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Friday, September 16, 2005 Questions About HAIR Recently I have been asked about the HAIR film. I have been asked why the show didn't last longer on Broadway. Both these questions were put to me in a negative derogatory fashion. I am going to explain my aspect of those stories. Originally I acquired the film rights as it seemed no decision would ever be made for it to go forward. I paid $1,000,000, quite a sum in 1969. After much negotiation I made a deal with Paramount. This studio was owned by Gulf & Western. It was run be the mercurial Frank Yablens. He had made it very successful. He gave me Peter Bart (now Editor-in-Chief of Variety) as the Executive Producer. Peter and I hit it off very well. We had a dream team: Hal Ashby to direct, Colin Higgens as screenwriter, Michael Heller for design and Doug Trumbell to do special effects. Hal Ashby spent some weeks with me in England where we worked out a good relationship. One of our understandings was to consult with the authors of the play. He had no problem with this. Neither did Colin. We started to put the project together with considerable additional personal investment. Suddenly, without warning Ashby withdrew. He was a drug casualty who eventually succumbed to the habit. You can imagine the catastrophe to our plan. We proposed that Colin Higgens direct. We couldn't get the approval as he had never directed. A bad decision that was as he turned out to be a top director. One of the problems influencing this mistake was a great ego fight between Frank Yablans and Charles Bludehorn, the head of Gulf & Western. Naturally the boss won and Yablans was out too. Then Barry Diller was brought in to run Paramount. He had his own agenda and it did not include HAIR. The film project languished until Robert Stigwood took me to his premier of "Tommy". I liked that work and asked him if he would be interested in doing HAIR. He was and we started to negotiate. Robert brought Lester Persky in as associate. Later Robert dropped out. I was left with Persky. We agreed to Milos Foreman as director. I understood the authors to be happy with Milos who had wanted for sometime to make the film. Lester and I had a clear understanding that the authors would be consulted. Michael Weiller was brought on to write the screenplay. My dislike of the screenplay, in particular the ending and the handling Claude's character, was so strong that I never went on the set again. I really dropped out of having anything to do with the production. I only returned to the scene when asked to assist in the promotion with speeches and presentations. While I was disappointed I am very happy the film was made. It has given many an opportunity to be exposed to the basics of HAIR. Countless people have really enjoyed the film. Yes, it is not the play but it has made many fans who have gone on to want to see a live production with the author's intended. It is still the strongest anti war statement in the history of musical theatre. As for the Broadway run not being longer. First, very few shows run on B'way for 1750 performances. Second, I elected to mount the show in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington' which, although exposing many to HAIR who otherwise might not have seen it, (including government officials) drew from the NYC fan base. I also mounted more than 12 productions in various cities without waiting on the end of the B'way run. Traditionally, road shows do not start until after their NYC production shuts down. We knew that this also would erode the NYC market base, but felt HAIR was too pertinent to await the normal flow of New York run. Given the same situation-with human beings dying every day- I would do it that way again. Another not altogether unitended consequence of this decision allowed us to produce live, equity musical productions in more cities simultaneously than any other production, with casts drawn from these respective cities. I believe this dimension of authenticity gave HAIR: The Musical, and its message, a greater authenticity than it may have had had it played ten years in New York, on Broadway or Off. In the process, I believe HAIR brought more new actors to the American stage, if not the world's than any other legitimate stage production. |
ARTICLES
OF NOTE
Answers for Simon "But I Can't Make A Difference" "God said it. I believe it. That settles it" Iran and US - At The Abyss Life's Too Short Eminent Domain Message From London Our Larger Middle Eastern Problem What Is Really Obscene ARCHIVES December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005
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