Hey there, Stephen Dubner.

We are in the middle of a new series on the Economics of Live Theater, which got me thinking

about another episode we made way back in 2012 about the psychology of one particularly

fascinating piece of theater.

Such a fascinating piece that it only closed finally in early 2025.

The episode also gets into one of the most famous experiments in the history of psychology.

So I hope you enjoy this bonus episode.

As always, thanks for listening.

Sometimes you see a piece of theater, and it completely scrambles your brain.

I remember I was at one of the first performances of hair.

That's Philip Zimbardo, the renowned psychologist.

Seeing hair scrambled his brain because... The performers start walking on the seats over your head and walking down the aisles.

And that, I had never experienced that before. And it was really

troubling, exhilarating, confusing. Because again, hair was going to confuse you. They're going to

sing songs about masturbation and black girls having sex with white guys and white guys having

sex with. So essentially, before the play began, what they did is set up to say, this is going to shock you.

This is going to be off your usual radar.

So don't come expecting traditional theater.

This is something new.

I still remember that.

It was like 40 years ago.

Again, that was Philip Zimbardo.

...