Question about "Hair" on Broadway
 

If you have seen "Hair", would you take 7th & 9th grade boys to see it?

How do you feel about references to sex and full frontal nudity?

Depends on the boys. Are they both yours?

Actually, all three of them are mine. I squirmed a little through the love scene in "Terminator", but they were okay. Sort of depends on what they're doing while they're nude, and how long they're nude. I don't mind references to sex, they listen to that all day at school. But I don't want to listen to it non-stop though the whole play. I am acutally more worried about portrayals of drug use that glamorize it too much.

The "references" to sex are mimed by bodies, and there's a lot of them. Suggestive motions, if you will.

The nude scene is at the end of the first act and is "nicely" done. Low lights, lots of shadows, but if you are up close, I'm sure they'd get an eyeful.

I don't think drugs are glamorized too much...but it is Hair after all. They were plenty of kids/teens in that age range there with families.

The nude scene is not egregious - but everyone on stage is completely naked and perfectly visible unless you're in the last row and have poor vision.

You have to understand that the show is from a different era - when sex, drugs and rock n roll ruled - and is VERY political/counterculture. I would discuss it with them in advance - so they have some background and understand all of the references to the Viet Nam war - and attitudes portrayed.

(A quite conservative woman in my office saw the show and found it very objectionable - for the politics - not the nudity.) I saw the original when I was not far off them in age - but I was a child of the culture - and "got" everything.

Hmm, that's a tough one. A lot would depend on the maturity of the boys, and how comfortable you and they are about seeing the show together. The nudity is not about sex - it's used as a protest and is very tastefully done, but it's full frontal. The choreography has a lot of simulated sex.

As far as drugs - most of the second act is and extended scene where the main character is tripping. And they smoke a lot of pot throughout the show.

That being said, Hair is one of the best theatre experiences I've had. Ever. And I've seen a lot of shows. The performances are incredible - especially the two male leads.

Caissie Levy is great as Sheila (which is the real reason I chose this show) :-)

I think it depends on how comfortable you would be with it and if you think they are mature enough to see it. Kids grow up so fast these days. I know when I was young, I never would have been allowed to see it. You need to find out what could be offensive in it and then make your own decision.

For the nude scene, the actors were lined up in a row in the middle of the stage and just stood there singing. I'd guess that they were nude on stage for only about a minute or so. I think that the provacative dancing that they did in other songs while fully clothed and the simulated drug use in other songs had the potential to be more offensive to people than the nude scene. I don't know if you're familiar with the songs, but some of the lyrics in a few songs are very suggestive.

The production as a whole was the most energetic performance that I've ever seen. The actors were all over the stage and came into the audience. It was a fun show.

There are references to drugs and sex aside from the nudity, but I actually find it all a very positive message (easy enough for me to say since I don't have kids). But I would allow teens to see the show. It's much more tasteful than most rap music and less sexually charged than most movies these days.

Well stated, Doug!

I would have less of a problem letting them see it (none actually) than I would seeing it with them -- I remember seeing the [awful] movie "Varsity Blues" with my son and his friend, and I was very uncomfortable myself with them sitting, as it happened, on either side of me.

The play is in good taste but I would feel funny taking kids that age to a show with nudity.I agree with sf7307.

Uh-oh. We already have the tickets for December. Bringing two teens, 17 and 15. I'll have to conveniently "forget" to take the two opera glasses that we normally take with us to the theatre. ;-)

I wouldn't sweat it, gelatolover. I really don't think a brief peek of nudity, closeup or otherwise, will corrupt them!

Howard: gotcha! They're not as naive as we think they are, that's for sure.....

Righton, gelatolover!
I still vividly remember the time we took our then 13-year-old daughter to her first R-rated movie. As we were leaving, I made some comment to her that clearly indicated that my wife and I were uncomfortable about her being exposed to some strong four-letter words. Her response: "Oh, that's nothing compared to what I hear in school!"

I think 15 and 17 are way too old to worry about them seing someone naked. It really shouldn;t be a mystery by that age.

To the OP, 7th and 9th grade, so that would be 12 and 14 years old? The 12 year old may be to young, but likely not the 14 year old. I saw the show earlier this summer. The sexual references are there, but I don't recall their being gratuitous. There is a fair amount of pot use in the show. As to the nudity, we sat in the front mezzanine, and couldn't see anything given how the lighting was. I will say, that though I did enjoy the show, I didn't love it. It is VERY 60's, and I was born in 1966, and I thought it was too 60's for me. Thought it was an excellent production, the acting was great, the music was great, am glad I saw it, but it really didn't do all that much for me. I wonder if 12 and 14 year old kids would care all that much about it?

Agree that you would have to give the kids some background on the era for them to "get" a lot of the show. Without understanding the Viet Nam War and the counterculture to it - I'm not sure they would get the point of a lot of things.

I took my 16 year old son to see the show in July. I am going back to see it in November and this time am bringing my 12 year old daughter and her friend who is 14. I think the nudity is incidental. The message of the show - which for me is the craziness of war and the quest for peace - far outweighs any concerns you should have about nudity. Hair resonates with today's audiences as much, if not more, than it did in the 60s. Not only is this a show that is a joy to behold, it is a show that MUST be seen.