HAIR to Celebrate 50th Anniversary 1/21 with Free Event Featuring Original Cast Members, Stories & Songs

The New York Times was first to report that celebratory plans have been set for the groundbreaking musical HAIR's 50th Anniversary which will take place on January 21, 2017 at La MaMa.

Highlights of the HAIR happening on January 21 include live performances by members of the original 1967 and 1968 casts, as well as members of the recent, enormously successful 2009 Broadway revival. Songs to be performed include AQUARIUS, DONNA, WHERE DO I GO, FRANK MILLS, AIR, BLACK BOYS, LET THE SUNSHINE, and others.

Performers from various Broadway casts of HAIR expected to participate: Shaelah Adkisson ('09), Ellen Foley ('79), Natalie Mosco ('68), Allan Nicholls ('68), Rev. Marjrie Lipari ('68), Dale Soules ('68), Andre De Shields ('69, Chicago), Ula Hedwig ('68) and Keith Carradine.

The very first demo recording of the title song HAIR (1967), sung by Rado and Ragni with MacDermot on piano will be played. This recording has never before been heard publicly.

HAIR creators James Rado and Galt MacDermot will be on hand to share their personal stories with the audience. (Their collaborator Gerome Ragni died in 1991). The event will be attended by special guests, and feature a pre-recorded video from both HAIR producer Michael Butler, and original cast member Walter Michael Harris.

The event will also celebrate creator James Rado's 85th birthday.

On view will be photographs by the noted lens-woman Dagmar Krajnc, who took rarely seen photos during the early years of HAIR; and photographs from the HAIR private collection provided by producer Michael Butler.

HAIR'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY event is presented as part of La MaMa's popular COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES series, which explores the history and development of Off-Off-Broadway, part history lesson and part portrait of downtown artists and their work.

La MaMa's attachment to HAIR, and vice versa, dates back to the 1960's when, during its developmental process, the HAIR team turned to La MaMa's leading, innovative director Tom O'Horgan to take over the reins of the musical.

The HAIR COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES is moderated by Chris Kapp. The event is curated and directed by Michal Gamily, CHRONICLES' director, with educational outreach led by Arthur Adair. Upcoming COFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES are set for this season: Feb 4/Robert Patrick; Apr 1/Dzieci Theatre 20thAnniversary; May/John Vacarro and the Playhouse of the Ridiculous; June/Celebrating 74E4 ST.

ADMISSION TO COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES IS FREE/SUGGESTED DONATION, HOWEVER, RESERVATIONS IN ADVANCE ARE REQUIRED AT www.lamama.org.

HAIR originally opened at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre in October 1967 with a run at the Cheetah nightclub following in December 1967. The show opened on Broadway in April 1968 and ran for 1,750 performances. Famous for its brief nude scene, worldwide productions of HAIR followed (with some 14 companies running simultaneously) including a London production which ran for nearly 2,000 performances. Since then, HAIR has continued to delight and enlighten audiences around the world, spawning dozens of recordings.

A recent revival on Broadway won the Tony Award for Best Revival in 2009.
The Fifth Dimension's version of the song "Aquarius" won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group in 1970. The lyrics of this song were based on the astrological belief that the world would soon be entering the "Age of Aquarius," an age of peace, love and light for humanity. The original Broadway cast recording received a Grammy Award in 1968 for Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album and sold nearly 3 million copies in the U.S. by December 1969.