The revival of 1960s hippie musical Hair is to close at the Gielgud theatre in September. It had been booking to January 2011.
A statement from the show said: “Cameron Mackintosh and the US Producers have decided not to recast Hair when the Broadway company finish their London engagement. The final performance will be 4 September 2010”.
When it opened at the Gielgud theatre in April this year, Hair made history by becoming the first Broadway show to transfer to the West End with its entire original New York cast. The show had already achieved success on the Great White Way, winning the 2009 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
James Rado and Gerome Ragni’s ‘tribal rock’ musical centres on a group of hippies in New York’s Greenwich Village who champion peace, love and freedom against the backdrop of the Vietnam war draft. The show caused a sensation on its UK premiere in London in 1968, shortly after the abolition of the censor, due to its use of nudity on stage.
The rousing score contains the famous songs Aquarius, Let The Sunshine In and the title track.
No further productions have yet been announced for the Gielgud theatre.
CB