NBC announced its next live musical: Hair.
Hair Live is scheduled to air in spring 2019, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo who’s produced all of the network’s live musicals since the genre’s revival in 2013.
“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,” Zadan and Meron said in a statement. “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.”
Hair first hit Broadway over half a century ago debuting at the Biltmore Theatre in April 1968. It has been revived there four times since, most recently in 2011. A feature film adaptation was released in 1979, directed by two-time Oscar winner Milos Forman. Hair quickly became a cultural phenomenon that spawned an original cast album that spent three months at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
“I’m overjoyed that [composers] 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,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment. “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.”
