Charles Strouse, Broadway composer of 'Annie' and 'Bye Bye Birdie,' dies at 96
Share this @internewscast.com

NEW YORK — Three-time Tony Award recipient Charles Strouse, Broadway’s dedicated, masterful melody creator responsible for the music in classic musical theater hits like “Annie,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” and “Applause,” passed away on Thursday at the age of 96.

Strouse died at his home in New York City, his family said.

Spanning over 50 years, Strouse’s career included composing music for more than a dozen Broadway musicals, film scores, and “Those Were the Days,” the theme for the sitcom “All in the Family.”

Strouse produced popular – and memorable – show tunes like “Tomorrow,” the optimistic anthem from “Annie,” and the equally upbeat “Put on a Happy Face” from “Bye Bye Birdie,” his inaugural Broadway hit.

“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 visited tours of his shows and met 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.” She said: “He’s so gorgeously generous and kind. He has always been that way.”

His Broadway career began in 1960 with “Bye Bye Birdie,” which Strouse wrote with lyricist Lee Adams and librettist Michael Stewart. “Birdie,” which starred Dick Van Dyke and Chita Rivera, told the tale of an Elvis Presley-like crooner named Conrad Birdie being drafted into the Army and its effect on one small Ohio town.

Strouse not only wrote the music, but he played piano at auditions while Edward Padula, the show’s neophyte producer, tried to attract financial backers for a production that would eventually cost $185,000.

“We never stopped giving auditions – and people never gave money at all. The idea of using rock ‘n’ roll – everybody was so turned off,” Strouse said.

Finally, Padula found Texas oil man L. Slade Brown. When he heard the score, he said, in a Texas twang, “I like those songs,” pushed Strouse aside and picked out the tune of “Put on a Happy Face” on the piano.

Brown then said, “How much do you fellas need?” and wrote out a check for $75,000 to cover the start of rehearsals. “Suddenly, the world turned Technicolor,” Strouse remembered.

The popularity of “Birdie” spawned a film (with Van Dyke, Janet Leigh and Ann-Margret) in 1963 and a television adaptation with Jason Alexander and Vanessa Williams in 1995.

Strouse and Adams gave several non-musical theater stars, including Sammy Davis Jr. and Lauren Bacall, stage successes for “Golden Boy” and “All About Eve,” respectively.

But it was “Annie” (1977) that proved to be Strouse’s most durable – and long-running – Broadway hit (over 2,300 performances). Chronicling the Depression-era adventures of the celebrated comic strip character Little Orphan Annie, the musical featured lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan.

It starred Andrea McArdle as the red-haired moppet and Dorothy Loudon, who won a Tony for her riotous portrayal of mean Miss Hannigan, who ran the orphanage. The musical contained gems such as “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” and “It’s the Hard Knock Life.”

The 1982 film version, which featured Carol Burnett in Loudon’s role, was not nearly as popular or well-received. A stage sequel called “Annie Warbucks” ran off-Broadway in 1993. The show was revived on Broadway in 2012 and made into a film starring Quvenzhané Wallis in 2014. NBC put a version on network TV in 2021 called “Annie Live!”

Strouse and Charnin, who both won Grammy Awards for the “Annie” cast album, found shards of their work included in Jay-Z’s 1998 Grammy-winning album “Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life.”

“Tomorrow” has been heard on soundtracks from “Shrek 2 to “Dave” to “You’ve Got Mail.” In 2016, Lukas Graham used parts of the chorus from “Annie” for his “Mama Said” hit.

Strouse had his share of flops, too, including two shows – “A Broadway Musical” (1978) and “Dance a Little Closer,” a 1983 musical written with Alan Jay Lerner, that closed after one performance. Among his other less-than-successful musicals were “All-American” (1962), starring Ray Bolger, “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman” (1966), directed by Harold Prince, and “Bring Back Birdie” (1981), a sequel to “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Among Strouse’s film scores were the music for “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967) and “The Night They Raided Minsky’s” (1968).

Theater beckoned when he and Adams got a chance in the early 1950s to write songs for weekly revues at an Adirondacks summer camp called Green Mansions. Such camps were the training ground for dozens of performers and writers.

“I would write a song and I would orchestrate it and copy the parts,” he said in the AP interview. “And rehearsal was the next day at nine, so at four in the morning, I am crossing the lake with the parts still wet. I just loved it. I never was happier.”

His wife, Barbara, died in 2023. He is survived by four children, Ben, Nick, Victoria and William.

Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Fultondale man who died at the Jefferson County Jail had been booked twice over several months

Fultondale Resident Dies in Custody Following Multiple Arrests Over Several Months

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — An inmate at the Jefferson County Jail died…
Escaped lion chases, mauls mom and two young kids: video

Lion Escapes Zoo, Attacks Mother and Her Two Children: Caught on Video

Wild video shows an escaped lion attacking a mother and her two…
Whitney Purvis arrested: '16 and Pregnant' star charged with involuntary manslaughter

’16 and Pregnant’ Star Whitney Purvis Arrested for Involuntary Manslaughter

The former reality TV star’s arrest is linked to a man’s fatal…
Woman in white dress against a white wall.

Influential Belly Dancer Detained for ‘Seductive Methods’ and ‘Revealing Private Parts’ in Popular Online Videos

A BELLY dancer influencer has been arrested for “using seduction techniques” and…
Belgium's King Albert, 91, undergoes cancer treatment for sixth time

King Albert of Belgium, 91, Receives Cancer Treatment for the Sixth Time

King Albert II of Belgium has kickstarted cancer treatment for the sixth…
Former Army captain critically injured in Bahamas boating hit-and-run during family vacation: report

Report: Ex-Army captain severely injured in Bahamas hit-and-run boat accident while on family vacation

A former Army captain and father of two is currently in a…
Sam Darnold engaged to longtime girlfriend in stunning beach proposal

Sam Darnold Announces Engagement After Romantic Beach Proposal to Longtime Girlfriend

Former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold will be getting his first ring in…
'The entire thing is theatre'

“It’s All Just a Performance”

Grimes didn’t mince words speaking out against their ex Elon Musk’s social…
Harrowing photos show what's left of volunteer fire chief's vehicle after he was swept away in Texas floods

Shocking images reveal the volunteer fire chief’s car after being carried away by floods in Texas

A desperate search was under way for a volunteer fire chief who…
‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Delves Into a Hidden Part of History: “There Was a Black Elite Living in Newport”

“‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Explores the Overlooked History of Newport’s Black Elite”

HBO’s show The Gilded Age consistently acknowledges the presence of Black individuals…
Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters faces possible prosecution after supporting banned Palestine Action

Ex-Pink Floyd Member Roger Waters May Face Legal Action for Backing Prohibited Palestine Group

Roger Waters, the former songwriter for Pink Floyd, might face legal action…
Muddy bunk beds and belongings in a flood-damaged cabin.

Eerie Images of Vacant Camp Mystic Bunkbeds Following Tragic Texas Floods That Claimed 27 Lives, 11 Still Unaccounted For

HORRIFYING pictures show the aftermath of the Texas floods at Camp Mystic,…