The Age of Hair: Evolution and Impact of Broadway's First Rock Musical, Vol. 42 »

BARBARA LEE HORN is Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Communication Sciences, and Theatre at St. John's University.

Horn analyzes the social context of Hair and relates the dramatic story of its creation, its production at Joseph Papp's Public Theater, and its transfer to Broadway.

Library Journal

When Hair exploded onto the Broadway stage after a successful off-Broadway run, it was not only the first rock musical but one of the first ``concept'' musicals that eschewed plot for message. Horn (speech, communications, and theater, St. John's Univ.) discusses the creation, evolution, and runaway success of Hair by setting it in the context of the 1960s. Included are a scene-by-scene description of the Broadway version, cast and credits for all three New York productions and the film version, and a hefty bibliography. Occasional repetitions and a dry writing style suggest the dissertation that spawned this study, and musical fans might wish for a bit of the juicy backstage gossip that filled original cast member Lorrie Davis's Letting Down My Hair (1973). But Horn succeeds splendidly in exploring the social and political climate that produced Hair and nurtured its mass appeal. Recommended for academic theater collections.-- Eric W. Johnson, Teikyo Post Univ. Lib., Waterbury, Ct.

Introduction

Hair and the Hippies

Experimental Theatre

The Creation and Growth of Hair

Hair on Broadway

Beyond Opening Night

The Impact of Hair

Appendix A: Staff and Cast for Hair at the Public Theater

Appendix B: Staff and Cast for Hair at the Biltmore Theatre

Appendix C: Staff and Cast for the Hair Revival at the Biltmore Theatre

Appendix D: Staff and Cast for the Motion Picture Version of Hair

Bibliography

Index