James Rado is dead: the co-creator of “Hair” and the star of the groundbreaking Broadway rock musical was 90 years old

James Rado, who co-produced the main Broadway musical Age of Aquarius with his friend and fellow writer Gero Ragn. ᲗმაHe died peacefully Tuesday night following cardiorespiratory arrest in New York, surrounded by family. He was 90 years old.

His death was announced by his old friend, the publicist Merle Freemark.

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Radom and Ragni, who passed away in 1991, wrote a book and a text for a historical musical (full title: Hair – American tribal musical Love-RockFeaturing the music of Galt McDermott, who passed away in 2018. In addition to influencing the countercultural sensibility of mainstream Broadway in the 1960s, the musical contributed to songs that became radio hits (often on covers) and music standards. “Let the Sunlight On”, “Hair”, I have / I have life ”,“ Good morning Starshine ”,“ Easy To Be Hard ”, among others.

In addition to co-creating the musical, Radom and Rannie starred in the original 1968 Broadway comedy, respectively, with Claude and Berger. The following year, Radom, Ragni and McDermott won a Grammy Award for Best Musical for their work on the show’s original cast. In 2019, the original 1968 Broadway cast was added to National Records at the Library of Congress and reprized in the summer of 2008. Თმა Presented by Central Park Public Theater, directed by Diana Paulus and directed by Rado, starring Jonathan Groff and Will Svensson. The Revival proved so popular that the product moved to Broadway in 2009 and won the Tony Award for Best Music Revival.

Born in Aquarius, California on January 23, 1932, James Alexander Radomsky grew up in Rochester, New York and Washington, DC, with his brother Ted and sister Charlotte. Before his death she lived in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Frimark said Rado had dreamed of writing a Broadway musical ever since he was a teenager. He self-taught to write poetry through intensive study of the works of Roger & Hammerstein, Roger & Hart, Cole Porter and others, as well as pop music from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s. In college, he wrote music and lyrics for two shows: Interval at the University of Maryland e Cross your fingers at the American Catholic University.

After two years in the United States Navy, Rado moved to New York in 1956 to become an actor. In the early 1960s he formed a group of singers, James and Argiles. He wrote all the songs and borrowed $ 200 from his father to record two songs with his four auxiliary singers dressed in quilts and socks.

Five years later, he got his first break on Broadway when famed director and teacher Lee Strasberg pulled him off acting class for a small role on Havoc in June. Marathon ’33 With Julie Harris. This has led to a number of acting roles in plays such as luther, generation, talent And in 1964, hang up and die Where he met fellow actor Ragni.

They quickly became friends and he told Ragn about his dream of creating a Broadway musical and offered to collaborate to write a show about hippies and the anti-war movement. Ragn, says Freemark, “conceived some of his interesting experimental poems, with his domestic humor and strong theatrical imagination.”

In 1966, in the middle of writing ᲗმაRadom landed the lead role in Richard Lion’s heart in James Goldman’s comedy lion in winter With Robert Preston, Rosemary Harris and Christopher Walken.

In 1967, three years after the decision to collaborate, Rado and Ragni had presented a text to the so-called Თმა But nobody does it. She returned by train to New York after an acting concert at Yale University (Megan Terris rock in VietnameseRagni sat across from another passenger, producer Joseph Pope. Ragni gave the Pope a hair script. “The Pope liked what he read and called the ‘Creative Trinity’ in his office to hear the report,” Frimark said. At this point, McDermott was well on his way to composing music for his lyrics. Together with Royal Galt, Radom and Ragni sang their songs for the Pope.

The Pope has decided to open his New York Shakespeare Festival / People’s Theater (in the Lower East Side of New York) Თმა. On October 17, 1967, the Rado and Ragna Show was presented for the first time under the direction of Gerald Friedman, which lasted eight weeks. Michael Butler saw the show and got the right from the Pope to transfer the proceeds under his auspices as an independent producer at Cheetah Nightclub for a month.

Soon the writers, with their eyes on Broadway, convinced Butler to film the series and hire a new director, named Tom O’Horgan. The advanced script included 13 new songs. The new actor, or Tommy, in the language of the show and the time, was made up of five performers from a public theatrical production, plus 17 new faces.

Თმა Opening at the Broadway Theater on April 29, 1968, the cast includes Radont and Ragn, starring Lamont Washington, Shelley Plimpton, Lynn Kellogg, Sally Eaton, Steve Carey, Natalie Moscow, Marjorie Lipari and Robert Rubin. Developer Melba Moore and Diane Keaton. The show lasted for 1750 performances.

Famous, or infamous, for his shocking nude scene at the time, Hair became a cultural phenomenon, contributing songs that would become radio hits everywhere, including Fifth Dimension (“Aquarius / Run in the Sun”). , Coils (“Hair”), Pop Star “Morning Peace Starshine”), Three Dog Night (“Easy To Be Hard”) and Nina Simon (“Ain’t Got No / I Got Life”).

The popularity of the show and its music led to endless participation. Თმა In Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, Las Vegas, Seattle, Miami, Montreal, Detroit and Acapulco, while the Broadway company continued to operate.

Worldwide production of Hair began early with 14 companies, including London production, which included nearly 2,000 productions.

The Broadway cast was also a huge success. He spent 13 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, stayed on the charts for nearly three years, and won a Grammy. Dimension 5 had the number 1 single covering “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In” in 1969, while the Cowsills hit number 2 that year with their hit “Hair”. Oliver’s “Good Morning Starshine” and Three Dog Night’s “Easy to Be Hard” also entered the US Top 5.

movie version ᲗმაDirected by Milo ფორმ Forman, starring Trit Williams, John Savage and Beverly D’Angelo, it was released in March 1979.

The musical has become a kind of training ground for young actors and singers destined to become a star. Famous actors over the years: Joe Mantenia, Heather McRae, Dale Souls, Meat Loaf, Keith Caradin, Paul Jabara, Sally Eaton, Donna Summer, Ted Neal, Alan Nichols, Robin McNamara, Peppy Castro, Ted Lang, Tim Curry. , Ellen Page, Paul Nicholas, Jennifer Warrens, Lori Davis, Leata Galloway, Joe Morton, Richard O’Brien, Loretta Devine, Ellen Foley, David Patrick Kelly, Charlene Woodard, Vicky Sue Robinson and many more.

Rado was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009, was active until his death, and has worked on two other plays over the years: American rainbow Y Sun – In addition to supervising several productions Თმა Worldwide.

Her brother Ted Rado, her sister-in-law Kay Rado, her nieces Melanie Khuri, Emily Dibona, Melissa Stewart, great-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and, as Frimark points out, her faithful survive. Თმა Tommy around the world. The celebration of his life will be announced later.