[sistercousinoraunt]

I'd like thoughts on Hair. I think some of the music is so beautiful but really I don't know much more about it. I've only seen the movie awhile ago and I know it's different from the show. Better? worse? Do you think it's actually not an appropriate show to do?

[OzHair]

The movie and the stage production of HAiR are really two very different animals.

Which is better is probably more a matter of personal taste. While the movie has a more coherent plotline, the stage production I think does a better job of capturing the energy and anarchy of the time being portrayed.

Why wouldn't it be an appropriate show to do? With the US and other countries being dragged into another dubiously justified war, HAiR is probably almost as relevent now as when it was first performed.

Obviously some of the themes are a little dated, like the attitudes to drug use, and the onstage nudity doesn't quite have the shock value anymore (although judging by the reaction to Janet Jackson's Superbowl Breast, we could be returning to pre-HAiR puritanical attitudes). But the show, when done correctly, still has a power that hasn't dimmed over the years.

Having performed in the show twice in the last 8 years, though, my opinion is probably slightly biased

Cheers

[norayouadora]

I agree with everything OzHair said. I love Hair (both versions) and it's really a matter of opinion as to which one you prefer. Personally, I prefer the movie, but that may just be because it's the version I saw first and I'm more familiar with it. (You know what I mean?) Makes me cry every time.

I also agree that it's not so inappropriate anymore... Most audiences have probably heard that there is some nudity in it, so it's up to them whether or not to bring their children with them and such. Obviously, it's not appropriate for a high school to do without a bit of editing, but I don't think it's too inappropriate for you everyday theater group.