By Mike Hoban

Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical – Book & Lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado; Music by Galt MacDermot. Rachel Bertone, Director/Choreographer; Dan Rodriguez, Music Director; Janie E. Howland, Scenic Designer; Marian Bertone Costume Designer; Franklin Meissner, Jr., Lighting Designer; Kevin Alexander, Sound Designer. Presented by New Repertory Theatre, Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through February 23

When the original production of Hair first hit the Broadway stage in April of 1968, it was a mind-blowing experience in every sense of the phrase. The profanity, overtly political anti-war stance, perceived lack of respect for the flag, interracial coupling (yes kids, that was actually controversial in 1968), and shattering of sexual boundaries – including a cross-dressing Margaret Mead, polyamorous characters  and (gasp) full frontal nudity – shocked the establishment. And while none of those things would likely to raise an eyebrow for most theatergoers today, the production was truly groundbreaking in its time. It ran for four years and 1,750 performances and made the leap from theater to popular culture, with cover versions from its rock score producing multiple top 40 hits, including four Top 5 songs – the Cowsills’ version of “Hair”, Oliver’s “Good Morning Starshine,” Three Dog Night’s “Easy to Be Hard” and the 5th Dimension’s medley of “Aquarius” and “Let the Sunshine In” – which hit #1 for five weeks.

Read more “New Rep’s ‘Hair’ Takes Us on an Electric Musical Trip”