HAIR 1969 Tony Awards

Harry Belafonte gives an inspirational introduction to the original production of HAIR on the 1969 Tony Awards (cast includes Melba moore and Ben Vareen)

[@allendavis1374]

The young girl in black in the gold sweater is my cousin Gerrie Griffin she was 16 years old was a lead singer with the voices of east Harlem she's 66 years old now doing well. Funny thing I drive a bus in new Jersey and from time to time during route melba moore would ride . They were in the same play .

[@seankenny941]

Fantastic. I'm only watching this to spot the Soul singers. Melba Moore is easy to spot but I can't find Tobi Lark or Betty Lloyd. Cash in The Voices of East Harlem was massive in the UK ☺

[@anonymoushuman8344]

What Harry Belafonte says in his introduction is as important now as then. It probably will be in coming decades, too.

[@BrettOwen71]

Amen

[@AutismThespian1993]

Especially with what is happening now. His speech still packs a punch for me!

[@robertgraziano]

2024 now and God we need you!

[@Lee-rq1ek]

Nobody will probably believe this, but the redhead with the bandana, second from the left is my wife...her stage name/maiden name was Linda Compton...

[@philipmarq]

+Lee D It has always been a dream of mine to go back in time to that era (I was part of it then) and be one of the tribe. I googled "linda compton hair" Linda was gorgeous. You are quite a lucky man have shared her stories.

[@Lee-rq1ek]

+Being Glaun Well, we grew-up then...she was from Brooklyn and I was pretty nomadic traveling with my father who was a career Air Force officer. We met in Houston in the late '70s and the rest is history, as they say. She went to audition with a couple of friends...all three made the original off-broadway show...she traveled with the show from '68 until '76 or so....even to Spain We met in Houston in the late '70s.We have many photographs of the cast and her with staring partners.

[@rotcod2886]

Do you mean 2nd one in on Stage left at the end there? 7:02? Did she feature in any of the songs?

[@Lee-rq1ek]

Yes, my wife is the red head with the red scarf at 7:03, stage left...she is features on the Off Broadway CD which is in this set link through Amazon which also had the Broadway version...www.amazon.com/Galt-MacDermot-Interview-Musical-Theater/dp/B0013CXZAG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1470342177&sr=8-2&keywords=Original+Off+Broadway+musical+Hair

[@mermaidcandy]

Fricken awesome about your wife. I got to dance with the troupe that toured Seattle once, when I was fourteen. I'll never forget it.

[@LCdrDerrick]

If there is anybody, who has this in better quality, share it for heaven's sake! This has an almost spiritual dimension to it!

[@gljm]

You look at this and realize that this was April 20th 1969. In two months, June, there would be the Stonewall Riots, in three months , July, Man would land on the Moon, and in four months time , August, there would be Woodstock. What an incredible year.

[@Ken-vt2yx]

One of the most culturally significant years in the history of this country. I wish I had been old enough to understand how pivotal a time it really was. I wish I had been at Woodstock and seen the original cast of Hair. I wish…

[@BlueDragonArt]

I can't listen to Flesh Failures/Let the Sunshine in without tearing up. Such a powerful medley. So sad, and beautiful.

[@charlesveg]

I know. Flesh Failures does that to me too. So much lost now...

[@heathersmith8549]

Same

[@sisuriffs]

One of my favourite soliloquys from Hamlet too.

[@Wanderlustwaltz]

Same. 🥺

[@anonymoushuman8344]

It's got stuff from Romeo and Juliet as well as Hamlet.

[@carollipton4584]

I saw the original cast of HAIR perform for free at the Central Park Be-In which I think was in September, 1969- over 50,000 people were there. I remember Melba Moore, Diane Keaton, and Heather McRae on stage. I saw HAIR again at the Delacorte Theater on August 1, 2008, and this time, got to dance on stage with the cast during the finale! One of the greatest moments of my life.

[@jeffreysiegel9125]

You are one of a very select group of people to witness probably, the most historically relevent theater work of all time!!! Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your amazing experience!!!

[@deplorabledave1048]

I saw the NYC Broadway musical in '69. I was 12. Epic.

[@uthunderilightning]

I am truly happy to read your share. Diets person accounts matter and this was delightful!

[@rickstalentedtongue910]

Fuck yeah!

[@barbaraliebgott1446]

I first saw HAIR in 1972 for my 13th birthday. I was hooked! Then came the 1979 and 2009 revivals, and various community theater productions. I’ll always be a HAIR groupie!

[@christinecallahan5512]

Harry belafonte you are just great........

[@sophiehanssel2017]

One of the talented people who gave us this musical died last month. RIP James Rado

[@somepig2k]

Every one of these beautiful kids would be in their 70's now....That makes my head and heart hurt

[@user-mj8nf2vp7q]

...If they lived and thrived then it's reason to celebrate.

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

Many are/were contemporaries of my mom, who is eighty.

[@juliawilkinson]

What a great musical. This must be one of the only places to see the 1969 version of the hair cast live.

[@briansavage8887]

1968

[@generallypositive7535]

Julia Wilkinson, I saw it live in Chicago in 1969 at the Schubert Theater. To this day, it is the play that had the most profound effect on me. I still listen to the music often.

[@AndrewStormStorywizard1948]

If you have seen productions in recent years...the songs are the same basically but the "feeling" is just not there...this Cast lived the era...felt the emotions...and they let it all out on stage....THIS was HAIR.....all much later versions did not have the "FEELING"...

[@at12155]

so true!

[@kathleen3177]

I agree- I am fortunate to have seen Hair in 1970 at the original Aquarius Theater in Hollywood

[@carollipton4584]

The 2008 production in Central Park did come close, but you're right

[@TheSOUNDMAN513]

Kathleen Diaz I was 13, I saw it at the Biltmore in NY 5 times!!

[@vamps_rock]

*How could they have the same feeling?* Unless you live in the time and/or experience what happens it is impossible. So much judgement for the later versions lacking in the true emotion of the original... what is going to happen 30 or 50 years from now when someone/people performs something that was written now based on the events we're living through? The exact same thing.

[@constancewalsh3646]

Listening to every Hair video offered on youtube and watching the movie Hair again, one of the most devastating films ever made. "Artists are emotional people," says the beautiful Harry Bellafonte. Everyone is an artist moved to laughter and tears by this timeless story from Rado, Ragni and MacDermot.

[@jaymorgenthal9479]

I saw Hair in June 1969 on Broadway. I was 17.

[@autumnlang]

that’s amazing

[@dbbdvm]

Same here! Age 17 on Broadway.

[@swcosmos1]

I saw the first tour in Chicago. For my 17th birthday! My dear friend's father was stage manager and he snuck us in. Who could ever forget?

[@alanlane3670]

Sydney, Australia......1970....

[@sebruy]

Lucky guys! I wish i were there and young in that era.

[@valerieverdi2730]

This play was more than just important. Hair helped to shape the woman I am today. It's anti war message became a part of my conscience. And my husband of 40yrs. has long beautiful hair.

[@LeeLeeWilliams-1908]

Lawd have mercy when they start singing Let the Sunshine In 😭 👏🏾 👏🏾 chills 🙌🏾

[@briteness]

I am so glad I found this here. Probably no other production ever came close to the original cast. We are lucky this has been preserved.

[@tiborpurzsas2136]

The movie version was outstanding ! Milos Forman at his best

[@rogerfreed1493]

Melba Moore, the black girl coming down the ladder, transcendent! Harry Belafonte's speech- magnificent and poignant!

[@mervyngreene6687]

I LOVE Harry Belafonte. And, all you need to say is: "Melba Moore."

[@briansavage8887]

Melba Moore was a woman, not a girl.

[@mervyngreene6687]

@@briansavage8887 Of course, you are right. I hope Mr. Freed misspoke because she looked so young in "Hair." If I remember correctly, they were all referred to as kids. However, in 1969, Ms. Moore was in her 20's. Her character Dionne was probably supposed to be a teenager. As I mentioned in another post, I met her about 15 years ago. She was visiting my church. It was amazing!

[@nancy2k]

"Somewhere, inside something there is a rush of Greatness." RIP Lynn Kellogg, Original cast member Sheila.

[@averythomas7919]

The best rendition of “what a piece of work is man” in existence! Simply perfect

[@Mona07452]

Chills. Wish the original cast performance of the show in its entirety could be purchased. Finally saw the show in all its overwhelming tribal glory when 40th anniversary Hair was performed outdoors at Delacorte in NYC 2008.

[@EagleRockers]

I was part of the company that opened at the Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood. Good times and bad times they were. Peace & Love!

[@burtihal]

What was your name in the cast?

[@EagleRockers]

@@burtihal I wasn't in the cast, but friends were. I worked backstage staff.

[@burtihal]

@@EagleRockers I was the hat check girl! ✌❤✌💜✌💙

[@EagleRockers]

@@burtihal Groovy! Wasn't that a great time! We probably said 'hi' to one another from time to time. Peace & Love to you!

[@EagleRockers]

@@burtihal Did you go to LACC/Theater Department?

[@johndalton3180]

What modern productions get wrong is the the hippies are too clean. They were often dirty and raggedy. They weren't fresh faced, freshly scrubbed beautiful people. This video shows more or less how it was.

[@raniablaik6063]

The new cast album even sounds so sanitized. No grit, with base and synth reduced so the melodies can be cleaner. It lost so much, the 2009 Hair Tony performance made me cringe.

[@Pimp-Master]

Funny, I was there and don’t recall running into people who could belt out songs while waiting in line at the liquor store. Rather you encountered very smelly people who asked if you wanted to jam.

[@nathanielcastillo6340]

@@raniablaik6063 sanitized is the PERFECT word.. even the film was sanitized, just so without the heart and freedom of the original cast

[@jeffblack8457]

@@raniablaik6063 The production in Central Park (Shakespeare in the Park) in 2008 wasn't bad. At least they got the feeling of the show right, and it helped that most of the audience had spent the whole day in the park, waiting for tickets (it was so popular that professional line-standers would come every day & sell the tickets they received, which is against the rules of the theater and not at all in the spirit of the Public). My friends and I arrived at 6am and waited for tickets; since we were a large, unusually multi-racial group who had clearly not seen that production or waited for its tickets before - the staff would have remembered us if we'd already been there - we were pulled from the ticket line and given seats in the front row. It was a great experience; we got to dance on stage with the Tribe. Later, when a version of that production transferred to Broadway, I had no interest in seeing it; nothing they could do would top seeing the show outside.

[@Xaxtarr_Neonraven]

There's a difference between dirt and earth. The hippies were down to earth not dirty. You're confusing hippies with something else. Can you dig it?

[@linnycrocus6023]

In the last two refrains they get so into it almost begging. When the camera pans out and sees the audience sitting still and just watching them it gave me chills

[@fannishmarcia]

Yes! I wanted them to get up and clap and sing with them!

[@221b-Maker-Street]

​@@fannishmarcia I did too. but we need to remember those were very different times with very different norms. Audiences didn't feel anywhere near as liberated to 'join in' with a live performance as we do now, They took themselves to be spectators only, anything else would be drawing attention to oneself. Japan for example, is _still_ like this, They clap at the very end, To do so any earlier is considered very rude.

[@fannishmarcia]

@@221b-Maker-Street Yes, yet how about at the end? However, I must look at the make up of the audience...and I can see their POV. 🤣

[@stephensgrad07]

Audiences did not interfere with performances back then.

[@jenvenzke9985]

Totally, I get that

[@danaernst922]

R.I.P. Harry Belafonte he passed today

[@olymonty]

The lady singing with Melba Moore on the platfrom is La La Brooks, former lead singer of The Crystals.

[@2degucitas]

they both sound so Motown. respect.

[@gljazzhead]

Roger Chemel and former Mrs. Idris Muhammad.

[@guggarocco]

Roger Chemel ml

[@TheSOUNDMAN513]

Wow, I never knew that!! And I watch the DaDooRonRon video over and over!!!

[@gordongreen7798]

My God! This was me 50 years ago! If only we had let that spirit live! Alas....It was lost in the 80's!

[@peterdunne44]

never lost Gord-

[@anonyarena]

at 4:12 - "What a piece of work is man." - The truth. Sung beautifully by Melba Moore and La La Brooks. Thank you for these healing voices. Peace.

[@benedwards8571]

That's Moore and Ronnie Dyson ;)

[@anonyarena]

@@benedwards8571 No, it's La La, here. If you do a google search of Ronnie Dyson you will see he was a man.

[@7thWardCreole]

Shakespeare wrote those words; Hamlet!

[@sosexymagazinerobinwatkins8467]

​@@anonyarenayup!

[@sosexymagazinerobinwatkins8467]

The phenomenon of Ronnie Dyson sang Aquarius. And he had a hit song called "If you let me make love to you, then why can't I touch you?"

[@laurenquerze4883]

Fun to watch! I remember those days. Many People would have been shocked by this performance at the time. It must have been amazing for the performers to be a part of this show!

[@drstranger7430]

We starve, look at one another short of breath Walking proudly in our winter coats Wearing smells from laboratories Facing a dying nation of moving paper fantasy Listening for the new told lies With supreme visions of lonely tunes Singing our space songs on a spiderweb sitar "Life is around you and in you" Answer for Timothy Leary, deary Let the sun shine Let The sunshine in The sun shine in Let the sun shine Let The sunshine in The sun shine in Let the sun shine Let The sunshine in The sun shine in Let the sun shine Let The sunshine in The sun shine in

[@Miss_Camel]

This introduction is EVERYTHING

[@francotan6119]

can you believe these people are now in their 60s or 70s

[@joelsanoff8228]

Like me. And I saw it on Broadway 50 years ago!

[@charlesveg]

Being that age myself, I can definitely believe it. I don't much like it, but it beats the alternative! :)

[@sallyduros]

I believe it because I was in the audience in Chicago!

[@swcosmos1]

Yes

[@Iiwii11]

I actually can't believe I'm 58. This getting older thing is bizarre.

[@miguelsonofzeus]

7:15 I cried and my heart was light again.

[@mclare71]

CHILLS. We need this NOW.

[@ryanbueter7021]

So much more heart in this performance than anything out there today. I get tears in my eyes every time I watch this.

[@arthurharrison1345]

This is a unique and extraordinary score, full of delightful surprises and innovation. Absolutely poignant and delightful.

[@skeever]

By the time they get to 7:20 I almost gasp at the commitment flowing from the stage.

[@dawnwelch6579]

+skeever Holy shyte, you weren't lying about that - I choked up so hard!!! Amazing!!!

[@Pimp-Master]

I was thinking about 'how are they doing this every night?' because they're as loud as any singer I've ever heard.

[@sosexymagazinerobinwatkins8467]

Yes, These kids were truly LIVING the lyrics... It was more than just a show. I love HAIR ❤️❤️❤️

[@incognitoatunknown2702]

I clicked on this for the performance and was gifted with Harry Belafonte.

[@Fordham1969]

This is a great little time capsule.You can hear when the audience starts applauding towards the end of Let the Sunshine In,the singers on stage can't hear the band as well and start going off time with the music.Luckily the song was almost over anyway,so no major catastrophe.And the funny coincidence about the joke Zero made is that just a few years later his son Josh would appear in the film version of another well known rock musical,Jesus Christ Superstar.

[@caitlinbelforti870]

I like that it goes off beat. It speaks to the chaos and the desperation that all of the tribe members were living in.

[@oshesa1]

i saw the very first incarnation of this incredible show when it was the opening production of the nyc's public theater in the fall of 1967 before it moved up to the cheetah club and then onto broadway. also saw the broadway production another 3-5 times. it was so "mind-blowing" at the time.

[@MLBFCollection]

Fantastic! Is it true that Dead End was initially not included in the broadway production

[@zoegillman6692]

My first musical ever was Fiddler with Zero and I also saw Hair and kissed Claude afterwards ..we had such hopes for the planet

[@LeeLeeWilliams-1908]

7:15 when you know that you and your cast-mates just gave one of the best live performances of all time!! 🙌🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾

[@chocolatesouljah]

6:14 - stratospheric harmonizing with Melba Moore.

[@trompeta79]

Thank you for including her name. I'm in love!

[@chocolatesouljah]

@@trompeta79 Yay! I'm so happy to hear! Have you checked out her Tony awards performance in Purlie? I think a year or 2 later. Cray-Cray High Belt! Amazing!

[@lindsay8670]

My Mom Linda Compton is in this video!!!

[@kledhs2890]

Lindsay Miller So awesome, they were so great, hope everyone is still good. Greetings from Belgium

[@lindsay8670]

Thank you sooooo much! It sooooo much fun being able to look at old pictures of my Mom and listen to stories she tells me when she was "Famous" ;-)

[@kledhs2890]

Lindsay Miller I loved this performance the end was just wow, and what a great time to grow up in. Say hi to her if you can for me and tell her she's got a fan in Belgium, please😊 Lots of love to you guys

[@lindsay8670]

Led Zeppelin I will definitely let her know thank you! Just out of curiosity, you aren't the REAL Led Zeppelin, are you?

[@kledhs2890]

Lindsay Miller Thank you. And no no I just love them hahahaha

[@117ralph]

why do i cry listenig to this old piece of art ?

[@madeleine1042]

because it’s so beautiful!!!

[@raytaino4481]

Because of the repetition it’s like a prayer

[@kimberlyrobinson7853]

Because we need it. We needed it when you made this comment and God knows we need it now.

[@underthesign1]

Amazing performance! I’ve always loved the original cast recording but had never seen this clip

[@Dix424USA4]

I wonder how many viewing this incredible play, ever imagined that what was, YES I am that generation, that is still thinking of how this world has changed, and deteriorated.. Ty for this song, its my sun sign.

[@briansavage8887]

It's a musical.

[@1hoseeman]

This just blows away (and then some) the KZbin 2009 Hair Tony Awards performance.

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

Also amazing, but polished and lacking somewhat in passion.

[@mcslaggers4999]

Hair really did push boundaries and to think this was during the actual war. Those from before went through a very interesting time

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

My parents were among them. They lived through very interesting times.

[@zackstark24601]

This Show was Groundbreaking it should have at least won the Pulitzer Prize For Drama!

[@JesseColton]

7:16 is when I start crying

[@charlesveg]

+ridewave444, same here. I held out to about 2:15.

[@theresaakins2317]

Jessie so did I! I got real choked up. It's really a movie song.

[@nielvandaal9891]

I have seen every show of Hair perfomered in The Netherlands since 19something. But this... I cried.

[@BonnerDoemling]

Talk about a bold choice for Tony songs

[@barbararussum7283]

This was televised, I remember seeing this.

[@shaunbolton4662]

Excellent!! Longtime "Hair" fan, great to see this performance (which I have never seen before). And I also loved the Harry Belafonte intro- so cool. I'm watching this only a few days after his death, so that was an awesome surprise to see him and what a great intro! Also the Zero Mostel epilog! Thanks for posting this in it's entirety!

[@gthombos]

Thank you for posting this. A great musical performed by a great cast. Heather MacRae (daughter of the famous singer/actor Gordon MacRae) is mesmerizing. She does an outstanding job harmonizing with Melba Moore in The Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine In).

[@chichillguy]

that is lynn kellogg with melba moore

[@gthombos]

Lynn Kellogg was in the original Broadway production. Definitely Heather MacRae here.

[@chichillguy]

yes this is the original BW production/ with lynn kellogg/ the original Sheila

[@gthombos]

Yes, this is the original Broadway production. But actors come and go during a production’s run. In this case, Heather MacRae had replaced Lynn Kellogg in the role of Sheila in January of 1969.

[@user-mj8nf2vp7q]

Now THIS is vintage!

[@charlesveg]

This is the real deal. Oliver and The Fifth Dimension made good, competent commercial versions for popular consumption on the radio but this has heart and grit.

[@user-mj8nf2vp7q]

@@charlesveg ... This is true. I envy my parents having lived during this time of gritty reality. Even my middle-aged self born in the 70's can relate to and recall authentic, soulful singing and acting. I'm glad we know what the real deal is.

[@seventiesmemories5116]

Hard to believe that this was fifty years ago! The show and message is timeless.

[@therealpinoyhapa]

It is nice to see Harry Belafonte again. RIP 🙏🙏🙏

[@ultramet]

Now imagine watching this as a hyperactive 7 yo and realizing that there were adults who were ok with singing "Let the Sunshine In" and jumping all over the place. Yes, i was a child but I really miss these great days and awesomw music.

[@frederykbote351]

This is just fantastic. I think that in this performance shines a purity and truth that makes me cry and that I can’t see in later or current productions - the reasons are obvious: it sounds fresh and also, in a good sense, rough, because the sound technique was not so advanced, so they had to sing with full power from their souls. Also the singers and musicians were believable then, because they were living in the actual time of the musical. Each one of them could have been (and maybe was) a real ‘Hippie’. Whereas, in later productions, though there have been and nowadays are so many great musicians and singers around, it sometimes seems a little bit like a travesty.

[@literacylabyrinth4018]

An absolute treasure

[@boogiedownbronx73]

Black & White united as one

[@danawest6434]

I saw this at 12 years old in Boston after listening to the album every day for months. It was a very powerful experience for me (the nude scene was a little embarrassing!). 'What A Piece Of Work Is Man' is a stunning adaptation of a piece of Shakespeare, still kills me. 'Let The Sun Shine' as the final anthem reminds of 'Listening To You' by The Who from Tommy and 'Do You Hear The People Sing' from Les Miz. All share a similar poetic cry of the heart in song for transcendence. Still powerful today-

[@peggypeggy4137]

My sister had this album and I remember listening to it as a very little kid. Looking back on it, I didn't have a clue what the lyrics were about🙃 but I remember really loving this music😁

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

"Listening to You"... Yes. This has that sense to it.

[@mestreinsolito]

so meaningful and powerful even after all these years

[@aharper12]

Wow Melba, Ben Vareen, with Diane Carroll presenting!

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

Very different from the forced foolishness generally promoted at "award" shows.

[@ieattofu68]

It was like a religious experience...

[@nathanielcastillo6340]

Oh for certain.. art is a religious experience and HAIR is the greatest form of art to come from the 20th century

[@LVVocalTraining]

I was in the L A show Piece of work is man,,, is Skakespeare,, adapted by Rado and Ragni,,,,

[@harryfishback8173]

I believe that it was originally presented at a Shakespeare Festival and the song was a tribute ..

[@corey57255]

@6:00 definitely among the most jaw-dropping duetting I’ve ever heard

[@groovygirl23]

People in the original cast at different times included Diane Keaton (who never did the nude scene and eventually played Sheila), Melba Moore, Ben Vereen, Paul Jabara and Shelley Plimpton.

[@kkjhn41]

And Ted Lange from the Love Boat, Keith Carradine, Barry Mcguire of Eve Of Destruction fame, Vicki Sue Robinson who sang Turn The Beat Around, Dale Soules who played Jeanie in 68 and now plays Frieda Berlin on Orange Is The New Black.

[@christianjones5891]

Donna Summer got her start in the German production of "Hair". That is how she came to the attention of the German producers that ultimately led her to Giorgio Moroder.

[@thema1998]

@@christianjones5891 I think that I might have read about that once. What a way to start out!

[@groovygirl23]

@Anna Gonzalez No, but this was a lovely cast.

[@groovygirl23]

@Anna Gonzalez That's why it's such a great score. If you don't know it, check out the original Broadway cast album. Great songs - most of them very relevant today!

[@BornofaJackal]

I wish we could gather this up, form it into a ball, and hurl it into the minds of Americans today, where it would unfurl and give us a social consciousness that we apparently have lost, or never had. Not gonna happen.

[@kryfon]

Too true. Now we just have snowflakes who mostly get "offended" by trivial bullshit.

[@emmanuelvlogs8743]

It is happening now.

[@piecesofme8531]

When this show was decidedly not safe. Wish more artists took risks like this and dared to offend and move culture forward.

[@kthorning4459]

It was a gutsy choice for the Tonys, especially 3-5-0-0

[@alexandervalenca9589]

What a Wonderful !!!! Lovely to see these videos!!!

[@amesadamson]

thank you HB.

[@bishoproystevens5152]

Unfortunately, those days are long gone. However, it may appear as though some of that same commitment is beginning to reappear. All I can say is that it is about time.

[@briteness]

I disagree. Today's left is far more toxic than the hippies ever were.

[@Multiversetraveler93]

@@briteness good try klansman.... Let the sunshine in.

[@briteness]

@@Multiversetraveler93 ooohh! Name-calling! Well, since you're argument is impeccable and unanswerable, I guess you win.

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

@@briteness 😂😂

[@wifeoftim]

RIP Harry Belafonte 😭

[@billsav57]

I never could figure why Melba Moore didn't become a bigger star.

[@billsmith5985]

Ditto, Bill. I saw he in "Purlie" in '68, and thought that would have her 'take-off', but alas no.

[@supersporkspank]

billsav57 The answer is disco. The careers of many talented artists died with disco.

[@johannesbols57]

billsav57, I daresay Ms. Moore didn't become a bigger star... because she didn't need to be a bigger star than she already was... and always will be.

[@warrenmoore4743]

@@johannesbols57 she also became a crack addict for a while and was homeless. She got herself out of the rut and played Fantine in Les Miserables on Broadway in the 90s. But she disappeared in the mid 80s because of drug addiction.

[@richardbullis6263]

Rumor is that drugs killed her career. Bill Cosby tried to help her and her children. Just saying.

[@rogerjimenez5318]

Imagine if they were at Woodstock!!😮

[@ArisztidZ]

I wish a video of this play existed somewhere.

[@Plarocks]

Thank you for uploading this. 😍

[@OoOooowindy]

I've loved this musical for years, but only grew up knowing the movie and then the Broadway revival. Several people have probably mentioned this already, but what the movie and revival lack is the pain, uncertainty, and disillusionment of that era. When i firat saw this video it took my breath away. The rivival was all about flowers and peace signs and romanticized the 60's. But you can actually see here in the faces of the actors what it was like to live it.

[@j.brown70]

Ha! So cool to see this! My parents had the original Broadway cast album. Used to listen to it so much and read the liner notes I knew the words to *every* song so I was straight singing along tho it’s been over 40 years! And look at baby Melba Moore! (Didn’t see Ronnie Dyson or Diane Keaton but watching this on my iPhone ain’t helping either 😁). When I was 9 the movie version came out with Treat Williams, Beverly D’Angelo (and Nell Carter as one of the singers - and cameos w/ Melba Moore and Ronnie Dyson actually doing the first song) and I really liked it. Saw it again recently and still enjoyed it. And now just learned - after someone commented on it - that Ben Vereen also performed in this clip!! I *thought* it looked like him, but wasn’t sure b/c his name wasn’t in the album credits like the others, which is the only way I would know who was in the original cast. Seems he came on after the album was recorded cuz he was in it from ‘68-71. 💕💕

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

Ben Vereen is the actor in the red vest between the two singers during the duet, yes?

[@catherineerwin8269]

And the "rather magnificent," Bert Sommer who was the 3rd performer at WOODSTOCK. He's the tall dude with the green shirt dancing with the young woman.

[@phatcat3705]

Aww. He's my fav. Impossible to miss that huge fluff of curls. 😊

[@sparklebrown9082]

They throw down awesome!

[@isammolina4842]

Yo me hubiera puesto a saltar y cantar. Público frío. Grande Harry Belafonte.hay que recuperar este espíritu. Grsxss

[@imurprisoner1]

The heart on their sleeves! Awesome bunch! Love from me xx

[@videocat1366]

Diahann Carroll and Zero Mostel at 8:18! Not in caption.

[@bremarceasingle2332]

Love me some Hair.....I didn't know Ben Vereen was part of the original cast.....there is a RnB singer , who passed away years ago name Ronnie Dyson, "If U let me love to U, why can't I touch U" is in this performance. Melba Moore has a voice strictly made for the theater, it's a shame she never was able to do more....Loved her in Purlie!

[@kkjhn41]

I saw this at the Biltmore twice in 68 and 69. Ronnie Dyson sang Aquarius in 68. It was spine tingling.

[@burtihal]

Ben was not original cast. His first Hair was as Hud in the Los Angeles cast, October '68. I was there.

[@sosexymagazinerobinwatkins8467]

Melba Moore did do more she did have a disco hit called "You Stepped Into My Life. She's singing and Performing now!

[@harveysheere7122]

I Live in England and In The Late 60s I Saw THIS Show Possibly 4 Maybe 5 Times The Choreography Was very Different From What I've Since Seen From America but The One thing That The Casts Have - Is Their Enthusiasm I TRULY Hope Those Days Come Again - I Miss Them 😢

[@feathersforfun]

Heather Macrae as Sheila singing with Melba, Linda Comptons family, I was the guy with the car who occasionally drove Linda& Suzy Norstrand home after work, even Ben with a huge afro,I had a little brown firebird parked next door to the biltmore, hope Lindas well, send my love, Jason here

[@sharonmahoney9333]

I thought that was Lynn Kellogg singing with Melba at the end.

[@feathersforfun]

@@sharonmahoney9333 I double checked, its Heather yet it was the tonys with the original cast, Lynn was the first sheila then Diane Keaton then heather, why she would be on the tonys I dont know, Lynn just passed.

[@hooey4362]

Considering the way this musical is, 1969 was the best possible year for it to be at the Tony's.

[@angelman51266]

The artists keep crying for peace. Who is not hearing??

[@flatandsplat]

This musical profoundly moves me.

[@kevinboone2178]

Summer 1968 -- My father drove my mom, me, and my three brothers from the DVM to NYC to visit my Uncle Paul who lived in Manhattan's Central Park West. Uncle Paul took us on the subway; and on it was a kissed by the sun gorgeous Puerto Rican boy my age in Chuck Taylors (my 12 yr old self was affected that way...shut up!) and I have been obsessed by those fine folks ever since. Sadly...lol...we got off on 42nd St. to see the "sights, which included some Broadway/B theaters/marquees, porn shops and naked ladies, and other excitements, the multi-ethnic cast from HAIR, for one. With their fashionable bell-bottom pants and colorful shirts they looked like the "hippies" they'd be playing later that night. But several Black ones stood out as they had big Afros, which I had never seen. Ever. And I'm Black. I now know one of them was Broadway veteran Ben Vareen, as one can't forget his theatrical face...dude actually acknowledged our presence, by greeting us like long-lost cousins. The other member I recall was the beautiful (future) Grammy-winning singer Melba Moore. As remarkable, the cast on the street seemed high on something fantastic, for they were under the influence of pharmaceuticals...no one has the right to be so, well, wildly exuberant. To make a long story short, we had a wonderful time in the city. When we got home we went shopping, and I went into a record shop and saw the HAIR cast album; it was the first record I had ever bought, and I listened to it a thousand times, at least. Until my college undergraduate years I had no idea what "Christmas in nigger town" meant, nor "Cunnilingus." But "Fellatio" - I learned its meanig when, as a freshman in an all-male Catholic school, I overheard someone talking about "b... jobs." I was incredulous, and asked, "Who employs people to blow on things?" I never lived that one down. (KFB 060920)

[@groovygirl23]

I love this so much! Thanks for posting.

[@carriebrighamscentsylady]

I'm just surprised at how much the audiences have changed since then. Today, the audience (even at the Tony's) would have started clapping along and there definitely would have been a standing ovation.

[@mtglen]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGqoiHWafZl9oqcsi=VBF8ulsowvMugI-y

[@mtglen]

Ed Sullivan show, the dancers were all over the audience. :-)

[@kyenta1]

My parents took me to see this in the 70s in Toronto. I smile inwardly as I signed consent for my 15 year old daughter to go see it, many years later. LOL

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

Of course. Perish the thought a parent be allowed to make a decision for their child wihout having to sign for it. 🙄

[@paulamiles9559]

3-5-0-0! I still remember the words! I was 14 when I saw this on tv.

[@jameslink6623]

listen to the words people, true today more than then

[@bookwoman53]

The newer productions often feel a tad too polished, with actors that went to drama school.