Viet Rock is a rock musicalbyMegan Terry that served as inspiration to the musical Hair. A violent denunciation of the American involvement in the Vietnam War, the play was described by its author as a "folk war movie" comprising scenes of disillusionment and protest to the American military presence in Southeast Asia.[1]Viet Rock is widely considered to be the first rock musical written and performed in the United States, as well as the first protest play about Vietnam.[2] Its premiere also marks the first major theatre production in the United States in which actors left the stage to interact directly with the audience.[3]
The play was initially developed in 1965 and 1966 during collaborative workshops at New York City's The Open Theater under the leadership of Joseph Chaikin and Peter Feldman.[4] The company performed improvisations based on accounts of the Vietnam War, and Terry wrote and directed a full-length show based on these improvisations.[5] The music was composed by Marianne de Pury, who developed the songs during the workshops. It opened at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club on May 18, 1966.[6]
The play then had a two-week run at the Yale Repertory Theatre before its off-Broadway premiere at the Martinique Theatre on November 10, 1966. It closed at the Martinique on December 31 after 62 performances.[7][8]
One of the leading cast members was Gerome Ragni, who would go on to create the musical Hair with fellow actor James Rado. In developing Hair, Ragni borrowed the anti-war theme, as well as the experimental technique of improvisational exercises, from the production of Viet Rock.[9][10]
