An insightful, thoughtful anaysis of this ground-breaking work offering proof positive that, far from being the silly hippie rock musical many people think it is, Hair is truly a work of genius, and one of the greatest, most powerful works of the American theatre. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The bold and innovative musical Hair opened off-Broadway at the Public Theatre in October 1967, and the rest is history. Since its move to Broadway in April 1968, Hair has continued to be performed all over the world by theater troupes ranging from high school to professional. Miller, artistic director of St. Louis's New Line Theatre, believes passionately in the significance and power of musical theater. Three of his previous books, From Assassins to West Side Story, Deconstructing Harold Hill, and Rebels with Applause, offer intelligent and detailed analyses of landmark musicals. Miller's productions of Hair for New Line in 2000-01 led him to write this definitive study, which explains why the show continues to have such a big impact on its audiences and casts. As he points out, scenes of brief nudity and the use of strong language are no longer novelties in the theater world, but the major issues of the late 1960s dealt with in Hair, such as sex, drugs, rock'n'roll, war and peace, race relations, and the environment, are still with us in 2003. Recommended for all theater arts collections.-Howard Miller, Rosary H.S., St. Louis Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information