Charles Strouse, Broadway composer of Annie and Bye Bye Birdie, dies aged 96
In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Strouse wrote more than a dozen Broadway musicals, as well as film scores and the song Those Were The Days, the theme song for the sitcom All In The Family.
Strouse turned out such popular – and catchy – show tunes as Tomorrow, the optimistic anthem from Annie, and the equally cheerful Put On A Happy Face from Bye Bye Birdie, his first Broadway success.
'I work every day. Activity – it's a life force,' the New York-born composer told The Associated Press during an interview on the eve of his 80th birthday in 2008.
'When you enjoy doing what you're doing, which I do very much, I have something to get up for.'
Deep into his 90s, he was visiting tours of his shows and meeting casts.
Jenn Thompson, who appeared in the first Annie as Pepper and directed a touring version of Annie in 2024, recalled Strouse coming to auditions and shedding a tear when a young girl sang Tomorrow.
'He was tearing up and he put his hand on mine,' she recalled.
'And he leaned in to me and very quietly said, 'That was you. That used to be you.' And I thought I would die. I thought my heart would drop out of my shoes.'
She added: 'He's so gorgeously generous and kind. He has always been that way.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
30 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Will Ferrell ‘excited' to bring Eurovision musical to Broadway
Will Ferrell has said he is 'excited' to bring a musical version of the Eurovision Song Contest to Broadway. The American actor, 57, is basing the project on his Netflix movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga, which he starred in opposite Canadian actress Rachel McAdams and British actor Dan Stevens. Advertisement 'We are more than excited to bring Eurovision to Broadway,' said Ferrell. 'The stage musical is a perfect place to continue our celebration of all the things we love about this amazing and unifying song competition.' Ferrell starred opposite Canadian actress Rachel McAdams, pictured, in the Netflix movie (Ian West/PA) The production will feature a book by Ferrell, Harper Steele, who both co-wrote the original film and were in the documentary Will & Harper together, and Anthony King, a TV and Broadway writer. Music will come from Savan Kotecha, who was behind the songs for the Netflix movie, and will be directed by Alex Timbers. Advertisement 'Will Ferrell and Harper Steele are my comedy heroes,' Timbers, a Tony award-winning director, said. 'And when I first saw their joyful movie Eurovision during the pandemic, it buoyed spirits during a very dark time. 'With this stage adaptation, I can't wait to bring that same mix of heart, spectacle, irreverence, and awe to audiences across the world.' In the 2020 movie, The Notebook actress McAdams, an Oscar nominee, and Elf star Ferrell play Icelandic musicians Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir who are competing at Eurovision. Advertisement JJ from Austria won Eurovision 2025 (AP Photo/Denes Erdos) It was nominated for a best original song Academy Award for Husavik (My Hometown) written by Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Goransson. Eurovision director Martin Green, from the organising group, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), said: 'This is a stellar team for what I am sure will be an equally stellar adaption of a film the world loved. 'Our aim always is to bring the joy of the Eurovision Song Contest to more people globally – especially as we approach our 70th edition in 2026.' Last month, the 2025 winner of Eurovision was crowned as 24-year-old opera singer JJ from Austria, who entered with the dramatic Wasted Love. Advertisement The UK came 19th in May after Remember Monday earned 88 points from the national juries for their song What The Hell Just Happened? and no points from the audience. Netflix has previously turned its popular science fiction show Stranger Things into a play in the West End called Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which serves as a prequel to the series.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Renée Elise Goldsberry talks new album, whether 'Hamilton' return is an option and EGOT aspirations
Renée Elise Goldsberry is most inspired by artists bold enough to take a career leap, even when there's no guarantee of a safe landing. Over the years, Goldsberry spent her celebrated career surrounded by fearless risk-takers. Now, the Tony and Grammy winner, best known for her breakout role in the Broadway musical ' Hamilton,' is taking a bold move of her own. She's stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist: Her debut album, 'Who I Really Am,' was released Friday. 'I'm surrounded by friends that do really crazy, brave, 'I could fail miserably' things,' said Goldsberry, whose role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton won her a Tony in 2016 for best featured actress in a musical. In that same year, she earned a Grammy for best musical theater album. 'They jump off cliffs, they start to fly, we get to see it and it's so inspiring that you put out an album,' she said. Goldsberry has made her presence felt in other Broadway projects including 'Rent' and 'The Color Purple.' She's had standout work on 'Girls5Eva' and 'The Good Wife ' and was on the daytime soap 'One Life to Live.' With 'Who I Really Am,' Goldsberry is carving her own musical path. The album is a 13-track project filled with soul, funk, blues and gospel vibes featuring a reimagined version of her iconic 'Hamilton' song 'Satisfied,' which was originally penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda. In a recent interview, Goldsberry talks to The Associated Press about finding her identity through the album, whether returning to 'Hamilton' is an option and aspirations for an EGOT, a term for the rare person who's won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. ___ AP: You wrote 11 songs on the album. While creating this project, what did you discover more about yourself? GOLDSBERRY: I need to give myself license to be more than one thing. I think that's always been the case with recorded music for me. I've been writing since I was a kid. The challenge for me has always been feeling like you have to be extremely specific about a box when you're a recording artist. It has to all sound like one mood, one vibe. I had to give myself permission to not try to fit into a box that exists, or even a box that's specific. I gave myself license to express myself in all the ways it naturally comes out. AP: You started the album process in 2020. What was your initial thoughts on re-recording 'Satisfied'? GOLDSBERRY: Somebody said to me 'You could probably get a record deal and do an album if you re-record 'Satisfied.'' I said 'Absolutely no.' I'm absolutely not doing that. It already exists. It's perfect. The show is perfect. AP: What shifted your thinking? GOLDSBERRY: In the process of recording all the music, we rented a studio in Nashville. It's where Dolly Parton recorded 'Jolene.' It felt like all this history was there. We had all these great musicians there. We booked the studio for a week or two and we finished early, and they were going to let everybody go home. And I was like 'We might as well record this version of 'Satisfied' that I do in my concert, because we're sitting here.' And these cats are amazing. We started playing. They started playing, and our minds exploded. The control booth. Our brains exploded. It was so good. Then I started singing it. I said to us 'This belongs.' AP: Your 'Girls5Eva' co-star Sara Bareilles wrote the song 'Smiling.' How was it reuniting with her? GOLDSBERRY: I think she is one of the greatest singer-songwriters that has ever existed and might ever exist. I had the privilege of being in a concert with her. I opened for her at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of months ago. She was doing something new. I love artists and I'm one of them in this moment. But I love artists that do new things that might not work, bravely. She had orchestrated all of her music. She had a huge symphony orchestrated show. All the music that she had written. AP: What happened next? GOLDSBERRY: We got to see her jump off a cliff for the first time. It was one of the greatest things I ever saw in my life. I could start crying right now. It was so great. It's so brave. I'm surrounded by people like that, and it's so inspiring. They're all doing crazy things. All of them. Leslie Odom Jr. decided to go back to 'Hamilton.' Like that's insane. AP: Would you ever return to 'Hamilton'? GOLDSBERRY: That's what Leslie taught us: Never say never. AP: You're halfway to EGOT status. Is that something you feel like it's achievable? GOLDSBERRY: I'm not going to lie, I've thought of different ways I could slip in the back door, you know what I mean? Like I have a documentary called 'Satisfied' (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year) about the journey in my life when I was part of the original company of 'Hamilton' and also trying to raise my young family. We were like, 'What original song can we put in this movie to contend for slipping in the Oscar category. ... It's possible. But I'm less interested in the results of a journey than the journey itself.
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Jennifer Lopez tipped for an Oscar after Kiss of the Spider Woman trailer
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Fans are convinced that Jennifer Lopez could finally nab her first Oscar after the trailer for Kiss of the Spider Woman dropped. The film, an adaptation of the 1993 Broadway musical of the same name, will be released in cinemas on October 10 and has already been met with rave reviews. The On The Floor star, 55, will be starring as Ingrid Luna, a diva actress made up by gay hairdresser Luis Molina (Tonatiuh) while he's enduring an eight-year jail sentence in Argentina. Attempting to escape the horror of prison, he dreams up a string of movies starring the imaginary actress, including one where she plays a spider woman who kills her lovers with a kiss. When he is joined in his cell by Marxist Valentin Arregui Paz (Diego Luna), his time behind bars is transformed as they forge an unlikely bond. The first teaser for the movie, directed by Bill Condon, was shared this week, showing the singer belting out Where You Are while switching between a series of fabulous costumes – all through the imagination of Luis. Fans were mesmerized over the footage and flocked to social media to rave about JLo's efforts, with many tipping her to win big during awards season. Flocking to the comments below an Instagram post of the trailer, predicted: 'This could be the movie that Jennifer will receive an Oscar nomination. It looks dazzling.' The_messymentor agreed: 'I was just thinking the same thing. She has waited for too long to be recognized for her talents by the academy.' 'Hello????! I hear an Oscar win!! This looks phenomenal!!,' Jlotheitgirl commented. Ladelsanto penned: 'They're so not ready for this award winning performance!!!!!!!!' As Ohmymybri added: 'And the 2026 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress goes to… Jennifer Lopez!' This isn't the first time Jennifer has been mentioned in the lead up to the Academy Awards, as she was previously tipped to take home a coveted trophy for her efforts in 2019 flick Hustlers, but failed to land a nomination. The 1985 movie adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman – based on Manuel Puig's novel – previously saw success at the ceremony when William Hurt landed the gong for best actor for his role. In a new interview, the Love Don't Cost A Thing musician shared her hopes that Bill's version gets the same love. Speaking of the Oscars buzz surrounding her latest role, she told Variety that she didn't 'even want to begin the conversation', but insisted: 'Of course, I would love it to get the recognition that I believe it deserves. 'Bill wrote a script that for the first time in my life I was in bed reading it and I started saying it out loud. Saying the lines and laughing and crying. More Trending 'This is what I've been waiting for my whole life. This is all I've ever wanted to do. 'I got into movies because of West Side Story. I thought I was going to do Broadway. I wanted to do movies but I didn't even think about records. I wanted to do musicals. I love musicals. My kids love musicals. My mother did. 'It was a dream fulfilled in having done the movie.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Oscar-winner's daughter slammed for calling her wealthy life a 'bore' MORE: Fans of iconic 70s band blast 'awful' biopic casting of Nick Jonas as rock legend MORE: Katy Perry nearly plunges headfirst into crowd in terrifying stage blunder
