By Rebecca Goldfine,Staff Writer

HARRISON – Two Broadway greats, Charles Strouse and Will Holt, will star in an original show they created for the Deertrees Theatre this weekend, performing their songs about life in the spotlight.

At the same time, the show, “Those Were the Days,” will raise money for the Seeds of Peace International Camp that is in the spotlight as violence surges in the Middle East.

The theater has never collaborated before with Seeds of Peace, the Otisfield camp that brings together young people from regions around the world mired in conflict.

But the theater’s house manager, Randolph Parker, said the two organizations interlock well together. “I think Deertrees and Seeds of Peace International Camp are both something we in Maine should be proud of … It’s a natural fit,” he said.

Strouse might be best known for his musicals “Annie” and “Bye, Bye Birdie,” and Holt for his songs, “Lemon Tree” and “Raspberries, Strawberries.”

Holt described the original show as a look back at how the two men got their breaks and how they became successful.

“The clue is you have to keep sticking to it no matter what happens,” Holt said from his Bridgton home Friday.

“It’s partially about the kind of supper clubs they had before television took over,” Holt said. “From WWII on to 1960, this is where you had a lot of performers, and this is how they learned how to perform, and among them was me. I started out as a folk singer, I progressed to cabaret and then to Broadway shows.”

The first half of the show will be more nostalgic; the second half will focus on the work occupying the two composers these days. Holt and Strouse will be accompanied on piano by Aaron Hagan. Holt said it’s unlikely the show will continue beyond Deertrees, unless by chance he’s offered, “a million, million dollars.”

“He’s a songwriter and performer, and I’m a composer, and we’re friends,” Strouse said Friday, adding that the two hang out frequently and play music in each other’s apartments at West 57th Street in New York City with their wives.

“And I happen to be connected to the Seeds of Peace. It struck me as very good, if we did do it, and it would be a good thing to dedicate to them, although it don’t look good for them right now,” Strouse added.

Strouse said the show will be the first time he and Holt perform on stage together.

“I am going to try very hard so both of us enjoy ourselves,” he said.

Strouse has a personal connection with Janet Wallach, president of the peace camp, adding that he has visited the camp as well.

“If there is any kind of inspiration nowadays, it is in things like Seeds of Peace,” he said.

Reached by telephone Monday, Wallach said: “Charles Strouse is a good friend and a longtime supporter of Seeds of Peace,” she said from the camp’s New York City office. “It is such a wonderful idea. He’s so brilliantly talented that we’re thrilled with this opportunity.”

Holt became close friends with Strouse a few years ago when Strouse moved into the same apartment building in New York City. Strouse, too, has a connection in Maine that goes back to his summer camp days at Camp Wigwam in Waterford.

Parker said two types of tickets are available – a $50 ticket that includes a reception with Seeds of Peace faculty and alumni after the show, and a $20 ticket for a regular floor seat. The show will start at 8 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.