- Hair is back in Sydney, with its flower power themes and anti-war rhetoric.
- Six decades on, it ought to be the perfect piece for our troubled times.
- So does it still work? Peter Lynch went to the first night to find out.
There was a time when Hair was one of the most revolutionary shows on the planet.
When the “tribal love-rock musical” first exploded onto Broadway in 1968, and then onto Australian stages just a year later, it shocked audiences with its anti-war message, frank discussions about sex and drugs, and its famous nude scene.
It wasn’t merely a musical. It was a cultural event.
Nearly 60 years later, Hair has returned to Sydney’s Theatre Royal, bringing with it all the flower-power optimism, psychedelic imagery and counter-culture idealism that made it a phenomenon.
The question is: does that message still resonates in 2026, when mobile phones, social media and hard-right politics are the order of the day.
At first glance, the timing seems perfect. With Donald Trump back in the White House, war once again dominating headlines in the Middle East, and social divisions widening across much of the Western world, a musical built around protest, peace and resistance ought to feel remarkably relevant.
Yet somehow, it doesn’t.
That’s not the fault of this energetic and committed cast, who throw themselves wholeheartedly into the production. Nor is it because the music has lost its appeal. Songs such as Aquarius, Hair, Ain’t Got No, I Got Life and, of course, Let the Sunshine In remain irresistible reminders of a time when music and social change seemed inseparable.
The problem is Hair itself. Like an Aussie mullet, it needs a good barber to make it work today.
Hair out of place?
More concert than conventional musical, it has only the loosest semblance of a plot. Rather than telling a coherent story, it presents a series of songs, sketches, protests, jokes, speeches and psychedelic interludes featuring a tribe of long-haired hippies championing free love, civil disobedience and the rejection of authority.
That may have felt radical in 1968. For today’s audiences, particularly younger audiences raised on social media, streaming entertainment and fast-moving storytelling, it can feel frustratingly diffuse and difficult to understand.
As several critics have observed over the years, Hair struggles with narrative structure and pacing because there is so little actual story to hold everything together.
The closest thing the show has to a genuine dramatic thread is Claude’s dilemma over whether to resist the Vietnam draft or submit to military service. Alex Cooper gives a thoughtful and engaging performance as Claude, bringing sincerity to a character which often serves as the audience’s emotional anchor.
But around him swirls a huge ensemble of colourful characters, each battling for attention amid the chaos. Maxwell Simon delivers plenty of charisma as Berger, the tribe’s unofficial leader, while Elizabeth Brennan’s Sheila brings passion and conviction.
Hard working case
The cast deserves enormous credit because this is not an easy show to perform. With so many people on stage, so much movement and so many overlapping storylines, they are constantly working to create believable characters and meaningful audience connections.
Too often, however, those efforts get lost in the sheer volume of activity.
There are moments when it feels as though everyone is performing a different show simultaneously. The stage is packed with movement, dancing, singing and comic business, making it difficult to focus on any one character or fully understand what the production is trying to say.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the songs fare much better than the storytelling.
The first act is packed wall-to-wall with familiar hits. In fact, there are so many songs arriving in quick succession that audiences can barely absorb one before the next begins. The result is a musical equivalent of a greatest-hits playlist. Enjoyable, certainly, but occasionally exhausting.
Several of the tunes are so brief that they seem to disappear almost as soon as they begin. You may find yourself humming a refrain on the way home and realising you scarcely remember hearing the full song.
Then there is the famous full-frontal nude scene that closes the first act.
When Hair premiered, it caused outrage. Today, it barely raises an eyebrow. The full-frontal tableau lasts only moments and feels surprisingly superfluous. Perhaps that says more about modern audiences than it does about the production itself, but what was once shocking now seems largely incapable of provoking much reaction at all.
The second half proves the stronger.
The extended LSD trip sequence is visually engaging, finally allowing the production’s psychedelic impulses to make dramatic sense. The staging becomes more focused, the emotional stakes increase, and for the first time the show feels as though it is building toward something meaningful.
Unfortunately, the ending arrives with startling speed.
One moment the show appears to be gathering emotional momentum; the next it is effectively over. The final scenes, which should land with devastating impact, feel rushed and somewhat swallowed by everything that has come before.
Perhaps that is ultimately the challenge facing Hair in the 21st century.
The ideals it celebrates – peace, tolerance, freedom and questioning authority – remain admirable and relevant. But the theatrical language through which it communicates those ideas feels dated and unfocused.
This production certainly delivers energy, enthusiasm and some terrific vocal performances. The audience responded warmly, particularly to the familiar songs, and there were still plenty of flower-adorned devotees in attendance eager to revisit the Summer of Love.
Yet for newcomers, particularly younger theatre-goers, Hair may feel more like a fascinating historical artefact than a living, breathing piece of theatre.
As a snapshot of a generation that genuinely believed it could change the world, it remains an important musical. As a piece of dramatic storytelling, however, you cannot help wondering whether this counter-culture classic might benefit from a short back and sides.
What you need to know
HAIR – The Tribal Love-Rock Musical
Where: Theatre Royal Sydney, 108 King Street, Sydney
When: From June 6, 2026.
Times: Tue – 6:30pm, Wed to Sat – 7:30pm, Wed and Sun – 1:00pm and Sat – 2:00pm.
Ticket Prices: From $69 plus booking fee
Season: Strictly limited season
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including interval
Website: www.hairthemusical.com.au
