Posted in: TV | Tagged: bleeding cool, broadway, cable, Craig Zadan, Galt MacDermot, George Ragni, hair, hair live, James Rado, Michael Weller, milos forman, musicals, nbc, Neil Meron, off-broadway, streaming, television, tv

Good Morning, 'Hair Live!' NBC Says Hello to 2019's Spring Musical

Executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have set 2019 for the dawning of the age of Hair Live!, NBC's live musical presentation of the counter-culture classic. Zadan and Meron have executive produced all of the network's live musicals since the current run began with The Sound of Music Live!; including this Easter's presentaton of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. Universal Television, MGM Television and Zadan/Meron Productions will handle production on the project.

"When we both, individually, saw Hair on Broadway, we were knocked out by how musical theater could be stretched into something so daring, immersive and audacious. Its recent Broadway revival showed how timeless the show is and that it's relevant to any era. Hair is filled with heartfelt emotion, joy and thrilling music, and it really will be the new dawning of the Age of Aquarius." – Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (statement)

Here's a look at a clip from the 1979 film, directed by Milos Forman and adapted for the screen by Michael Weller; and then a look at the official synopsis for NBC's Hair Live!:

The story of a group of politically active hippies living a bohemian life in New York while fighting against and resisting the Vietnam War. Claude, his good friends Berger and Sheila, and their "tribe" are coming of age in the world of the sexual revolution while struggling with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society. Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or succumb to the pressures of conservative America to serve in Vietnam, compromising his principles and beliefs.

Hair had its off-Broadway debut as the inaugural production of Joseph Papp's Public Theater in 1967, before moving to the Biltmore Theatre in April 1968. With music by Galt MacDermot and a book by James Rado & George Ragni, the musical would go on to register such memorable songs as "Hair," "Aquarius," "Good Morning Starshine" and "Easy to Be Hard."

"I'm overjoyed that James Rado and Galt MacDermot are trusting us with their masterpiece Hair, one of the most original shows ever conceived for Broadway with one of the greatest scores. These songs are part of the vocabulary of popular music, and this rebellious story of young people protesting and standing up for what they believe in is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. This will be the perfect live event, and I'm looking forward to seeing Craig and Neil, along with our partners at MGM and the original creators bring the audience to their feet as they experience these beloved songs and recognizable young characters." – Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment

Deadline Hollywood

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