Carol Burnett to Appear at Charles Strouse Tribute, May 7

Carol Burnett has signed on to the Encompass New Opera Theatre's starry May 7th tribute to legendary composer Charles Strouse.

Stars of stage and screen will perform highlights saluting Strouse's career. The gala celebration will benefit the Encompass New Opera Theatre, a non–profit company specializing in developing new music theatre and contemporary opera.

Hosted by Tony Award-winner Marian Seldes, the evening will feature performances by Ann Anello, Victoria Clark, Darius DeHaas, Madeline Gilford, Jason Graae, Phyllis Newman Green, Peter Howard, Judy Kuhn, Tom Meehan, K.T. Sullivan, and Karen Ziemba; there wll also be a few surprises. Burnett will be on hand to introduce Strouse.

Strouse will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the gala, which will take place at the historic National Arts Club at 15 Gramercy Park South. Sheldon Harnick and John Kander will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs.

"The evening will celebrate the diverse range of Strouse's creative genius. Charles Strouse's music has been an integral part of American culture for over forty years," state press notes. "His first Broadway musical was 1960's Bye Bye Birdie (written with longtime collaborators Lee Adams and Michael Stewart). It won him a Tony Award for best score – his first of three – and paved the way for his next show It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Superman! In 1962, his musical All American (book by Mel Brooks) produced the well-known standard 'Once Upon a Time.' Golden Boy, starring Sammy Davis, Jr., earned four Tony award nominations, and Applause, starring Lauren Bacall, won Strouse his second Tony Award.

In 1977, Strouse adapted another comic strip for the stage. Annie garnered Strouse yet another Tony (in addition to two Grammies) Strouse also wrote the theme song for "All in the Family," "Those Were The Days." Strouse's "Concerto America" premiered at The Boston Pops, and his opera Nightingale, starring Sarah Brightman had a successful run in London's West End. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Strouse studied under Aaron Copland and Nadia Boulanger."

A limited number of tickets, priced at $250, are available. Visit www.encompassopera.org for more information.

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