‘Hair’ will be NBC’s next live musical
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius at NBC. The network announced Thursday that “Hair” would be its next live musical.
“Hair Live!” follows the recent live broadcast of “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” on Easter Sunday.
The iconic 1960s rock musical tells the story of a “tribe” of politically active, bohemian hippies living in New York who oppose the Vietnam War. During this time of sexual revolution and antiwar sentiment, Claude and his friends Berger and Sheila struggle to balance their love, life and political beliefs against their conservative parents and society.
The original “Hair” made its off-Broadway debut in 1967 before opening on Broadway in April 1968. A film adaptation in 1979 starred John Savage and Treat Williams and was direced by the Oscar-winning Milos Forman.
The Grammy Award-winning musical, with music by Galt MacDermot and book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, features several popular hits, including the title song, “Aquarius,” “Let the Sun Shine In,” and “Good Morning Starshine.”
“I’m overjoyed that James Rado and Galt MacDermot are trusting us with their masterpiece ‘Hair,’ one of the most original shows ever conceived for Broadway with one of the greatest scores,” NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in the announcement.
“These songs are part of the vocabulary of popular music, and this rebellious story of young people protesting and standing up for what they believe in is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago.”
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who have executive produced all of NBC’s live musicals since “The Sound of Music,” will serve as executive producers of “Hair Live!”
“When we both individually saw ‘Hair’ on Broadway, we were knocked out by how musical theater could be stretched into something so daring, immersive and audacious,” Zadan and Meron said in the announcement. “Its recent Broadway revival showed how timeless the show is and that it’s relevant to any era. ‘Hair’ is filled with heartfelt emotion, joy and thrilling music and it really will be the new dawning of the Age of Aquarius.”
“Hair Live!” is slated to air in the spring.
Twitter: @tracycbrown
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