Charles Strouse

Charles Strouse (born June 7, 1928) is an American composer and lyricist.

Life and career

Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel (Newman) Strouse. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Strouse studied under David Diamond, Aaron Copland and Nadia Boulanger.

Strouse's first Broadway musical was the 1960 hit Bye Bye Birdie, with lyrics by Lee Adams, who would become his long time collaborator. Strouse won his first Tony Award for best score for this musical, which is considered the precursor of the rock musical. Strouse's next show, All American, with a book by Mel Brooks and lyrics by Adams, came in 1962 and produced the standard “Once Upon a Time” (recorded by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darin, among others). Following this was Golden Boy (1964, also with Adams), starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966, based on the popular comic strip) which introduced the song "You've Got Possibilities" sung by Linda Lavin.

In 1970, Applause (starring Lauren Bacall, with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and lyrics by Adams) won Strouse his second Tony Award. In 1977, Strouse adapted another comic strip for the stage, creating the hit Annie, which garnered him his third Tony Award and two Grammy Awards. Other Strouse musicals include Charlie and Algernon (1979), Dance a Little Closer (1983, with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner), Rags (1986) and Nick & Nora (1993). Strouse also wrote a number of musical revues, many with Adams.

Strouse's film scores include the classics Bonnie and Clyde (1967), There Was a Crooked Man... (1970, with Henry Fonda and Kirk Douglas), 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” for the 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 one 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 2004, 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.

Upcoming works by Strouse include an adaptation of the Paddy Chayevsky film Marty starring John C. Reilly, a musical version of The Night They Raided Minsky's, and an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. Real Men, for which Strouse wrote the music and lyrics, premiered in January 2005 at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, Florida, 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.

Strouse has won Emmy Awards for music in television adaptions of Bye Bye Birdie and Annie. He is also the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award and the Oscar Hammerstein Award. He is also a member of the Theater Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Strouse is married to director-choreographer Barbara Siman. They have 4 children: Benjamin, Nicholas, Victoria and William.

Strouse received an Emperor Has No Clothes Award at the Freedom From Religion Foundation's 34th annual national convention on October 8, 2011.^[1] The award is "reserved for public figures who make known their dissent from religion."

Musicals

• 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)
• I and Albert (1972, London)
• 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)
• Rags (1986)
• Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge (1989)
• Nick & Nora (1993)
• Annie Warbucks (1993)
• The Future of the American Musical Theater (2004 opera)
• Real Men (2005)
• Studio (2006)
• Minsky's (2009)

Film scores

• Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
• The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)
• There Was a Crooked Man (1970)
• Just Tell Me What You Want (1980)
• The Worst Witch (1986)
• Ishtar (1987)

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)
• 1987 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (Rags, nominee)
• 1992 Tony Award for Best Original Score (Nick & Nora, nominee)

References

1. ^ http://ffrf.org/outreach/convention/convention-speakers/

• Strouse biography
• Biography, discography and links to extensive information about Strouse and his work

External links

• Charles Strouse at the Internet Movie Database
• Charles Strouse at the Internet Broadway Database
• Charles Strouse at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org
• April 1996 Working in the Theatre Seminar video at American Theatre Wing.org
• BroadwayWorld.com interview with Charles Strouse, June 27, 2008
• Charles Strouse papers, 1890-2000, Music Division, New York Public Library

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Name	Strouse, Charles
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Date of birth	June 7, 1928
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