by Mark G. Auerbach
The “Roar” Re-tooled
There are a lot of new musicals headed our way. Anastasia previews at Hartford Stage, before heading to Broadway. Barrington Stage has a couple on tap this summer, and Goodspeed has something new this fall.
Since 1963, Goodspeed Musicals has been a national living history museum of the musical theatre. The theatre reconstructs and revives gems of the past, showcases hits not recently seen by audiences, and nurtures new works. The Roar of The Greasepaint/The Smell of The Crowd, the musical by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, will be given a reimagined, retooled production at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre in Chester from May 20-June 26.
Newley and Bricusse wrote The Roar of The Greasepaint, after their 1962 musical Stop The World-I Want to Get Off became a London and Broadway hit. The musical opened in Nottingham in 1964, and toured the UK in hopes of a West End run in London, but audience interest was minimal. Famed theatre producer David Merrick decided to bring the show to Broadway, insisted that Newley star (as he had in Stop The World…), and released the original cast album during the show’s long pre-Broadway national tour.
Tony Bennett covered the show’s big song, “Who Can I Turn To?” before the opening, That, the starring cast of Newley, Cyril Ritchard and Joyce Jillson (who became a well-klnown astrologer and columnist after the show’s run), and a hit-filled cast album paid off Merrick’s investment before Opening Night. Nina Simone, Sammy Davis, Shirley Bassey, Johnny Mathis, The Temptations, Lena Horne, and more covered the show’s songs.
Tony Sheldon stars in Goodspeed’s The Road of The Greasepaint/The Smell of the Crowd (Photo submitted)
Broadway audiences weren’t warm on the musical with its lumbering plot about the haves and have-nots in British society, and the show had a brief Broadway run. But the incredible score, with songs like “Feeling Good”, “A Wonderful Day Like Today” and “The Joker” got plenty of airplay and performances on variety shows, and today, is one of standards.
So, director Don Stephenson, choreographer Liza Gennaro, music supervisor Michael O’Flaherty, and music director Adam Souza, are working to give the book more clarity, make the score sparkle, and give the show a staging that shows in an upside-down world, a rag-tag group relies on humor, song and dance to build a new life.
Tony Sheldon, the Australian musical star, who received rave reviews in Priscilla, Queen of The Desert on Broadway (and Hello, Dolly at Goodspeed) stars as “Sir”, the role created by Australian star Cyril Ritchard of Peter Pan fame; Caesar Samayoa plays Cocky, the under-dog, Michele Aravena is The Kid, and Gregory Treco is the Stranger.
For details: 860-873-8668 or www.goodspeed.org.
Some Big Season Announcements
Barrington Stage Company has announced a galaxy of stars for its summer season in Pittsfield. The world premiere new musical Presto Change-O will star Tony Award winner Michael Rupert, Tony nominees Jarrod Spector and Barbara Walsh. Debra Jo Rupp (“That 70’s Show”) headlines Kimberly Akimbo by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire. Tamara Tunie (“Law and Order”) will star as “Kendra Ellis-Connor” in the world premiere of American Son. Will Swenson, Kyle Dean Massey, and David Garrison headline The Pirates of Penzance with choreography by On The Town’s Joshua Bergasse. Orange is The New Black star Annie Golden co-stars with Jeff McCarthy in a new musical Bounty Hunter. Wow. For details: 413-236-8888 or www.barringtonstageco.org.
New Century Theatre’s upcoming Northampton summer season features four area premieres: Steven Dietz’s edge-of-your-seat thriller Yankee Tavern; Stephen Sachs’ Bakersfield Mist, staged by Artistic Director Sam Rush; Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still, and Cheryl West’s Jar The Floor. For details: www.newcenturytheatre.org
Adam Kerry Boyles conducts a canine pops in Hartford next season (Photo submitted)
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2016-2017 Pops series at The Bushnell. The quartet of concerts includes: Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton (October 22); the annual Holiday Cirque Spectacular (December 17); The Music of U2 (March 18); and Playing with Dogs (May 20). The latter, conducted by Adam Kerry Boyles, features pups and handlers from the Hartford Symphony Orchestra audience and the World Canine Freestyle Organization, For details: 860-987-5900 or www.hartfordsymphony.org.
Keep In Mind…
Author Tommy Shea hits a home run with his new book. (Photo by Suzanne Strempek Shea)
Tommy Shea, local author and former reporter at The Republican, launches the publication of his new book, Dingers: The 101 Most Memorable Home Runs in Baseball History, with a reading and booksigning at The Odyssey Book Shop in South Hadley on May 3. Shea covered the Red Sox for six years. For details: 413-534-7307 or www.odysseybks.com
Ron Reid’s Sunsteel Quartet presents An Informance on Steel Pan Jazz and the Sounds of Trinidad & Tobago at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke on May 5, under the auspices of the UMass Dine Arts Center Valley Jazz Network series. Tickets available at the door with a donation. For details: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS, or www.fineartscenter.com
The Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA, hosts its spring Community Open House on May 1. The free daylong celebration features a talk by literary critic and poet Adam Kirsch about the definition of “Jewish literature,” as well as short films about Yiddish writers, exhibits, and tours. Visitors are also invited to explore the Center’s permanent exhibits and the visiting exhibit A Town Known as Auschwitz: The Life and Death of a Jewish Community. For details: 413-256-4900 or www.yiddishbookcenter.org.
Anastasia, the new Broadway-bound musical with book by Terrence McNally, and music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, has extended its run at Hartford Stage through June 19. Tickets are hard to come by, so order early. For details: 860-527-5151 or www.hartfordstage.org.
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Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
