Hair through the ages

Flower power ... Hair the Musical is the first Broadway production to transfer to London with its entire award-winning cast intact Photograph: Donald Cooper/Rex Features Photograph: Donald Cooper/guardian.co.uk After countless rejections and a stint in fringe theatres, Hair hit the big time in Broadway's Biltmore theatre in 1968. Largely based on the lives of its writers, actors James Rado and Gerome Ragni, it tells a controversially honest story of sex and political activism Photograph: Ralph Morse/Getty Images Photograph: Ralph Morse/guardian.co.uk A hit across the pond ... Hair storms the West End stage at the Shaftesbury theatre in 1968. Although opening night had to be delayed until the abolition of theatre censorship, the trials of the boho East Village kids proved just as relevant in swinging London. With an all-star cast including Elaine Paige, and a two-line debut by 60s icon Marsha Hunt as Dionne (pictured), the production ran until 1973, when the collapse of the theatre's roof forced its closure Photograph: Phillip Jackson/Rex Features Photograph: Phillip Jackson/guardian.co.uk Seventies sparkle strikes it big in this 1974 production. The set design remains faithful to the original Broadway stage, with bare scaffolding and graffiti. Think gritty New York warehouse ... Photograph: Reg Wilson/Rex Features Photograph: Reg Wilson/guardian.co.uk Daring to bare ... inspired by streakers at a Vietnam war protest, Hair features a brief nude scene. The full-frontals – hugely controversial at the time – were optional for the actors, but no one's too shy in this production in 1979 Photograph: Team/Alinari/Rex Features Photograph: Team/Alinari/guardian.co.uk Hair returned to British soil in 1993 with a production at London's Old Vic, starring John Barrowman of Doctor Who and Torchwood fame Photograph: John Stillwell/PA Archive Photograph: John Stillwell/guardian.co.uk The characters might be high in this performance at the Old Vic, but the audience was less uplifted; the shortlived production was largely considered a flop Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features Photograph: Richard Young/guardian.co.uk Screaming back on to Broadway in 2009, Hair was restored to full Technicolor glory. The production at the Al Hirschfeld theatre was a huge success, winning a Tony award and Drama Desk award for best revival of a musical Photograph: Joan Marcus/PA Photograph: Joan Marcus/guardian.co.uk The score scores ... the 1968 original cast recording received a Grammy award for best score from an original cast show album. Songs from the show have continued to be recorded by major artists – Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross, to name but a few Photograph: Getty Images Photograph: guardian.co.uk