17 October: Hair, the Musical

On this date in 1967, the rock musical Hair opened in New York. 10 things you might not know about the show:

1. Hair was written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and the music was composed by Galt MacDermot.
2. The name for the show was inspired by a painting by pop artist Jim Dine, of a comb with a few strands of hair.
3. A number of stars appeared in Hair before they were famous, including Diane Keaton, Peter Gallagher and Meat Loaf. Another was Melba Moore, who at first, when asked if she'd like to do Hair on Broadway, refused because she thought she was being offered a job as a hairdresser.
4. For the London production, a young David Bowie auditioned four times, but didn't get a part. Elaine Paige and Paul Nicholas, however, did star in the London production. So did Richard O'Brien and Tim Curry, who went on to write The Rocky Horror Show.
5. The characters in the show are a "tribe" of political activist hippies who've grown their hair long in defiance of conservative values. They want peace, love and sexual freedom. The protagonist, Claude Berger, however, faces a battle with his parents, who want him to fight in Vietnam. Which would also mean, of course, that he'd have to cut his hair.
6. One of the things the show was famous for was its nude scene - based on something which really happened in Central Park, New York. However, the first two productions didn't have the nude scene because the theatres it was playing in didn't permit it. Only when it opened in Broadway did the nude scene feature.
7. Songs from the show became big hits. They include Aquarius, Let the Sunshine In, I Got Life and Good Morning Starshine.
8. Songs from the show have been recorded by numerous artists including Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Brightman and Petula Clark. Despite the controversial nature of some of the themes (eg sex and drugs) a song from Hair was even performed on Sesame Street when Bob McGrath sang Good Morning Starshine in a 1969 episode.
9. At one point during the show's Broadway run, there were 19 different productions running in different parts of the world.
10. The London production ran for 1,997 performances, and only closed when the theatre roof collapsed. On Broadway, it ran for 1,750.

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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