Poster for “Hair” the Broadway Musical (1968)

This poster, made by Alexius Ruspoli-Rodriguez, was created to promote the 1968 original Broadway production of the musical Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. It was one of the most groundbreaking and influential works of musical theater of the 20th century.  The musical engaged with contemporary events and social change through the lens of American youth culture. The play openly discussed controversial issues including the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the sexual revolution, and hippie counterculture.

The man in the poster is Steve Curry, who portrayed the character Woof in the original Broadway production. Ruspoli-Rodriguez was able to encapsulate his wild, untamed hair, the bright solarized colors, and psychedelic design of the poster to represent Hair's provocative countercultural challenge to Broadway conventions.