Bob Greenblatt Addresses the Nudity in HAIR LIVE and Hints at Live Christmas Musical for NBC

Bob Greenblatt, who will soon bring a live staging of the musical Hair to NBC in May, will accept the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award at the 16th annual NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) Conference in Miami, where other honorees include Byron Allen, Mara Brock Akil, Rita Moreno, Betty White and Henry Winkler. Greenblatt recently signed off as the entertainment chairman of NBC, and seems to be focusing on producing for now.

Greenblatt spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about his time with NBC, including the future of live musicals at NBC and the upcoming production of Hair.

Greenblatt, talking about the latest news for NBC's live musicals, said "I'm working with Neil Meron on Hair. We're casting it right now. BEYOND that, I don't know." He continues, "We tend to take them one year at a time. They're enormous undertakings. And there aren't a lot of shows you can get the rights to. We have an idea for a live musical for Christmas, but I can't talk about that yet."

When asked how the nudity from the original Hair will be addressed for broadcast television, Greenblatt said, "We haven't crossed that bridge yet, but I can probably guarantee that there's not going to be much nudity. (Laughs.) If you've ever seen the show, there's not that much nudity. It's less than a minute, in the dark, which was controversial 50 years ago - but it's almost unnecessary. You're not going to see nudity ... well, maybe a little."

NBC's latest live musical is "Hair Live!," the original rock musical that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Stage director Diane Paulus, the Tony Award-winning director of Broadway's 2009 Best Revival of the musical written by James Rado, Gerome Ragniand Galt MacDermot will join Emmy Award-winning Alex Rudzinski, who will serve as live television director as he did for "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert." "Hair Live!" is set for broadcast on Sunday, May 19, 2019 before a live audience.

Greenblatt became Chairman of NBC Entertainment in 2011, taking NBC to the top of the television industry after a decade in last place. Under his leadership, NBC's primetime and late night line-ups were #1 in the key 8-49 demographic for 2013- 14, 2014-15 and 2015-16.

A Golden Globe Award-winning producer ("Six Feet Under") and Tony-winning Broadway producer ("A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder"), Greenblatt broke ground three years ago with the broadcast of NBC's live musical "The Sound of Music Live!," which attracted 21 million viewers and has become a yearly tradition that is now being replicated by other networks. NBC presented "The Wiz Live!" in 2015, "Hairspray Live!" in 2016, and has "Bye Bye Birdie" starring Jennifer Lopez on tap for December 2017.

Greenblatt's relationship with Dolly Parton led to him producing the Tony- nominated Broadway hit "9 to 5: The Musical" with a score by Parton, as well as NBC's broadcast of her telefilm "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors." The TV movie garnered an audience of 16 million and was followed by the sequel "Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love" in 2016.

Prior to NBC, Greenblatt was responsible for the transformation of Showtime into a first-class premium cable network from 2004-10 and was one of the original architects of the FOX Broadcasting Company as head of primetime programming from 1994-97.

In 2011, Greenblatt received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award from GLAAD, and in 2016 Greenblatt was presented with The Actors Fund Medal of Honor. Greenblatt is a member of the Broadway League of Theatrical Producers, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Producers Guild of America.

Read the original article on The Hollywood Reporter.