Sydney, Australia - - Harry M. Miller's Australian production of Hair celebrated its first year at Sydney's Metro Theatre with the 415th performance on Friday (5).

The anniversary performance played to a capacity house of special guests and payees and culminated a week in which Miller won almost unprecedented national exposure through the media for Hair and his other activities as impressario.

Two newspapers devoted suppliments to an examination of Hair's first year in Australia, financial page editors discussed Miller's method of syndicate-financing of his productions, a system he pioneered in Australia, TV news and documentary teams filmed interviews with him, and he guested throughout the week on radio talk shows.

Miller turned the anniversary celebration into a street show outside the Metro.  Projectors flashed light shows and old pix onto the exterior white walls of the theatre.  The free show stopped traffic.  Miller gifted the audience with first birthday giveaways, and a national mag distributed free copies of its current edition which carried a cover story on Down Under Hair.

Jim Sharman, 24-year-old Aussie director staged the show for Miller.  He returned from staging the Boston production for Michael Butler.  Sharman and his assistant Sandra McKenzie (who's responsible for Miller's current Sydney production of "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown") worked on Hair to refresh it for its second year.

After the birthday show Miller ferried 350 invited guests via doubledecker buses to a bash in Sydney's dockside area.

Showbiz notables included English thrush Shirley Bassey, and actor-dancer-choreographer Sir Robert Helpmann.

Among the other guests were the Federal Minister For Customs, Don Chipp, and the chairman of the Australian Council For The Arts, Dr. Herbert Coombs.

More than 400,000 have now seen Hair here.  It has grossed $1,200,000 and netted about $400,000.

Besides Hair, Miller currently has "Charlie Brown," "The Secretary Bird" (with actor patrick MacNee starring) and "Boys In The Band" in performance in Australia.

He is now readying "Butterfliers Are Free" for a Melbourne opening in a few months, the London thriller "Sleuth," starring English tv man Patrick Wymark, "Planemakers," "Power Game" and later in the year the New York hit "Child's Play."

Copyright Variety.