
Charlie and Algernon (1980 musical)
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Charles Strouse and David Rogers’ 'Charlie and Algernon' arrived at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1980 as a beautifully tender, emotionally rich musical drama that masterfully adapted Daniel Keyes’ classic novel *Flowers for Algernon*. The heartbreaking narrative tracks Charlie Gordon, a gentle, mentally disabled man who undergoes an unprecedented, experimental neurosurgical procedure to artificially boost his intelligence to genius levels, charting his rapid intellectual awakening and romantic relationship with his teacher, mirrored by a lab mouse named Algernon. Directed by Rogers, the intimate production featured a soaring, melodic score by Strouse and a tour-de-force lead performance by P.J. Benjamin.

