Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of HAIR [Paperback]

Scott Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2003

"Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen"

In 1967, Hair launched a revolution. It rejected every convention of Broadway, of traditional theatre in general, and of the American musical specifically. It paved the way for the nonlinear concept musicals that dominated American musical theatre innovation thereafter. It also launched the careers of such actors as Diane Keaton, Melba Moore, Tim Curry, Peter Gallagher, and Ben Vereen.

"Knotted, polka-dotted, twisted, beaded, braided"

With more regional productions of Hair than ever before, Scott Miller gives us an incisive and fascinating analysis of the show. He looks at its place in theatre and cultural history, and its impact on recent musicals, including Rent. What's more, he delves into the mystical power Hair has over performers and viewers alike and its ability to literally change lives today--including his. Just ten days shy of the terrorist attacks in September 2001, Miller's theatre company had wrapped up their second production of Hair. The show profoundly shaped their reaction to those events, committing them to the belief in the goodness of people in general and of Americans in specific and in the connectedness we all share. And, as he reports, the same profound feelings have been true of others performing this piece.

"Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied!"

Whether you're a fan wanting to relive the time that extolled peace, love, and understanding--and sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll! - or a theatre professional needing insightful analysis for a production, read Scott Miller and know the true genius of Hair.

"Let the sun shine, let the sun shine in, the sun shine in."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An insightful, thoughtful analysis of this ground-breaking work." --The Drama Book Shop

"Miller clearly loves and respects Hair and his enthusiasm is contagious." --Stage Directions

"Miller's productions of Hair for New Line in 2001 led him to write this definitive study, which explains why the show continues to have such a big impact on its audiences and casts." --Library Journal

"Scott Miller’s work on Hair is one the best reports ever written about that classic musical." -- Michael Bulter, original Broadway producer of HAIR

From the Publisher

Hair remains one of the most important works in the history of the American theatre, and yet so many people know so little about it. Hair is so much more than its drugs and rock music and its famous nude scene. Without Hair there would have been no Rent or A Chorus Line, no Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago or Cats. Hair changed everything. Drawing from the anti-war movement, the hippie culture, the experimental theatre community, the drug culture, rock and roll, the poems of Allen Ginsberg, and so much more, Hair emerged in 1967 as one of the towering achievements of the twentieth century, a work of theatre so fully realized, so culturally significant, so shockingly real and honest, so iconically American that still today it retains its power to move and shock audiences, and to change forever the lives of those who work on it. With this book, Scott Miller, continues the exploration of the American musical theatre in his first three books, From Assassins to West Side Story, Deconstructing Harold Hill, and Rebels with Applause, focusing for the first time an entire volume on one show. Miller takes us on a tour of all the cultural and social forces that converged in 1967 to bring about the birth of the first American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, as well as a tour inside this beautiful, complex, masterfully crafted – but often highly under-rated – work of the American theatre.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (June 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0325005567
• ISBN-13: 978-0325005560
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Scott Miller is the founder and artistic director of New Line Theatre, an alternative musical theatre company he established in 1991 in St. Louis, at the vanguard of a new wave of nonprofit musical theatre being born across the country during the early 1990s, offering an alternative to the commercial musical theatre of New York and Broadway tours. He has been working in musical theatre since 1978 and has been directing musicals since 1981. He has written the book, music, and lyrics for nine musicals and two plays. His play Head Games has enjoyed runs in St. Louis, Los Angeles, London, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland; and his last musical, Johnny Appleweed, was nominated for four Kevin Kline Awards. He has written six books about musical theatre, From Assassins to West Side Story; Deconstructing Harold Hill; Rebels with Applause; Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of HAIR; Strike Up the Band: A New History of Musical Theatre; and Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll, and Musicals. He has also written chapters for several other collections of musical theatre essays. He has written for several national theatre magazines and websites, and he has composed music for television and radio. He co-hosts, with Deborah Sharn, "Break a Leg - Theatre in St. Louis and Beyond," a weekly theatre talk show on KDHX-FM in St. Louis. Miller holds a degree in music and musical theatre from Harvard University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything I Hoped It Would Be!!, November 6, 2003

By 

Diana (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of HAIR (Paperback)

This book covers everything you could ever want to know about HAIR, The American TRibal Love-Rock musical, it's background, it's creation, what everything in it means, how it fit in history, how ti changes peoples lives, everything!! If you love HAIR, you'll love this book!!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Raises interesting questions, speculates as to deeper meanings, May 19, 2011

By 

Robert A. Lippman (Saratoga Springs, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of HAIR (Paperback)

This book was a fun and quick read and for anyone who is interested in what the hippies of the 60's were all about, or has nostalgia for the time, it will probably be enjoyable. I have to say that I found numerous factual errors in it about historical events (most notably the very one-sided and overly generalized summary of US involvement in Viet Nam, but also more mundane things like his history of Rock music), but they did not detract from the points the author made about the forces driving social change. Having seen HAIR about a dozen times, both the film and stage show, I have to disagree with some of the meanings that the author ascribes to the lyrics. I have found deep meaning in many lyrics that the author doesn't mention, and found quite different meanings in the ones that he does. I was disappointed that the book lacked any end notes, attributions or interviews with either Mr. Rado or Mr. Ragni, and if you are looking for the full lyrics to the songs, you will not find them here. Beware also that there is a lot of repetition in this book. It seems as if each chapter was written as a separate essay without much regard for the points already made. I also found the repeated references to Star Trek and the hero's journey in Star Wars rather amusing.

6 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A brief review, May 20, 2007

By 

Damien Slattery (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of HAIR (Paperback)

Having read the other books of Mr. Miller and enjoyed them, I was looking forward to this little book. I think Mr. Miller has finally lost the plot! He is so uncritical of the show it's an embarrassment. His critical faculties have sailed out the window! HAIR's music is a Wonder but the lyrics and book (?) are atrocious and often gibberish. The revelatory experiences Mr. Miller claims his cast had performing a production are Not their audience's response,i would imagine. An audience cannot always appreciate the research a cast has invested, it sees the product not the process. Miller is looking at his subject from the inside. I am surprised that Mr. Miller has descended to this "tribal" love-stuff. He never steps back from his subject and discerns its weakness. His efforts have actually steered me away from this musical.