ABOUT Lee Adams

Born in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1924, Lee Adams has contributed to a dozen  musicals over more than half a century as a lyricist and a writer. His first break on Broadway came with the 1955 musical revue, Catch A Star. Five years later, he teamed up with composer Charles Strouse to create the Tony^®-winning sensation of 1960, Bye Bye Birdie.

During those fifty years, Adams has engaged a surprising range of collaborators, from Mel Brooks (All American, 1962), the creator of The Producers; to Sammy Davis, Jr. (Golden Boy, 1965); to Dick Van Dyke (Bye Bye Birdie, 1960); Ann-Margret (Bye Bye Birdie “The Movie,” 1963); Lauren Bacall, Betty Comden and Adolph Green (Applause, 1970); and the legendary Chita Rivera (Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, 2005).

But the most enduring creative relationship that Lee Adams shared on Broadway was with Charles Strouse, with whom he developed eight shows, spanning some forty years. Along with such Tony Award^® winners as Bye Bye Birdie (Best Musical, 1960) and Applause (Best Musical, 1970) Adams worked together with Strouse on such shows as All American, Golden Boy (nominated for a Tony Award^®for Best Musical in 1965), and It’s a Bird . . . It’s a Plane . . . It’s Superman! (1966).