Customer Reviews

Put on a Happy Face: A Broadway Memoir

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Well written, funny as hell, and eminently readable "Put On a Happy Face" is as entertaining as any of Charles Strouse's best shows. In this book, whose title is taken from one of his many standards, Strouse takes us on a journey through the Broadway musical theater of the last fifty years. Along the way we meet the legends with whom he has worked (and with whom he has occasionally battled): David Merrick, Mel Brooks, Lauren Bacall, Dick Van Dyke, Gower Champion, Joshua Logan, Mike Nichols, Arthur Laurents, Alan Jay Lerner. He demonstrates how tough it is to write a musical and how much tougher it is to get it produced, only to have the critics break your heart. But he also shows the exhilaration and thrills when the show is a smash hit, like Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, or Annie.He clears up the confusion regarding his (and Lee Adams') contributions to Hello, Dolly!, especially laying to rest once and for all (one hopes) the rumors concerning the true authorship of "Before the Parade Passes By."
Strouse has had a fabulous career. Besides the hit shows, so many of his songs have become standards: "Tomorrow," "You've Got Possibilities," "Once Upon a Time," "Kids," "A Lot of Livin' To Do," and others. Buffs worship his score for Rags. His title song for Dance a Little Closer is gorgeous. His theme song for All in the Family --- "Those Were the Days" is one of the best known tv themes ever. If you analyze "The Telephone Hour" measure by measure, you will be astonished by the musicianship. In person, Charles Strouse is warm, gracious, and, to borrow the title of one of his songs, a "perfect gentleman." All that talent and honest personality come through in the pages of this book.
Don't miss it.

Charles Strouse is one of the last of a generation of great tune smiths. Broadway composers who could, as Richard Rodgers said, "piss good melodies." No matter what the show, Strouse could be counted upon to come up with great singable, hummable and even memorable tunes. He didn't always have hit shows, but when he did they were shows like Bye Bye Birde and Annie. This book tells a lot about the hits and also offers some wonderful anecdotes and insights into the various flops. Strouse isn't afraid to say what is one his mind and ruffle some feathers. The sections on Golden Boy and Sammy Davis Jr. and especially the Nick and Nora chapter that tells us more than we knew about Arthur Laurents are especially tasty. Unlike many memoirs, Charles personal life is handled very well and I was not bored for a second at the part I usually like to skip: the childhood. Charles ties it all in to his career and how the music was made and where it came from. One of the best memoirs to come down the pike in a while. Highly recommended to anyone interested in theatre, music or film.

A must-read for all fans of musical theatre, this heart-warming candid and funny autobiography provides a fascinating look into the world of showbusiness. Charles Strouse writes candidly about his ups-and-downs in showbusiness, the nagging insecurities that have followed him throughout his career and of course provides juicy tidbits about Teresa Stratas, Arthur Laurents, Leondard Bernstein and more.

Well, I just finished reading Charles Strouse new autobiography, and I agree with a lot of what the other reviewers have written here: a quick read, fascinating life, lots of interesting acquaintances, and a composer who has a significant body of work.

I also agree that a lot of gaps in his story aren't explained, especially why he and Lee Adams stopped writing together---there is only a vague reference to Mr. Adams diminishing interest in writing for NY Theater.

What disappointed me most about the book is the writing style--it's too stream of consciousness for my taste. I have never seen any author use so many parenthetical phrases as does Mr. Strouse. The result is choppy writing, filled with tangents, written the way some people talk, instead of showing signs of a good book editor.

Of course, I shouldn't be surprised that the writing is not up to par: Mr. Strouse is a very good composer, not a lyricist. His talent lies in notes and rhythms, not in words. His attempts at humor miss the mark, in that they are too mild or predictable. He is not a natural story teller. I respect his body of work and enjoy many recordings of his tunes, espcially Jason Grae's "Your never fully dressed.." however, I am now aware that musicians are not writers.

Charles Stouse paints a terrible picture of Arthur Laurents, but Mr. Laurent's autobiography is far better crafted, witty, and interesting. Mr. Strouse's book is worth reading if you are intersted in 20th century musical theater, but you'll need to get beyond the choppy writing and bland story telling in order to appreciate what an interesting life Mr. Strouse has had.

A truly enjoyable and quick read. Many insights are offered into the world of Broadway musicals. Strouse reveals several things about himself that are very interesting. Some Broadway writers,producers, etc. really come off as horse's a---s. Like the bit where he ways he has made more money than he can spend. Was sorry that it wasn't longer!

What sets this autobiography of the great Broadway composer Charles Strouse apart from other "and then I wrote" memoirs, is that although Mr. Strouse gives plenty of fascinating info on the what, who and where of his career, his main focus is on how it felt to create those shows, work with those people, and live that life. So the reader is drawn in and effortlessly identifies with him, coming away with the experience of a life lived in musical theatre. The only curious element is that, although his portraits of famous collaborators like Arthur Laurents, Alan Jay Lerner and Sammy Davis, Jr. are quite vivid, we are left with only a shadowy outline of Lee Adams, who wrote the lyrics to many of his most famous shows, such as "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Applause."

An easy read and enjoyable enough, but seems to skim across the surface without ever getting into too much detail. Highlights are all dutifully mentioned, but nothing terribly revealing.

I enjoyed this autobiography quite a bit and I have to say it's one of the quickest reads I've had in a while. Strouse has had a pretty sweet life and it makes you wish his Marty would be performed again somewhere. He certainly sound like a very nice guy. I would have liked to hear more about the actors in his some of his shows but I'm glad he wrote this.

Strouse is one of the most underrated composers of the American musical theatre. This is mostly due to the large number of failures he has been associated with. After reading his revealing memoir, it is easy to see why that happened. Strouse is singularly lacking in self esteem, and has been far too easily led, nor has he stood up for himself properly. This is a shame, because he wrote some of the best scores of the late twentieth century, including his masterpiece "Rags," a show that seems certain to be rediscovered one day and take it's place among the great ones.

Strouse promised a lot of "dirt" in this book, but I can't say it really delivers in that regard. Other than revealing that Arthur Laurents is an egomaniacal bastard (hardly a news flash) and that Strouse and Adams made a contribution to the development of "Hello, Dolly!," there isn't anything much along those lines.

One thing that emerges that is sort of surprising is how many close friends of Strouse's are gay; to the extent that it comes as a shock that he isn't gay himself! It is a testament to his open, accepting spirit.

It becomes very clear by book's end that Strouse suffers from chronic depression. One wonders why he isn't on medication for it. His creative output, despite that, is astounding.

I would have enjoyed more about Strouse's creative process, his aesthetic tastes, his opinions of the work of his contemporaries, and so on. The personal details are interesting, but after all, it is their work that fascinates us about these geniuses.

A fascinating autobiography of a genuinely 'nice' gentleman. Too often Strouse is left out in the panoply of great Broadway composers. As a (former) HS musical director, I conducted Annie, with with my staff on Birdie and the quality of the scores is beyond reproach. I remember the original Applause on Broadway; it's still one of my favorite scores. I enjoyed the 'backstage' chit-chat between producers, directors, and choreographers. It would have been wonderful to be a fly on the wall. My only disappointment is that I wanted to know how Lee Adams felt when Charles began collaborating with other lyricists. Highly recommended and a fast read!