James Rado, who co-created groundbreaking ‘Hair,’ dies
NEW YORK » James Rado, cocreator of the groundbreaking hippie musical “Hair,” which celebrated protest, pot and free love and paved the way for the sound of rock on Broadway, has died. He was 90.
Rado died Tuesday night in New York City of cardio respiratory arrest, according to friend and publicist Merle Frimark.
“Hair,” which has a story and lyrics by Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot, was the first rock musical on Broadway, the first Broadway show to feature full nudity and the first to feature a same-sex kiss.
Tributes came in from the theater world, including André De Shields, who tweeted “Rest in power, James Rado,” to playwright Michael R. Jackson, whose “A Strange Loop” just won the Tony Award for best new musical. He tweeted “rest in peace.”
“Hair” made possible other rock musicals like “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Rent.” Like “Hamilton,” it was one of only a handful of Broadway shows in the past few decades to find its songs on the pop charts.
The so-called “American tribal love-rock musical,” had its world premiere at the Public Theater in New York City’s East Village in 1967 and transferred the following year to Broadway, where the musical ran more than 1,800 performances. Rado played Claude, a young man about to be drafted and sent to the war in Vietnam.
Clive Barnes, theater critic for The New York Times, called the show “the first Broadway musical in some time to have the authentic voice of today rather than the day before yesterday.” The New York Post said it had “unintentional charm,” contagious high spirits and a “young zestfulness” that “make it difficult to resist.” Variety, however, called it “loony.”
It lost the Tony in 1969 to the more traditional “1776” but won a Grammy Award. The show was revived on Broadway in 1977 and again in 2009, when it won the best revival Tony. It was made into a movie directed by Milos Forman in 1979 starring Treat Williams and Beverly D’Angelo.
The “Hair” Broadway cast album spawned four top four singles on the American pop charts, including the No. 1 hit “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by the Fifth Dimension, which won the Grammy Award for record of the year and best pop vocal performance by a group in 1970. Others included “Hair” by the Cowsills, “Good Morning, Starshine” by the singer Oliver and “Easy to Be Hard” by Three Dog Night. The cast album itself stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks
“Hair” tells the story of Claude and Berger, best buddies who find freedom in the late 1960s. Between draftcard burnings, love-ins, bad LSD trips and a parade of protest marches, the two wander through a New York filled with flower children, drugged-out hippies and outraged
Bernardus Stam
tourists who don’t approve of the wild goings-on. In one song, Claude poignantly sings, “Why do I live, why do I die, tell me where do I go, tell me why.”
Bernardus Stam, age 81 of Claymont, Delaware, passed away on Monday June 20, 2022, with his loving wife, daughter and grand-daughter, by his side.
Born on July 8, 1940, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to the late Bernardus Stam and Dorothea DeBoer, he survived many great struggles in his life to include the horrors of World War II and the loss of 2 siblings.
Although he lived through many struggles in his life, the greatest reward was meeting his beloved wife of 58 ½ years after becoming pen-pals. After months of letter writing, he gained employment on the Holland American Cruise Line and would sail from Holland to New York City where he finally met the love of his life, Kathleen. Together the couple married on July 30, 1963, and later raised three beautiful children.
Throughout his life Bernardus enjoyed classical music, soccer and his Catholic faith. He was known as a man of God and a devout Catholic, who later exemplified his faith and love for Christ by becoming an ordained Deacon within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1993. His first assignment was at Sts. Simon and Jude in West Chester before being transferred into the Diocese of Wilmington and later serving at St. Helena and later Resurrection Parish.
Bernardus is preceded in death by both of his parents. He is survived by his loving wife Kathy
Stam (nee Farrell) and his children Melissa Stam of Wilmington; Erika Inman (Scott) of Wilmington and Christopher Stam (Lisa) of West Chester. Bernardus also leaves behind his grandchildren Wyatt, Rowan, Jaden, Alex, Kristen, his brother Wilfred (Brenda); and his nephews and nieces.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, June 30, 2022, from 10am-11am at the Saint Helena Catholic Church located at 602 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, DE 19809. Mass of Christian Burial will immediately follow. Burial is private.
Bonnie Schmidt passed away in her home in New Jersey, surrounded by her family, after a long battle with cancer.
She is survived by her husband, Stephen, and her three children: Erin Blakely (Michael) Scearce, Alison (Michael) Poirier, Andrew (Leslie) Schmidt, six grandchildren; her sisters and brother, and nieces and nephews.
Her love for and commitment to her husband was clear to everyone throughout their 46 years of marriage. She loved her children and adored her grandchildren. Bonnie was known for her passion for gardening and painting. She was a faithful member of St. David’s Episcopal Church. She was especially proud of her work with Conrail and the Federal Aviation Administration. Bonnie was a graduate of Cornell University and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The family wishes to thank the staff and nurses of AtlantiCare Hospice.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. David’s Church in Wayne, PA. Condolences may be extended to the family at legacy. com.
Interment will be private. The funeral service for family and friends will be held on June 25 at 10:00 am at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA; it will also be livestreamed and the link is available at www.stdavidschurch.org.