Splitting HAIR: Reviving the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical in the 1970s

When Hair premiered on Broadway in 1968, the musical garnered attention for its reflection the current cultural moment. Critics acknowledged this congruence of form, content, and zeitgeist as the production’s greatest asset. This alignment with the Vietnam era proved a liability nine years later when Hair received its first Broadway revival, particularly when the musical’s authors replaced many of the libretto’s cultural references with allusions to the 1970s, further illuminating the musical’s inherently time-bound qualities