Encores! produced Hair in its 2001 season—and initial reactions to the announcement were decidedly mixed.
"We actually got hate mail," Encores! artistic director Jack Viertel shares in a tweet from New York City Center. "We also sold every single seat."
The cast included Tom Plotkin (Berger), Luther Creek (Claude), Kevin Cahoon (Woof), Brandi Chavonne Massey (Dionne), Michael McElroy (Hud), Idina Menzel (Sheila), Miriam Shor (Jeanie), and Jessica-Snow Wilson (Crissy) for the May 3–7 run.
Watch Menzel sing "Easy to Be Hard" in the video below, part of the Encores! Archives posts sharing looks back at some of the memorable productions from the series' 20 years.
It’s a show people feel strongly about, but it does seem tame today – which doesn’t mean it isn’t great. It is."
— New York City Center (@NYCityCenter) April 8, 2020
– Encores! Artistic Director @JackViertel1
��: @idinamenzel "Easy to Be Hard”
Encores! Hair 2001 #EncoresArchives
pic.twitter.com/k7iUI7SUJD
Also in the cast were Rosalind Brown, Bryant Carroll, E. Alyssa Claar, Gavin Creel, Kathy Deitch, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jessica Ferraro, Billy Hartung, Todd Hunter, Eric Millegan, Sean Jeremy Palmer, Sheri Sanders, Carolyn Saxon, Michael Seelbach, and Yuka Takura.
