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Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Charles Strouse, the Broadway composer of the musical ‘Annie,' dies at 96
NEW YORK (AP) — Three-time Tony Award-winner Charles Strouse, Broadway's industrious, master melody-maker who composed the music for such classic musical theater hits as 'Annie,' 'Bye Bye Birdie' and 'Applause,' died Thursday. He was 96. Strouse died at his home in New York City, his family said through the publicity agency Press Room. 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 said 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, recalls 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.' The musical was based on the popular syndicated newspaper comic strip 'Little Orphan Annie,' drawn by the late Harold Gray of Kankakee, Illinois. It debuted in 1924 and was distributed by Tribune Media Services. Along with Strouse and the lyricist Martin Charnin, the comic was transformed into a musical by book writer Thomas Meehan, who died in 2017. 'Annie' had its Broadway debut in 1977. 'Applause' is well-earned for composer and 'Annie' creator Charles StrouseIn an interview with the Tribune in 2011, Strouse was asked if he had any idea at the time that the show would be such a hit. 'No,' he said. 'This was a piece about the Depression. It was dark. The girl was alone. Dickens flavored our writing of that show very much. In fact, I thought we were going to get hung in London for being too much like 'Oliver Twist.'' He added that the song 'Tomorrow' was written at the 11th hour, to add a few more seconds to facilitate a big scenic transition. That explains why the number is so short. 'I well remember the first night 'Tomorrow' was in the show,' Strouse said. 'It got all this applause. I thought everybody was clapping for the set change.' A touring production of 'Annie' played in Chicago for the holidays last November, as it has so many times before and as it surely will again.
Washington Post
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The Post wins Pulitzers for Trump rally shooting stories, editorial cartoons
The Washington Post was recognized with two Pulitzer Prizes on Monday, including a win in the breaking-news category for coverage of the July 13 attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. Ann Telnaes, until recently a political cartoonist for The Post's Opinions page, was awarded the prize for illustrated reporting and commentary. It was her second win in the category, which was labeled 'editorial cartooning' when she was first honored in 2001 while working for Tribune Media Services.
