Morris Isaac "Moose" Charlap (December 19, 1928 – July 8, 1974) was an American

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

composer best known for ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' (1954), for which Carolyn Leigh wrote the lyrics. The idea for the show came from

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

, who planned to have a few songs by Charlap and Leigh. It evolved into a full musical, with additional songs by Jule Styne and

Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned ...

and

Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Ar ...

. The original run of ''Peter Pan'' on Broadway starred

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...

and

Cyril Ritchard Cyril Joseph Trimnell-Ritchard (1 December 1898 – 18 December 1977), known professionally as Cyril Ritchard, was an Australian stage, screen and television actor, and director. He is best remembered today for his performance as Captain Hook in ...

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate capta ...

Career

Charlap was also the composer for the 1969 television movie musical ''Hans Brinker,'' which had lyrics by Alvin Cooperman and starred

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story'' (1951), and ''Interrupted Melody'' (1955), the first ...

(her singing voice was her own),

Richard Basehart John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. He starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson in the television science-fiction drama '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1964–68). He also portrayed Wilton Knig ...

John Gregson Harold Thomas Gregson (15 March 1919 – 8 January 1975), known professionally as John Gregson, was an English actor of stage, television and film, with 40 credited film roles. He was best known for his crime drama and comedy roles. He was cr ...

Robin Askwith Robin Mark Askwith (born 12 October 1950) is an English actor and singer who has appeared in a number of film, television and stage productions. Making his film debut as Keating in the film '' if....'' (1968), a role he would reprise in ''Brita ...

, Roberta Tovey, Sheila Whitmill, and

. It was based on the novel by

Mary Mapes Dodge Mary Elizabeth Mapes Dodge (January 26, 1831 – August 21, 1905) was an American children's author and editor, best known for her novel ''Hans Brinker''. She was the recognized leader in juvenile literature for almost a third of the nineteenth ...

. Charlap also wrote the song "First Impression" with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. The song was dropped from the original 1954 production of ''Peter Pan'' but was recorded by

Eydie Gorme Eydie may refer to: * Eydie Gormé (1928–2013), American singer. * Steve and Eydie, an American pop vocal duet, * Eydie Whittington, a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. * The World Of Steve & Eydie, a 1972 album released by Steve Law ...

in 1956. Other songs Charlap wrote that were not included in musicals include "English Muffins and Irish Stew," "Mademoiselle," "Great Day in the Morning," "My Favorite Song," and "Young Ideas."

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

recorded his "My Favorite Song" for Decca Records with an orchestra directed by

Leroy Kirkland Leroy E. Kirkland (February 10, 1904 or 1906 – April 6, 1988) was an American arranger, bandleader, guitarist and songwriter whose career spanned the eras of big band jazz, R&B, rock and roll and soul. Life and career Born in Columbia, South Ca ...

. Charlap was also a recording artist and had a single, "Good Old Fashioned Lovin'/It Was My Father's Habit," released on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

9674 in 1956.

Family

Born Morris Isaac Charlip to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

familyTampa Jewish Federation: "Jews in the News: Mike Nichols, Yael Grobglas and Dominic Fumusa"
retrieved March 18, 2017 , "''The musical was penned by five Jewish theater legends, all now deceased. Lyrics by: BETTY COMDEN, ADOLPH GREENE, and CAROLYN LEIGH—with music by: MARK CHARLAP and JULE STYNE.''" in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, he married singer Sandy Stewart, whose biggest hit was " My Coloring Book" in 1962. Jazz pianist Bill Charlap is their son. They also had a daughter, Katherine. He and his first wife, Elizabeth, were the parents of a daughter, Anne, and son, Tom, a bass player. Charlap, who lived with his wife and children on Manhattan's East Side, died at

Lenox Hill Hospital Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH) is a nationally ranked 450-bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, servicing the tri-state area. LHH is one of the region's many unive ...

in 1974 at the age of 45.

Work on Broadway

*''

'' (1954,

revivals Revival most often refers to: * Resuscitation of a person *Language revival of an extinct language * Revival (sports team) of a defunct team *Revival (television) of a former television series *Revival (theatre), a new production of a previously p ...

in 1979, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999) – musical – composer *''

Whoop-Up ''Whoop-Up'' is a musical with music by Mark Charlap, lyrics by Norman Gimbel, and book by Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, based on ''Stay Away, Joe'' by Dan Cushman. It was directed by Cy Feuer, with sets and lighting by Jo Mielziner and choreo ...

'' (1958) – musical – composer *'' The Conquering Hero'' (1961) – musical – composer *''

Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

'' (1965) – musical – composer *''

Jerome Robbins' Broadway ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' is an anthology comprising musical numbers from shows that were either directed or choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The shows represented include, for example, '' The King and I'', '' On the Town'' and ''West Side Stor ...

'' (1989) –

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

– featured

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

for "Peter Pan" * ''Clown Around'' (1972)

Work on Television

*''Through the Looking Glass'' (1966 musical) – musical – composer''Alice Through the Looking Glass'' at ''Masterworks Broadway''
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References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlap, Mark American musical theatre composers 1928 births 1974 deaths Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni Musicians from Philadelphia Jewish American composers Jewish American songwriters Songwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American composers 20th-century American Jews