Hair – The New Broadway Cast Recording
June 22, 2009 by Jeanne Dupuis
Filed under Music
I don’t know why, but I recently decided to take a trip down memory lane and I made my family sit down and watch Hair. Of course, I loved it (and so did they) but I was really surprised to see the Hair (The New Broadway Cast Recording) CD listed as a new release this week, given the fact that the play is more than 40 
years old (and the film came out in 1979).
As the name suggests, the recording features the voices of the new Broadway cast and they really are very good. Sasha Allen gives a stirring delivery of “Aquarius” and the casting of Claude (Gavin Reel) is perfect.
Although the story was developed during the Vietnam war, the lyrics and spirit of this musical remains relevant, particularly with the current state of the economy and world politics. It’s worth a listen even if you’ve never seen Hair – you might be surprised by how many songs you already know!
image: Amazon
The New Broadway Cast Recording of Hair successfully transfers the magic of the current Broadway revival to CD. The history-making show about a tribe of hippies in New York’s East Village contains classics such as “Aquarius”, “Good Morning Starshine”, “Let the Sun Shine In,” and the classic title track. The current cast sounds as vibrant as they do on stage. Examples includes, Sasha Allen’s soaring vocals on “Black Boys”, Will Swenson’s knockout version of “Donna”, Caissie Levy’s emotional “Easy To Be Hard” and Gavin Creel’s outstanding rendition of “Where Do I Go?” Executive Producer, Bill Rosenfield, along with other Producers, including, Hair’s original Musical Composer, Galt MacDermot, have included tracks that weren’t on the Original Cast Recording, sprinkles of dialogue and both of the show’s curtain calls. All of this helps transport the listener from their destination to the theater. The show’s Musical Director, Nadia DiGinallonardo, makes MacDermot’s music sound as fresh as ever with its mix of Rock, Soul, Country and World Rhythms. Gerome Ragni’s and James Rado’s lyrics are as relevant as ever on songs such as “Air” (“Welcome, sulphar dioxide/Hello carbon monoxide/The air, the air is everywhere.”) and “I Believe in Love” (“I believe that now is the time/for all good men/To believe in love.”) Their songs are philosophical (“What a Piece of Work Is Man”) and provocative (“Sodomy”), but also funny (“My Conviction”) and heartbreaking, (“Frank Mills”). Listening to the New Broadway Cast Recording of Hair is a reminder that not only is this the right time to experience the show but to hear its timeless songs.