie Levy (Sheila), Nicole Lewis (Tribe), John Moauro (Tribe), Darius Nichols (Hud), Brandon Pearson (Tribe), Megan Reinking (Tribe), Paris Remillard (Tribe), Bryce Ryness (Woof), Maya Sharpe (Tribe), Kacie Sheik (Jeanie), Will Swenson (Berger), and Tommar Wilson (Tribe).

After Free Shakespeare in the Park was firmly established in its permanent home at the Delacorte Theater in 1962, Joseph Papp turned his attention to expanding the theater's scope to produce contemporary writers alongside the great works of William Shakespeare. In October of 1967, Papp first opened the doors to The Public's downtown theatrical home on Astor Place with a revolutionary new musical, HAIR. Fifty years later, this one-night-only commemorative event will reunite The Public's Tony Award-winning revival company of HAIR for a concert version of songs and scenes from this ground-breaking show plus additional performances and tributes.

Tickets to The Public Theater's HAIR gala celebration start at $750 and are available for purchase by calling (212) 539-8537, online at www.publictheater.org/Support/Events/Hair-Benefit or via email at events@publictheater.org. The benefit will take place at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall (Time Warner Center, NY).

Proceeds from the gala will help support The Public's mission of providing a home for artists who give voice to the pressing issues of our time, provide affordable access to thousands of New Yorkers with Free Shakespeare in the Park and other groundbreaking works, and strengthen the vital relationship between our artists and audiences.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of HAIR, The Public Theater will be offering a limited number of $50 tickets for this event through a TodayTix lottery. TodayTix will begin taking entries for the lottery on October 13th and winners will be drawn on October 19th. For more information on how to enter, visit Todaytix.com.

The original production of HAIR first opened off-Broadway at The Public Theater at Astor Place on October 17, 1967, and transferred to Broadway where it officially opened on April 28, 1968, earning a Tony nomination for Best Musical and Best Director. The iconic American musical was revived by The Public Theater for a three month Free Shakespeare in the Park run at the Delacorte Theater in August, 2008, directed by Diane Paulus. The show then transferred to Broadway in 2009, earning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and later toured the U.S. and played the West End in London.

The world-renowned Public Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. This fall begins The Public's Astor Anniversary Season celebrating 50 years of new work at 425 Lafayette Street and the 50th Anniversary of HAIR which opened the landmark theater in October 1967. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and by leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to Free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes Free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, an expanding initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; the Under the Radar Festival, a yearly festival celebrating diverse and cutting-edge performance from the U.S. and abroad; and audience and artist development initiatives that range from the Emerging Writers Group to the Public Forum series. The Public's work is also seen on tour throughout the U.S. and internationally and in collaborations and co-productions with regional and international theaters. The Public is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning acclaimed American musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda and in Fall 2017, John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 169 Obie Awards, 53 Drama Desk Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics Awards, and six Pulitzer Prizes.