A hairy affair: Applying translation studies concepts and methods to the musical theatre

Abstract

In this piece, music and translation are discussed as tools to analyse society and social changes, taking as an example the musical Hair and specifically the song ‘I Got Life’, its translation into German and a cover version by Nina Simone. The article focuses on translation as an integrated research approach, an extra layer of cultural analysis that can enrich studies in musical theatre (e.g. the German translation of ‘I Got Life’ and the role of the translator), finally stressing the need for collaboration between scholars of cultural, musical theatre and translation studies to explore new areas of research, broaden perspectives and challenge mainstream interpretations.