The Denver Post: In 1971, Denver police would not let the sunshine in. Or anything else to do with the pro-love, anti-war rock musical "Hair." The counterculture Broadway freakout, making its way from New York to cities across the country for the first time, had been booked for a week-long run at the downtown Auditorium Theatre. But when the company arrived, Denver police told them to keep right on moving. There would be nothing to see here. Certainly not a brief scene in which some of the actors celebrate the hippie credo of sexual freedom by stripping. The vice bureau invoked a seldom-used (but still existing) law banning public nudity, as had other cities before Denver.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
The dangerous history of "Hair"
The Denver Post: In 1971, Denver police would not let the sunshine in. Or anything else to do with the pro-love, anti-war rock musical "Hair." The counterculture Broadway freakout, making its way from New York to cities across the country for the first time, had been booked for a week-long run at the downtown Auditorium Theatre. But when the company arrived, Denver police told them to keep right on moving. There would be nothing to see here. Certainly not a brief scene in which some of the actors celebrate the hippie credo of sexual freedom by stripping. The vice bureau invoked a seldom-used (but still existing) law banning public nudity, as had other cities before Denver.
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4 comments:
I loved this article. I find it so interesting to learn not only what events shows are based upon but the reaction they received when those events were still prevalent. In the case of Hair, many people still have controversial beliefs about the content of the show, almost 60 years after the matters were occurring. I feel that as an audience member for such a show it would be greatly beneficial to know the history of what you are getting yourself into.
It's funny, I didn't think that public nudity was still such an issue, especially what qualifies as public nudity. I agree with Sam, I think that when one goes off to see a show, and it doesn't even have to be this particular show, they should know something about it. Hair is just a notoriously risky show and the 1960s are very accurately portrayed in the show. It wasn't the cleanest easiest and polite of times and I think that it's great to have a show within that time. I feel like it is the time when the conservative society breaks up a bit and we move into a significant cultural change and that should be celebrated. Right now, if the show wants to go up and stay as it is, they should go for it. Everyone for the most part is independent and they control whether or not they see Hair. Personally, I think everyone who loves musicals should see it, but that's just me.
How I would have loved to see Hair in the early 70s when it was still a hotly contested piece of theatre. It is fascinating how during the first national tour of Hair it was so incredibly popular among the people (it had many, many sold out performances) and so disliked by city officials. As others have stated, it is important to know something about the history of a show before you see it, especially one with as fascinating a history as Hair. The fact that the show was initially received in such a way can tell us quite a bit about the 60s and 70s, namely the huge rift between a growing liberal countercultural movement and traditional conservative values that existed at that time. I am a huge fan of the musical Hair, and knowing some of its history, and the fact that the actors of its touring cast dropped acid onstage makes me love it that much more.
Viewed in hindsight it's interesting to see just how controversies fade over time. What is a huge issue at one time later becomes only a minor one, or perhaps nothing at all only a few years later. A larger example would be the civil rights movement, when it started the prevailing view was for the status quo, now anyone who would advocate segregation would be looked at as someone with a problem and much of what the movement was after is taken for granted. Hair is an example of the same thing - now the controversy is hard to understand, but back then it was a major issue. Public opinion changes over time.
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