The final scene of Hair, in which Claude appears with shorn locks signifying his entry into the army, proved particularly difficult to calibrate. After a turn in regulation green gear from Kaufman’s Army & Navy didn’t quite achieve the desired effect, Paulus suggested simply topping the hippie duds with a Vietnam-era dress uniform jacket that McDonald unearthed. “When it’s clear that he’s been taken by the army and we see this flash of his future being killed, you still see this purity of his soul by seeing his blue jeans and hippie necklace under his army uniform,” explains Paulus.
Given the ages of some of the cast members, it was important for Paulus and McDonald to convey the deeper meaning behind their cool getups. “What you wore as a hippie was about a state of mind, a philosophy,” says Paulus. “It was a whole way of life. So it’s like you earn the right to wear those clothes.”
For his part, Groff is so thrilled with his new incarnation that he may just nab an item or two. “You just want to steal your costumes,” he exclaims.
