Stars of Frozen and Glee to Perform in Hair at the Hollywood Bowl

Brianne Nemiroff

Before there was Rock of Ages, Grease, and even Jesus Christ Superstar, there was the musical that started it all. Hair revolutionized Broadway with its contemporary themes of sexual freedom, war, and hippie culture, and by inherently creating the sub-genre called the rock musical. While Hair is now mainly nostalgic, it has consistently remained a favorite of the theatre community for over four decades and is this year’s Hollywood Bowl star-studded performance, featuring some of the most sought-after stars.

Playing Claude is Hunter Parrish. Known mostly for playing Silas Botwin on Weeds for eight seasons, he recently took on the recurring role of Jeffrey Grant on The Good Wife this past year. On Broadway, he has starred as Jesus Christ in a revival of Godspell, as well as Melchior in Spring Awakening in his Broadway debut. Playing Sheila is Kristen Bell, who most recently lent her voice to Anna, one of the two princesses in the worldwide sensation Frozen. She also reprised her leading role in the film Veronica Mars, funded by Kickstarter fans of the prematurely canceled television show, and she currently stars as Jeannie Van Der Hooven on Showtime’s House of Lies. Co-starring are Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland as Chrissy, Glee’s Amber Riley and Jenna Ushkowitz as Dionne and Jeanie, as well as R&B musician Mario as Hud.

While many know the controversy behind the show, few actually understand why. The plot of Hair is about a young man named Claude who is wrestling with the decision to resist the draft and his roommate, Sheila, a pregnant hippie who is in love with Claude. Along with their friends, they struggle to balance life in the ’60s amidst the sexual revolution and the cultural rebellion against their conservative parents. Claude must decide whether to follow his parents’ expectations and serve in Vietnam, or to follow his friends and resist the draft. Aside from the politically-driven story, Hair broke ground with its racially integrated cast, a nude scene, and its audience participation in the finale, and as it premiered in a time when Hello Dolly, Cabaret, and Sweet Charity dominated Broadway, the down-to-earth realism of this musical made a lot of noise with its debut.

Hair plays for three days at the Hollywood Bowl from August 1-3. You can order dinner in advance at one of the restaurants at the venue, have food served to you in your box seats, or take advantage of a beloved Hollywood Bowl tradition and pack a picnic.