A Reporter's Notebook:
New York City - When I was a little girl, my mother used to sing the songs from the Broadway musical "Hair" to get me to fall asleep. A true child of the 1960s, my mother went to Woodstock at 17, watched as the man she loved, my father, joined the Marine Corps and was shipped to Vietnam, and still to this day calls Janis Joplin the greatest musical artist of all time.

The revival of Hair opened on Broadway last month at the Al Hirschfeld Theater to long lines. Here, Jeanie Turnbull Carroll, awaits her reunion with the music of her youth.

When her 57th birthday rolled around just this past February (making her an Aquarian - I know, ironic), I racked my brain for the perfect present. My mother has never been materialistic, and subsequently has never enjoyed a gift that wasn't well thought out and from the heart. When I heard that a revival of her favorite musical was opening on Broadway in March, I immediately knew that this was going to be a gift of a lifetime.

The original production of "Hair" opened off-Broadway in 1967, making its Broadway debut the following year. Fellow actors and creators of the play, James Rado and Gerome Ragni, collaborated on the idea of young New Yorkers grappling with the then-contemporary climate of war, peace, drugs and rock music. Known as 'The Tribe,' these characters were the stereotypical "flower children" of my mother's generation.

The subject matter of the play incensed controversy in the late 1960s, which of course drew my mother to it even more as a teenager engulfed in the entire "hippie" culture. Outwardly condoning drug use, combined with the flagrant sexual freedoms of the day, "Hair" caused a stir on Broadway and across small town America. Today, however, especially in my parents' household, the show is a beloved piece of American history.

Traveling from the small upstate New York village of Highland Falls, just outside the gates of the United States Military Academy, my mom and I arrived in the city's Theater District fairly early for our 2 p.m. show time, and looked around for a place to escape the light rain and grab some pre-theater fare. We ducked into Smith's Bar on 8th Avenue for some American grub, but other recommended restaurants in the area included Carmine's Midtown on 44th Street, Frankie and Johnnie's Steakhouse on 45th Street, and the View Restaurant at the Marriott Marquis on Broadway.

After lunch and once inside the Al Hirschfeld Theater, I was taken aback by how beautiful the venue is, in and of itself. Originally the Martin Beck Theater, it was built in 1924 in what Playbill calls a "Byzantine style." The small appearance of the interior creates a sense of comfort, while the painted ceilings, in the vein of Renaissance art, only heighten the appeal of the theater as more than just a place to see a show. The stage decorations, a beaten down truck and old rugs painted in psychedelic colors, set the scene.

Generations collide at the Al Hirschfeld Theater Broadway's 45th Street at this year's production of HAIR.

What I was most concerned about while making my way to our seats, however, was if my mom was even going to be able to see the show, as two seats in the last row of the mezzanine section was all I could afford on my 25-year-old budget. However, there is truly no bad seat in the Hirschfeld Theater, as the mezzanine is high above the stage, but seemingly not far from it. And, my mom was excited that no one was behind her, so she could get up and dance freely. While tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster and NewYorkCityTheatre.com, cheap deals can be found at SelectATicket.com for those with a tight wallet.

A 1968 performance of HAIR. Image courtesy of Google Images

The show, which relies on its music, was non-stop energy. Several times my mom commented that the actors "must be in great shape," as they were constantly jumping and running (and many times up in the mezzanine section), bringing the audience with them on their psychedelic trip. In the 1960s Galt MacDermot composed the score for the show, including hits like "Aquarius" and "Good Morning Starshine," as well as the show's namesake tune, "Hair." MacDermot has again joined Rado and Ragni for the 2009 production, and the music carries the show, as I am sure it also did back then. To showcase the importance of the soundtrack, musical accompaniment is set right on stage with the characters.

A favorite for both my mom and myself was Allison Case's version of "Frank Mills," yet it seemed that every member of the cast has a powerful and soulful voice of their own. Special performances are Bryce Ryness as "Woof," Gavin Creel as "Claude," and Will Swenson as "Berger," but quite frankly the entire cast should be applauded for being naked on stage in front of more than 1,000 people (don't worry it's only for one scene).

As the show ended and we patiently waited for the cast's final bows, dozens of audience members abruptly left their seats. While my mom and I thought they must be rushing to catch a train, we noticed that the cast had invited the entire audience on stage to share in one final song and dance. My mom has vowed to see the show again, if only to make it up on that stage.

There are many Broadway shows to see, but "Hair" is truly a special one. Its premise may have been created more than 40 years ago, but its message rings true today. With the final image of a uniform-clad Claude lying on an American flag, while snow falls down on him and the haunting sounds of the Tribe soften into the distance, the audience is reminded that we may not have made it as far from the anti-war protest climate of the 1960s as we had thought.

Originally the Martin Beck Theater, the Hirschfeld has a small and intimate feel.

Leaving the theater, cast members stood with red buckets, collecting money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, a great cause, but also a chance for audience members to interact with the cast without waiting by the theater's stage doors. Approaching one of the Tribe members, in full regalia and looking exactly like Jimi Hendrix, I put money in his bucket and said to him, "I have to tell you, my mom sang all of these songs to me when I was little to put me to sleep." Taken aback by the fact that, 20 years ago, there was a child who knew all the words to the production's controversial soundtrack, the Tribe member took one look at my mom and laughed. She was practically beaming and I was proud to share with someone the fact that my mom had been able to impart on me the importance of such an influential time in her life.

Back at my parents house later that evening, my mom pulled out the studio album for the original production of "Hair," her teenage signature scrawled across the top of the vinyl record's cover. I always knew how special the musical was to her, but I couldn't really appreciate it until I saw it for myself, and I am so thankful that Broadway has given me that chance.