American composer and lyricist
Charles Strouse
Strouse in 2013
Born (1928-06-07 ) June 7, 1928 (age 95) Origin
New York City , United States Occupation(s)
Songwriter Years active 1959–present Spouse(s)
Barbara Siman
(
m. 1962; died )
Musical artist
Charles Strouse (born June 7, 1928) is an American
composer and
lyricist best known for writing the music to such Broadway musicals as
Bye Bye Birdie ,
Applause , and
Annie .
Life and career
Strouse was born in
New York City , to
Jewish parents, Ethel (née Newman) and Ira Strouse, who worked in the tobacco business. A graduate of the
Eastman School of Music , he studied under
Arthur Berger ,
David Diamond ,
Aaron Copland and
Nadia Boulanger .
[1]
[2]
Strouse's first
Broadway
musical was
Bye Bye Birdie , with lyrics by
Lee Adams , which opened in 1960.
[3] Adams became his long-time collaborator. For this show, Strouse won his first Tony Award in the category of best musical.
[4]
Strouse's next show was
All American (1962), with a book by
Mel Brooks and lyrics by Adams; it was not a success, closing after 80 performances,
[5] but it produced the standard “
Once Upon a Time ” (recorded by
Perry Como ,
Eddie Fisher ,
Al Martino ,
Tony Bennett ,
Frank Sinatra , and
Bobby Darin , among dozens of others).
Following this was
Golden Boy (1964, also with Adams), starring
Sammy Davis Jr. , which ran for 568 performances. The musical
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966, based on the popular comic strip) closed after 129 performances, but introduced the song "
You've Got Possibilities " sung by Linda Lavin.
[6]
[7] Its theme would also be adopted by
Washington, D.C. television station WTOP (now
WUSA ) for news broadcasts.
[8]
In 1970,
Applause (starring
Lauren Bacall , with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and lyrics by Adams) won Strouse his second Tony Award, for Best Musical.
[9] In 1977, Strouse adapted another comic strip for the stage, creating the hit
Annie , which included the song "
Tomorrow ," which quickly became a "monstrous song hit," and garnered him his third Tony Award and two
Grammy Awards .
[10]
Other Strouse musicals include
Charlie and Algernon (1979),
Dance a Little Closer (1983, with lyrics by
Alan Jay Lerner , which closed after one performance),
Rags (1986; which closed after four performances and 18 previews),
Nick & Nora (1993, which closed after 9 performances), and
An American Tragedy (1995, with lyrics by
David Shaber , performed at
Muhlenberg College ).
Strouse also wrote musical
revues , many with Adams, and his songs were included in revues. The revues included Shoestring Revue (with Adams and Michael Stewart) (1955 – Off–Broadway),
[11] Medium Rare (with Adams) (1960 - Chicago),
[12] By Strouse (1978 – Off–Broadway at The Ballroom),
[12]
[13] Upstairs At O'Neals (1982 – Nightclub Revue),
[14] Can't Stop Dancin (1994 – Marymount Theatre), and A Lot Of Living! (1996 – conceived and directed by Barbara Siman at Rainbow and Stars).
[15]
Strouse wrote the music and lyrics for the animated special
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile which aired on HBO in 1987.
[16] His film scores include
Bonnie and Clyde (1967),
There Was a Crooked Man... (1970, with
Henry Fonda and
Kirk Douglas ), the
Norman Lear production of
The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968, with Adams) and the popular animated movie
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). He and Adams also wrote the theme song “Those Were the Days”
[17] for the Norman Lear television show
All in the Family . Strouse's songs have been heard on the radio throughout his career and have run the gamut from girl-band pop to hip hop. In 1958, his song “
Born Too Late ” was number seven on the Billboard charts, and in 1999 the quadruple platinum
Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) by artist
Jay-Z (which sampled "It's The Hard Knock Life" from Annie ) was the winner of a Grammy for Best Rap Album of the year & the Billboard R&B Album of the Year.
Strouse's writing also extends into orchestral works, chamber music, piano concertos and opera. His Concerto America , composed in 2002 to commemorate 9/11 and the spirit of New York City, premiered at The
Boston Pops in 2002,
[18] and his opera
Nightingale (1982), starring
Sarah Brightman , had a successful run in London, followed by many subsequent productions. In 1977, Strouse founded the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, through which many young composers and lyricists have found a forum for their work.
A musical stage adaptation of the
Paddy Chayefsky film
Marty starring
John C. Reilly premiered at Boston's Huntington Theatre in October 2002, with lyrics by Lee Adams and Strouse and the book by Rupert Holmes.
[19] Real Men , for which Strouse wrote the music and lyrics, premiered in January 2005 at the
Coconut Grove Playhouse in
Miami, Florida ,
[20] and his musical Studio , premiered at Theatre Building Chicago in August 2006. The musical
Minsky's , with music by Strouse, book by
Bob Martin , and lyrics by
Susan Birkenhead (loosely based on the movie
The Night They Raided Minsky's ) premiered in January 2009 at the
Ahmanson Theater .
[21]
Strouse won
Emmy Awards for music in television adaptions of Bye Bye Birdie and Annie . He is also the recipient of the 1999
ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award
[22] and the
Oscar Hammerstein Award . He is a member of the
American Theater Hall of Fame (in 2001)
[23] and the
Songwriters Hall of Fame .
Strouse was married to director-choreographer Barbara Siman until her death on February 16, 2023.
[24] They had 4 children: Benjamin, Nicholas, Victoria and William.
[25]
Strouse received an Emperor Has No Clothes Award at the
Freedom From Religion Foundation 's 34th annual national convention on October 8, 2011.
[26] The award is "reserved for public figures who make known their dissent from religion".[
citation needed ]
Musicals
[27]
[28]
A Pound in Your Pocket (1959; Palm Beach, Florida)
[29]
Bye Bye Birdie (1960)
All American (1962)
Golden Boy (1964)
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966)
Applause (1970)
Six (1971, Off-Broadway)
[30]
I and Albert (1972, London)
[31]
Annie (1977)
A Broadway Musical (1978)
Charlie and Algernon (1979, London, as Flowers for Algernon ); (1981)
Bring Back Birdie (1981)
Nightingale (1982; this work is often described as an
opera )
Dance a Little Closer (1983)
Mayor (1985, Off-Broadway)
Rags (1986)
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (1988; Albany, NY)
[32]
Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge (1989, Washington, DC)
[33]
Charlotte's Web (1989; Wilmington, Delaware)
Nick & Nora (1991)
Annie Warbucks (1993, Off-Broadway)
Bojangles (1993; Richmond, Virginia)
[34]
An American Tragedy (1995, Muhlenberg College, 2010)
[35]
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1998)
Marty (2002, Boston)
[19]
The Future of the American Musical Theater (2004 opera, Eastman School of Music)
[36]
Real Men (2005, Miami)
Studio (2006, Chicago)
Minsky's (2009, Los Angeles)
Martin: A New American Musical (2011, Miami)
[37]
Film scores
Awards and nominations
1961 Tony Award for Best Musical (Bye Bye Birdie , winner )
1965 Tony Award for Best Musical (Golden Boy , nominee)
1970 Tony Award for Best Musical (Applause , winner )
1977 Tony Award for Best Original Score (Annie , winner )
1977 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (Annie , nominee)
1981 Tony Award for Best Original Score (Charlie and Algernon , nominee)
1986 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (Mayor , nominee)
1987 Tony Award for Best Original Score (Rags , nominee)
[47]
1987
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (Rags , nominee)
[47]
1992 Tony Award for Best Original Score (Nick & Nora , nominee)
[48]
2012 Rochester (NY) Music Hall of Fame (Lifetime Body of Work)
2013
Five Towns College named Charles Strouse School of Music
References
^ Rothstein, Mervyn.
"A Life in the Theatre: Charles Strouse" Playbill, September 1, 2009
^
"Charles Strouse" masterworksbroadway.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
Bye Bye Birdie Playbill, retrieved December 10, 2017
^ Strouse, Charles (2008).
Put On A Happy Face: A Broadway Memoir . New York: Union Square Press. p.
93 .
ISBN
978-1-4027-5889-8 .
^
All America Playbill, retrieved December 10, 2017
^
"It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman – Original Broadway Cast Recording 1966" . Masterworks Broadway . Retrieved December 11, 2017 .
^ Leydon, Joe.
"'It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman!'" , Variety , June 28, 2010.
^ Paul Young (June 15, 2014).
"16 Actors Who Have Portrayed Superman" . ScreenRants . Retrieved April 26, 2023 .
^
" 'Applause' Awards" , ibdb.com; retrieved December 11, 2017.
^ Suskin, Steven (2010). Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 285.
ISBN
978-0-19-531407-6 .
^
Shoestring Revue allmusic.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
a
b Dietz, Dan. Off Broadway Musicals, 1910–2007 , McFarland, 2012;
ISBN
0786457317 , pp. 72, 406.
^ Wilson, John S.
"Cabaret: Charles Strouse Songs at the Ballroom" The New York Times , February 3, 1978
^
Upstairs At O'Neals allmusic.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^ Holden, Stephen.
"Pop in Review" , The New York Times , March 17, 1996.
^ Heffley, Lynn.
"Television Reviews : 'Lyle Crocodile' on HBO" , The Los Angeles Times , November 18, 1987.
^
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066626/soundtrack?ref_=tt_ql_trv_7 [
user-generated source ]
^ Tommasini, Anthony.
"High Notes; A Composer of Musicals Revives His 'Serious' Side" The New York Times , June 30, 2002
^
a
b Hernandez, Ernio.
"John C. Reilly Sings in New Musical, 'Marty', Starting Oct. 18 in Boston" , Playbill.com, October 18, 2002.
^ Jones, Kenneth.
"'Real Men', an Intimate New Musical By Charles Strouse, Opens Jan. 7 in Miami" , Playbill.com, January 7, 2005.
^ Jones, Kenneth.
"'Minsky's', Burlesque-Set Musical by Strouse, Birkenhead and Martin, Opens in L.A." , Playbill.com, February 6, 2009.
^ McBride, Murdoch.
"ASCAP Honors Composers Charles Strouse and Andrew Lippa at Lincoln Center Dec. 9" Playbill, December 8, 1999
^ Van Gelder, Lawrence.
"Footlights" The New York Times , December 25, 2001
^ Ingenthron, Blair.
"Barbara Siman Strouse, Actress, Director, Choreographer, and Wife of Charles Strouse, Has Passed Away" Broadway World, February 18, 2023
^ Kaufman, Joanne.
"A Theater Couple's Off Broadway Oasis" , The New York Times , September 21, 2008.
^
"Convention Speakers" . Archived from
the original on 2011-10-14.
^
"Charles Strouse Broadway" , Playbill.com; retrieved December 10, 2017
^
"Strouse Broadway Credits" , ibdb.com; retrieved December 10, 2017
^ Suskin, Steven (2010).
Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers , Oxford University Press
^ Barnes, Clive.
"Theater: Of Adam and Eve and Songs" , The new York Times , April 13, 1971.
^
" 'I and Albert' Overview" , allmusic.com; retrieved December 11, 2017.
^ Suskin, Steven.
"Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers" , Oxford University Press (2010).
^ Rothstein, Mervyn.
"Troubled 'Annie 2' Closing Out of Town; Revisions Planned" , The New York Times , January 16, 1990.
^
Bojangles: A Musical , 1985], WorldCat.org.
^ Outwater, Myra Yellin.
"Muhlenberg premieres musical version of 'American Tragedy'" , mcall.com, March 25, 2010.
^
"East And West: China And Broadway Come To Eastman For A Double-Bill Opera Premiere By Alumnus Charles Strouse" esm.rochester.edu, October 13, 2004
^ Gans, Andrew
"Negro Ensemble Company to Present Charles Strouse-Leslie Lee Musical, Martin" , Playbill.com, September 7, 2011.
^
" 'Bonnie and Clyde' Soundtrack, Credits" allmusic.com, retrieved December 10, 2017
^
The Night They Raided Minsky's tcm.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
There Was a Crooked Man... tcm.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
Just Tell Me What You Want tcm.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
Annie tcm.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
The Worst Witch tcm.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
Ishtar tcm.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
All Dogs Go to Heaven tcm.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day tcm.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
a
b
" Rags Awards" ibdb.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
^
" Nick & Nora Awards" ibdb.com, retrieved December 11, 2017
External links
Awards for Charles Strouse
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
"Up to You" – Music and Lyrics by John Kimbrough (2000)
"A Dream That Only I Can Know" – Music and Lyrics by
Patrick Williams (2001)
"You've Got a Lot to See" – Music by
Walter Murphy ; Lyrics by
Seth MacFarlane (2002)
"Aren't They All Our Children" – Music by
David Foster ; Lyrics by
Linda Thompson (2003)
"Because You Are Beautiful" – Music by
Toni Childs ; Lyrics by
Toni Childs , Eddy Free, and
David Ricketts (2004)
"Mary Jane/Mary Lane" – Music by Dan Studney; Lyrics by
Kevin Murphy (2005)
"A Wonderfully Normal Day" – Music by
Greg O'Connor ; Lyrics by
Jim Wise (2006)
"
Dick in a Box " – Music by
Katreese Barnes ,
Asa Taccone ,
Jorma Taccone , and
Justin Timberlake ; Lyrics by
Andy Samberg ,
Akiva Schaffer ,
Jorma Taccone , and
Justin Timberlake (2007)
"I'm F**king Matt Damon" – Music and Lyrics by
Tony Barbieri ,
Sal Iacono , Wayne McClammy,
Sarah Silverman , and Dan Warner (2008)
"Hugh Jackman Opening Number" – Music by John Kimbrough,
William Ross , and
Rob Schrab ; Lyrics by
Dan Harmon and
Ben Schwartz (2009)
2010s 2020s
1947–1975 1976–2000 2001–present
International National Academics Artists People Other