Once Upon A Time … An Evening With Charles Strouse
by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 30, 2009
The Man and The Music - Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse isn’t a name that immediately rings a bell with most people the way, say, Andrew Lloyd Webber does. If you say “the great musical composer, Charles Strouse” people don’t go “Ahhhh, right, of course”. But mention some of his iconic songs and right away the “wow, I didn’t know he wrote that“s and “seriously, that was him?“s come rolling in. So, for those of you who don’t know and need me to hum a few bars …
… Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes / Put her hand in mine and said she loved me so …
No? Not yet? How about
… Grey skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face! / Brush off the clouds and cheer up, put on a happy face!
Warmer? Well you’ve gotta know this one …
… Boy the way Glenn Miller played / Songs that made the Hit Parade / Guys like us we had it made … those were the days
Yeah? Starting to come together? Want the big finish?
… Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You’ll always a day away!
OHHHHH! THAT’S Charles Strouse! Yes … THAT’s Charles Strouse, writer of musicals such as Bye, Bye, Birdie, Annie, Applause and composer of movie scores and TV scores like “All in the Family”. With writing partner Lee Adams he penned half a dozen musicals, and even after that collaboration ended he went on to create a half dozen more with other lyricists (most notably one of my 2nd favorte Muscial Theatre Stephens after Sondheim — Stehen Schwartz for RAGS).
… Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes / Put her hand in mine and said she loved me so …
No? Not yet? How about
… Grey skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face! / Brush off the clouds and cheer up, put on a happy face!
Warmer? Well you’ve gotta know this one …
… Boy the way Glenn Miller played / Songs that made the Hit Parade / Guys like us we had it made … those were the days!
Yeah? Starting to come together? Want the big finish?
… Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You’re always a day away!
