Character guide
Claude
from Hair
Claude is the conflicted central figure of Hair, the 1968 rock musical with music by Galt MacDermot.
- Show
- Hair
- Broadway premiere
- 1968
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Galt MacDermot
Looking for a different Claude? Claude in Come From Away
Claude on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1979 film
The stage Claude is a New Yorker who pretends to be from Manchester, England, until the tribe reminds him he is from Flushing. In the 1979 film, John Savage's Claude is an innocent Oklahoma draftee who arrives in New York for induction and meets the hippies by chance.
The endings differ, too. On stage Claude is drafted, and at the finale he appears in uniform with his hair cut short as an invisible spirit the tribe cannot see. In the film, Berger takes Claude's place at the army base and is the one killed in Vietnam. James Rado, co-writer of the show, created Claude on Broadway in 1968.
Who is Claude?
Claude is a young man torn between his loyalty to the tribe of hippies he runs with, led by his close friend Berger, and the draft notice that threatens to send him to Vietnam. Unlike Berger's total rejection of convention, Claude is more introspective and uncertain, drawn to the tribe's freedom while never fully able to let go of the expectations he was raised with.
His indecision over whether to burn his draft card or comply becomes the show's central dramatic question, and his fate by the end remains one of the most somber notes in an otherwise exuberant show.
Claude's role in Hair
Claude is a lead role and, in many ways, the show's emotional core, requiring a performer able to shift between the tribe's playful energy and real inner conflict. His numbers, including the title song Hair and Where Do I Go, showcase both his connection to the group and his private uncertainty.
James Rado, who co-wrote the show's book and lyrics, originated the role of Claude in early productions. The part is remembered as the show's moral center, carrying the weight of the Vietnam War era draft that hangs over the entire story.
Claude: frequently asked questions
What show is Claude from?
Claude is a lead character in Hair, which opened on Broadway in 1968.
Is Claude a lead or supporting role?
Claude is a lead role and the show's central, most conflicted character.
Who wrote the music for Hair?
Galt MacDermot composed the music, with book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni.
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