The work reflects the creators' observations of the hippie counterculture and sexual revolution of the late s, and several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement. The musical's profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of sexuality , its irreverence for the American flag , and its nude scene caused controversy. Hair tells the story of the "tribe", a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the " Age of Aquarius " living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War.
Claude, his friend Berger, their roommate Sheila and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves and the sexual revolution, with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society. Ultimately, Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or to serve in Vietnam, compromising his pacifist principles and risking his life.
After an off-Broadway debut on October 17, , at Joseph Papp 's Public Theater , and a run at the Cheetah nightclub from December through January , the show opened on Broadway in April and ran for 1, performances. Simultaneous productions in cities across the United States and Europe followed shortly thereafter, including a successful London production that ran for 1, performances. Since then, productions have been staged around the world, spawning dozens of recordings of the musical, including the 3 million-selling original Broadway cast recording.
Some of the songs from its score became Top 10 hits, and a feature film adaptation was released in Their close relationship, including its volatility, was reflected in the musical. Rado explained, "We were great friends. It was a passionate kind of relationship that we directed into creativity, into writing, into creating this piece. We put the drama between us on stage. Rado described the inspiration for Hair as a combination of some characters we met in the streets, people we knew and our own imaginations.
We knew this group of kids in the East Village who were dropping out and dodging the draft , and there were also lots of articles in the press about how kids were being kicked out of school for growing their hair long. We hung out with them and went to their Be-Ins [and] let our hair grow. You could read about it and see film clips, but you'd never experience it. We thought, 'This is happening in the streets', and we wanted to bring it to the stage. Its title was 'Hair'.
