(Updated) Film Series of Musicals in the Park Next Three Weeks, Including "Hair" — Filmed in WSP

Updated September 8th — For the next three Thursdays beginning this weeks, Washington Square Park will host a free film series with a spotlight on musicals that feature New York City. Presented by the city’s Parks Department with nearby IFC Waverly Cinema, the series begins this Thursday, September 8th with “On the Town.”next Thursday, September 15th.

From the New York Times:

Beginning Sept. 8 MOVED TO MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH DUE TO RAIN — with a screening of the Gene Kelly/Stanley Donen classic “On the Town.” The film follows the adventures of three sailors on a 24-hour pass through the sights and sounds of the city and generously utilizes city landmarks.

On Sept. 15 there will be a screening of the Milos Forman musical “Hair,” which pays homage to 1960s counterculture in song and mentions in one of its lyrics the Waverly Theater, the previous incarnation of the IFC Center.

“Wild Style,” from 1983, will close the series on Sept. 22. Charlie Ahearn’s film about a graffiti artist with big dreams looks at the city at a time when hip-hop was coming on the scene.

The person who wrote this New York Times piece (and the Parks Department IFC Waverly press release) may not have been aware that “Hair” was filmed in – and features prominently – Washington Square Park. With this screening, it’s also a chance to view and enjoy the “old” version of the park.

The films will begin 1/2 an hour after sunset which, by my calculation, means September 8th will start around 7:50 p.m, September 15th will start around 7:40 p.m., September 19th around 7:30 p.m., and September 22nd around 7:25 p.m.

You can catch the films on the lawn in the Northwest Quadrant (west of the Fountain).