Character guide
Sheila
from Hair
Sheila is a politically committed member of the tribe in 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 Sheila? Sheila in A Chorus Line
Sheila on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1979 film
Sheila is a different person on screen. On stage she is a New York University student and political activist in love with Berger. In the 1979 film, Beverly D'Angelo's Sheila Franklin is a debutante from Short Hills, New Jersey, whom Claude first sees riding horseback past the tribe, and the hippies crash her debutante party so he can meet her.
The film also takes away some of her stage songs: I Believe in Love is cut, and Easy to Be Hard goes to Hud's fiancée, sung by Cheryl Barnes. D'Angelo keeps Good Morning Starshine. Lynn Kellogg created Sheila on Broadway in 1968.
Who is Sheila?
Sheila is a college student active in the anti war and civil rights movements who runs with the tribe while remaining somewhat more grounded and politically focused than the others around her. She is in love with the free spirited Berger, though he is unwilling to commit to her in the way she wants.
Her frustration with Berger's refusal to take their relationship or the world's problems seriously gives the show one of its clearer emotional throughlines, and her perspective adds a note of genuine political conviction amid the tribe's looser hedonism.
Sheila's role in Hair
Sheila is a lead role known especially for her Act One solo Easy to Be Hard, a searing number about the emotional cost of loving someone who will not commit. The role requires a strong, expressive belt voice capable of carrying that song's raw frustration.
Lynn Kellogg originated the role of Sheila on Broadway. Sheila is often singled out as one of the more emotionally grounded characters in Hair, offering a clear eyed counterpoint to the show's more free floating idealism.
Sheila: frequently asked questions
What show is Sheila from?
Sheila is a lead character in Hair, which opened on Broadway in 1968.
Is Sheila a lead or supporting role?
Sheila is a lead role, known for her solo Easy to Be Hard.
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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