Parents, please note: This description is for the adult musical 'Hair,' exploring mature themes of counterculture, war, sexuality, and drug use. It is not suitable for children.
Parents, please be aware this entry is for the adult musical 'Hair' and is not a children's book. This content should be considered when an adult or older teen is studying the 1960s counterculture, the Vietnam War, or the history of musical theater. 'Hair' is a landmark rock musical that explores themes of freedom, identity, and protest through the lives of a group of young hippies. Due to its mature and explicit content, including profanity, depiction of illegal drug use, frank discussions of sexuality, and a nude scene, it is suitable only for adults.
Includes frequent profanity and some period-specific racial and homophobic slurs.
Sad ThemesIntense
Deals directly with the draft, war, and the death of a main character. The ending is tragic.
Racism & DiscriminationModerate
Directly addresses racism in America and includes some racial slurs to reflect the era.
Sensitive Topics
The work's approach to sensitive topics is direct, provocative, and secular. It explicitly depicts and references illegal drug use (marijuana, LSD), various forms of sexuality (including bisexuality and group relationships), and contains frequent profanity and some racial slurs used in a historical context. There is a famous, though brief, non-sexual group nude scene. The central theme of war and death is handled directly, and the resolution is tragic and unambiguous, not hopeful.
Ideal Reader
This work is for adults (18+) with an interest in theater history, 1960s American culture, or social protest movements. A very mature older teen (17+) might engage with it for a history or drama class, but only with significant parental guidance and discussion.
Parent Prep
The entire work requires historical context to be understood. It cannot be watched cold. Parents must preview the show and be prepared to discuss the Vietnam War, the draft, the civil rights movement, drug culture, and the sexual revolution. The nude scene, strong language, and drug use are key moments to be aware of beforehand. A parent might seek this out after hearing its iconic music, or while researching 1960s history or landmark Broadway shows to potentially share with a college-bound teen. The trigger is academic or historical curiosity, not a child's emotional need.
Age Experience
This content is not for children. A mature older teen might connect with the themes of rebellion, friendship, and the search for identity. An adult viewer is more likely to appreciate the groundbreaking theatrical conventions, the political commentary, and the historical significance of the work as a reflection of a specific, turbulent moment in American history.
What Makes It Special
Unlike other protest media of the era, 'Hair' defined the genre of the 'rock musical.' Its unstructured, immersive, and confrontational style was revolutionary. It broke the fourth wall and used a racially integrated cast in a way that was unheard of for its time, capturing the chaotic, raw spirit of the counterculture rather than just describing it.
Read plot summary
'Hair' follows a tribe of young, long-haired hippies living in New York City's East Village in 1967. The loose plot centers on Claude, a young man from Oklahoma, who struggles with his loyalty to his friends and their pacifist, free-love ideals versus pressure from his conservative parents to serve in the Vietnam War. The musical is a series of vignettes showcasing the tribe's life, including drug use, protests, explorations of sexuality, and their rejection of mainstream society, culminating in Claude's tragic decision about the draft.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
In the song 'Easy to Be Hard,' Sheila criticizes the Tribe for caring about humanity in general but not the people right in front of them. What does this scene say about the challenges of activism?
2
Claude struggles between his individual freedom and his duty to his country. Do you think the musical portrays his final decision as a choice or as something that was inevitable?
3
The musical uses a racially integrated cast to sing about harmony but also includes songs like 'Colored Spade' that use offensive language. How did 'Hair' address the complexities of race in 1960s America?
4
The 'Be-In' finale invites the audience on stage. What was the purpose of breaking this theatrical rule, and how does it connect to the hippie ideals presented in the show?
