ttitude Hair was received favourably by both critics and audiences alike. It tested musical stage conventions and opened up new ground for future projects. It proved that escapism could also work when social questions are asked and the audience is confronted with honesty and ideology. The audience does not view a recognised history or the status quo lifestyle, but witnesses something new and exciting. Hair was heaving Broadway into a new era. Although it now seems deeply conservative and highly sentimental, in its time it was groundbreaking. After the success of the first rock musical Hair, the path was paved for a new, British, inspirational one. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice provided just that. Their British rock musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, (Appendix 1 - D) had already been a huge success worldwide before it triumphed in the West End. It ran for eight years in London. It encouraged other rock operas onto the stage. Its religious theme was new and refreshing on Broadway and in the West End theatres. It is the story of the last seven days of Jesus life, seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot - his betrayer. The quite ridiculous charges of blasphemy undoubtedly helped publicise the musical, aiding its success. The real blasphemy for many when it was first released was the association of Jesus with the sin of rock music. Yet in America, a few years later, churches were formed that no longer sang the traditional hymns but sang gospel. Maybe, if Superstar had been produced only a few years later it would not have been as popular. The majority of the ticket sales was to curious people, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. At the premiere of the Broadway show there was a group of protesters outside the theatre. A Rabbi was exclusively complaining about the content of the show, i.e. the lyrics. He represented the American Jewish Committee. They compiled a document which concluded that the show unambiguously lays the primary res...
