Hippie musical 'Hair' proves timeless in 2011

Back in 1967 the musical production of Hair was based around the Hippie issues of the 60s.  Hair's main characters Berger, Claude and Woof dealt with pot-smoking, draft-dodging, unpopular wars, corrupt politicians, pollution and drug use.

Fast forward 44 years into the future and the current crop of Hair performers are all in their teens and 20s.  Ironically the Hair performers of 2011 are dealing with the same issues as back in the 1960s when Hair was first introduced with great fanfare.

The original Hair characters, Berger, Claude and Woof could easily be the grandparents of the current actors and actresses.  Today's young Hair cast members are finding the musical set back in the Hippie Era to be unusually relevant.

Actors have always portrayed characters decades and even centuries away from their own era. But Hair is a case in which the young cast members are finding particular relevance and resonance.  Global peace and love are still critical issues along with corrupt politicians, violent drug cartels and drug use and unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The difference between the 1968 characters and the 2011 characters is that back in the 1960s people were more relaxed and focused on finding happiness in whatever guise it could be found in.

Hair was revolutionary when it first appeared on Broadway 44 years ago. Until that point musicals never featured rock music or celebrated social revolution.  In addition to rock music there was the shocking nudity which had never appeared on Broadway before.  At the time it was extremely controversial triggering threats of legal intervention to shut down the play.

That one nude scene almost completely overshadowed the rest of the show and its many great songs.  After the public became used to the nudity the play stood on its own merits and has become a beloved musical with the original nude scene becoming a non-issue to many people.

Not all of the various Hair's musical productions over the past 44 years have incorporated complete nudity.  Some simulate nudity or only utilize partial nudity.  In many cases participation in the nudity scenes is completely voluntary.

The original Hair script has been slightly tweaked in some cases to modernize it but ultimately most Hair's producers are primarily focused on remaining true to the tone of the original stage production.

Afterall, the goal for most Hair productions are to continue to share the original message of peace, love and hopefulness with people in present times.  To get a full list of Hair productions for 2011 visit HairOnTour.com