We think one of the most fun things one could possibly do this summer is to be in the cast of The Public Theater’s revival of the 1967 musical Hair, which opens tomorrow night at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Unfortunately, we are not so vocally or physically inclined, so the next best thing is to be in the audience. The cast is young, cute and not afraid to get naked. They use the open, grassy ampitheater as a kind of hippie playpen, climbing up the walls and running around tossing their long hair (of course) and spreading the love.

One of our favorite Broadway actors, Jonathan Groff, well known for creating the role of Melchior, the sexually liberated teen (we’re noticing a trend!) in Spring Awakening, is playing the role of Claude -- a hippie who gets drafted during the Vietnam War and is torn between staying with his bohemian “tribe” -- making love not war and singing songs about air pollution and drug use -- or showing up for his civic duty. We got the chance to chat with the Pennsylvania native in between 12 hour rehearsals in 90 degree weather –- “literally everyone is half naked putting sunscreen on each other. It’s so fucking hot.” Hmm, doesn’t sound so bad to us! Here’s what he had to say about whether or not he would have burned his draft card back then and why he’s the only one in the cast that keeps his clothes on.

Had you seen a production of Hair before this?
It’s weird, I was [rehearsing] for Spring Awakening two years ago and director Michael Mayer told me to watch the movie Hair. He was like, 'you have to go home and watch when Treat Williams sings 'I Got Life' -- that’s sort of who you are in the 'Totally Fucked' number." So he made me watch that for inspiration but I’ve never seen the play before.

For two years now you've been known for originating a role and in Hair you are re-creating an iconic role. Is there more pressure to live up to people’s expectations?
It’s funny because the guy that wrote Hair, James Rado, and also played my part in the original production, is sitting there everyday. It was sort of daunting at first, but it’s sort of invaluable because he has so many great, great things to say and he’s a really open and incredible person and he respects what I’m doing and I respect everything that he has to say. He’s sort of the ultimate person to be afraid of so the fact that he’s so open and warm and supportive makes everyone else’s opinions easier to get by with.

How did you get this part?
They did a concert of it last fall and my agent called me and said they want to see me for this concert version of Hair and they were originally calling me for the part of Berger. I read the script and listened to the music and had to fight to be brought in for Claude. So after some arguments, I finally went in for that part and got called back. I felt really connected to him and I felt really connected to his songs. He really just jumped off the page for me and I really felt like that was the part that I was more suited for.

Did you grow your hair out or is it fake?
It’s a wig. We’ve gone through several incarnations of the wig trying to find the perfect one and it’s as if I’m trying to make the wig fall off the entire show, I wip my head around so much.

The soundtrack is so legendary. What are your favorite songs to sing?
The title song "Hair" with Will [Swenson] (Berger). We just kind of go crazy, and then “I Got Life,” which they were basically like ‘just go crazy’ while singing the song. It’s great because I spent so much time being so buttoned up in knickers and a coat that with this song I get to run around like a mad person -- like roll literally on the stage while I’m singing. It’s a complete release. It’s so much fun.

So we hear Hair has some nudity near the end of act one (not that we’re interested!)
I’m actually the only one that doesn’t get naked because I’m singing that song.

Is that a bit of a relief?
Well in my last show I was getting naked while everyone was sitting around watching me.

Speaking of –- what was it like leaving Spring Awakening the same night as Lea Michele after two years performing eight shows a week together?
That night that we left was and probably will be the greatest night of my life as far as theater is concerned, because all of the fans of the show and all of my family and friends were there, and it was like an insane rock concert with several standing ovations throughout the whole show. After it was over I immediately hopped on a plane and went to Europe for a few weeks and spent some time by myself for a bit. My brother came out and joined me and we just sort of like hungout and didn’t think theater and didn’t think about New York for awhile and then when I got back I jumped right into Hair so it was like a perfect little transition period.

Sadly I heard you aren’t able to be in the two week extension of Hair because have a play coming up called Prayer for my Enemy written by Craig Lucas at Playwrights Horizons. And you don’t sing! Is that weird for you?
I’m very excited about it. We did a workshop of the play this spring and it’s really incredible. Not singing is also going to be nice. It’ll be nice to not wake up in the morning and think, is my voice there today? Am I going to be able to sing? Certainly something to put my mind at ease.

Back to 1968, would you have been a hippie? What choice do you think you would have made in Claude’s position?
It’s interesting because people back then were so politically aware and so aggressive because of a lot of things, but I think mostly because of the draft. I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like. I certainly connect with the sort of hippie mentality. I don’t know if I would have been like a full out hippie because that was a pretty big commitment to live on the streets and what not. I would have had to be there to figure out what I would have done.

Photographs by Michal Daniel