Friday 5: 5 Favorite Charles Strouse Songs

Yesterday brought the sad news that Broadway composer Charles Strouse passed away at age 96. Chances are that even though you may not know his name, you've heard his music. Three of his shows were Tony Award winning Best Musicals. You might have heard of them: Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and Applause.  As great as his biggest hits were, his flops were just as accomplished. As musical theater lovers, we are all that much better for his contributions.

Thank you, Mr. Strouse. RIP

5 Favorite Charles Strouse Songs

"We'd Like to Thank You" from Annie (Lyrics by Martin Charnin)

This choice probably surprises you, but "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard-Knock Life" are just too obvious. Instead, I love the cynical meaning of the song wrapped up in that catchy, big show sound. The juxtaposition of the Hooverville-ites and the music is just delicious. Family-friendly to the ear, biting social commentary for the brain. Love it!!

"One Hallowe'en" from Applause (Lyrics by Lee Adams)

The second of three shows he composed that won Best Musical, this score is a no skips for me. Sure, it's a bitchy, mod take on the classic film All About Eve, and Bacall's vocals are iffy at times, but it's the consistently catchy, moody music that really sells it. So why this short solo number? Because it is a perfect character piece - defiant, slow-building, and packs a wallop even when the music takes a halting pause.

"Normal American Boy" from Bye Bye Birdie (Lyrics by Lee Adams)

Here is the classic show that put Strouse and Adams on the map. A score full of tuneful toe-tappers, on any given day I could put any one of those songs on this list. Like his later score for Annie, his music is sweet Americana, but with a great undercurrent of seriousness and a healthy cynicism. I chose this one for exactly that combination.

"Busy Night At Lorraine's" from Nick and Nora (Lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr.)

I didn't see this show - not many did - but the score is one of my favorites. In this number, Strouse (with stunning orcheatrations by Jonathan Tunick) gives us appropriate Thin Man 30s film noir undercurrents with Broadway brassiness, and uses pizzicato strings to highlight the wordy delivery of Maltby's lyrics and oboes to add urgency. The whole thing is catchy, and if you close your eyes, you can just picture what is going on. It may have only lasted for 9 performances, but it earned its Best Score Tony nomination. 

"Greenhorns" from Rags (Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz)

This is the show that walked so that Ragtime could run. This epic number brings together classic European styles and American ragtime. Strouse goes all in with the tune that utilizes all sections of an orchestra, gorgeous horns and woodwinds, driving rhythms and an ominous use of time and key changes. This whole score is a winner.

At This Theatre: The Stephen Sondheim

This month's column is really a tale of two theaters, a before and after, if you will. One of my all-time favorite shows played at the "before," and several shows I was underwhelmed by played the "after." The good news is that the complete reconfiguration of this theater offers much better sight lines, comfortable (relatively spacious) seating, and an entrance that is both practical and dramatic. Knowing that I won't get leg cramps and that I will get a great view from the last row of the mezzanine or the front row of the orchestra makes me look forward to returning to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

At This Theatre:

The Henry Miller's/The Stephen Sondheim

Shows We Saw There: The Henry Miller's: Urinetown: The Musical; The Stephen Sondheim: Bye Bye Birdie, Anything Goes, Beautiful

How They Rank: I have a feeling that my rankings this month will generate some fun email. But I like what I like.

4. Anything Goes: I loved the 1987 revival of this Cole Porter relic. This revival, not so much. Was it the bland scenery? The bland direction? Well, that had something to do with it. But mostly, it was the uncomfortable miscasting of Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney. (To be fair, the rest of the casting was good.)

3. Beautiful: Here's another show that everyone seemed to adore - it did run forever a long time. Aside from the excellent music, this was a live Behind the Music that showed very little creativity in the staging or the book. I mean, seriously, was Carole King's life really that easy and problem-free?

2. Bye Bye Birdie: Here's a show I enjoyed quite a bit. Colorful and splashy, and a score that I adore, this revival made me feel so happy. And I thought John Stamos and Gina Gershon were terrific together. (I loved them both in Cabaret, albeit separately.) It made a real case for fun, nostalgic revivals.

1. Urinetown: The Musical: This one, as I noted above, I saw when it was the Henry Miller's. It was the perfect venue for this particular show, with its dingy, run down interior a perfect match for this dystopian comedy. Heck, even the roof leaked! And the bathrooms (come on, I had to go considering the show) were dark and dank. Since they gave out free postcards from racks on the walls above the urinals, and there was humorous signage throughout the area, I have to assume this was part of the overall environmental design plan. The show was great, and the theater was really the icing on the cake.

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Broadway Who's Who: Dick Van Dyke

With the new year, we are trying new things. Since Broadway remains "on pause," we are going to pause our traditional Mr. and Ms. Broadway and Standing @ Zero columns. In place of those, we'll take a look at some of Broadway's Who's Who - people who made the theater scene their home in front of the footlights and behind the scenes, making the art form all the better for their being a part of it. 

Our first in the series goes to a true entertainment icon, who, even at 95 years of age is still making headlines. Last week, it was revealed  that he would be a 2021 Kennedy Center Honors recipient. I'm speaking of the great Dick Van Dyke, star of the big screen, the little screen and the stage. That my young niece and nephew know him from Mary Poppins, my sister knows him from TV's Diagnosis Murder and a particularly fun episode of The Golden Girls, my parents know him from one of the greatest sit-coms of all-time, The Dick Van Dyke Show, goes to show you that he is truly a multi generational legend, whose gift just keeps giving. He's a real "who's who."

We, of course, will be focusing on his contributions to theater.

The Broadway Who's Who:

Dick Van Dyke

DID YOU KNOW?...

• BIRTH DATE: December 13, 1925
• BIRTHPLACE: West Plains, Missouri
• FAMILY: married twice, four children, seven grandchildren
• MILITARY SERVICE: World War II, United States Army Air Forces, Staff Sergeant, ret., recipient of Good Conduct Medal. After being denied for pilot training four times for being underweight, he was assigned to Special Services in the American Theater, where he entertained the troops. This service became a big part of his role as Rob Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
• EDUCATION: At age 78, he received his high school diploma. He quit high school to join the army for World War II.
• HONORS: 5 Emmy Awards, 1 Grammy, Television Hall of Fame (1995), SAG Lifetime Achievement Form (2013), Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, named a Disney Legend.

BROADWAY CAREER:

The Girls Against the Boys (debut): November 2, 1954, Alvin Theatre. A musical revue that also starred Bert Lahr and Nancy Walker. 

⭐He was honored with a Theatre World Award.

     

Bye Bye Birdie  (Albert Peterson): April 14, 1960 - April 8, 1961, Martin Beck Theatre/54th Street Theatre/Shubert Theatre. Co-starred Chita Rivera, Paul Lynde, Kay Medford, Susan Watson and Dick Gaultier. 

⭐He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

The Music Man (Harold Hill): June 5 - 22, 1980, City Center. Co-starred Meg Bussert as Marian, and a young Christian Slater as Winthrop. There was a pre-Broadway national tour.

Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (Guest Star): January 24 - 26, 2006, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. His final Broadway performance to date, reunited him with his Bye Bye Birdie co-star and friend.

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Remembering Ann Reinking

Like many people, I first became acquainted with Ann Reinking as I studied everything I could get my hands on about Bob Fosse. Of course, though their lives and careers were inextricably intertwined, I became quite a fan of hers independent of him. I've seen her films, Annie and All That Jazz, and really enjoyed her work. But seeing her on stage was an extraordinary thrill for this theater lover, and I had the opportunity four times: first in the revival of Sweet Charity, then in a revival national tour of Bye Bye Birdie with another amazing dancer/choreographer, Tommy Tune, in the revival of Chicago, and finally in Fosse. She was brilliant - so precise, so effortless. A singular talent.

Thank you, Ms. Reinking, for carrying on the Fosse Legacy, and for being a superstar in your own right. It was a privilege to be witness to your talents. RIP.

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The Friday 5: 5 Broadway 'One' Songs

Numbers. Numbers. Everywhere numbers! Palindrome week... For theater fans it might be, "a 5...6...7...8" or it might be the list of musical numbers in a musical's Playbill. This week's Friday 5 is about a very specific Broadway number. It's been called a "singular sensation." Here is a countdown of my 5 favorite "One" songs:

The Friday 5:

5 Broadway

"One" Songs

5. "One Brick at a Time" from Barnum (from the London cast taping, starring Michael Crawford)



4. "One Last Kiss" from Bye Bye Birdie (from the studio recording of the film soundtrack. This version is not in the film - only a "rehearsal" snippet is in the movie.)



3. "One Day More" from Les Miserables (from the 10th Anniversary Concert. It's probably my favorite version of this gorgeous song.)



2. "One Hand, One Heart" from West Side Story (from the 2009 Broadway revival - that's Matt Cavenaugh, not Jeremy Jordon)



1. "One (Finale)" from A Chorus Line (from the 2006 Broadway revival. Check out the sass on Jason Tam's face at the very beginning! For my money, still the greatest Broadway finale ever.)

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

THE ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S

BROADWAY LOGO ABCs (U - Z)

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