The Stage

Strouse to celebrate 80th birthday with UK tour

Published Friday 29 August 2008 at 11:35 by Judd Hollander

Composer Charles Strouse, who has written the music to more than 30 stage musicals, 14 scores for Broadway - including Annie, Applause and Bye, Bye Birdie - four Hollywood films, two orchestral works and an opera, will be celebrating his 80th birthday, his 50-year show business career, and the release of his new book Put On a Happy Face - A Broadway Memoir, with a UK tour from September 17 to 23.

On Wednesday, September 17 at 6.30pm, Strouse will be at the Dress Circle Shop in London to read selections from Put On a Happy Face, as well as to meet and greet musical theatre fans and sign copies of the book. Strouse will also be at Dress Circle on September 20 at 1pm.

On September 18, he will be addressing the musical theatre writers of tomorrow in a private meeting at Mercury Musical Developments.

Meanwhile on September 19, Strouse will be the guest of honour at a BBC concert celebrating his contributions to musical theatre, which will take place at London’s Mermaid Theatre. Among those scheduled to perform are Paul Nicholas, Bonnie Langford, Rosemary Ashe and Jacinta Whyte. The BBC Orchestra will be conduced by Martin Yates. The concert will air live on BBC Radio 2 on its Friday Night is Music Night series.

On September 22, the composer will head to the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, currently playing host to the UK tour of Annie. Before and after the show, Strouse will visit with actress Ruth Madoc, who plays Miss Hannigan, and others in the company, as well as with members of the press. The event will be covered by BBC Radio Gloucester.

Strouse winds up his UK tour on September 23 with an appearance on Elaine Page’s Spotlight On… series at the Shaw Theatre in London. Strouse will be interviewed by guest host Edward Seckerson, chief music critic of the Independent and presenter of BBC Radio 3’s recent Stage and Screen programme.

Over the years, Strouse’s work has been covered by such artists as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Harry Connick Jr, Bobby Rydell, Jay Z, Vic Damone, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Grace Jones and Duke Ellington and his orchestra. He has won three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame.