Customer Reviews

The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell Of The Crowd (1965 Original Broadway Cast)

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I never saw this musical but somehow the album was in my parents home when I was a young boy. I remember sifting through selections and coming upon the song "Look at That Face". It was not only hysterical but orchestrated in such a lovely way. As a young music student the soundtrack drew me in deeper with its powerful melodies, stellar arrangements, funny and tender lyrics, and, of course Anthony Newley - Cyril Ritchard performances. Recently, after not hearing it for a few decades, I purchased this CD on a family trip returning from Disney World. Here's the acid test: My kids (12 & 16) never saw the musical either and after playing the whole CD up Interstate 95, they wanted to hear the album again and again. Truly cross generational in delight and full of emotional range, you wonder in a melancholy way how such wonderful music can go to the wayside of culture. This is a sparkling diamond of musical theater. Share it with your love ones even if you have no idea what the story is about. The power of the music stands awesomely by itself. In fact, "Who Can I Turn To?" was a Tony Bennett hit that preceded the show's Broadway debut. Play it in the car and you'll be grateful there are those fellow human beings capable of composing such joy. I'm Philly Cuzz www.OnTheWayToCapeMay.com

this musical, like anthony newley himself, is underrated and underappreciated. coming on the heels of stop the world, and just as the broadway musical art form was morphing into the rock format of hair, etc, it never got the publicity or credit it deserved.

this musical, like stop the world, tells an everyman tale of universal and timeless appeal. newley of course plays the main character and we follow him on his picaresque journey through
life. cyril ritchard, captain hook to most of us, plays the sneering snidley whiplash boss and nemesis who connives to keep
everyman down.

i am surprised that local theater groups have not seized on this as a staple production; it would be easy to stage and would provide roles for every age group and would entertain mainstream audiences with a simple plot and lots of good songs that you could remember and hum after you have left the theater.

the songs are great, including who can i turn to, feeling good, look at that face, the joker, beautiful land and my first love song. they are melodic and lyrically witty. there is not a bad song in the bunch, but the only ones that got any popular play were who can i turn to and the joker.

i heartily recommend that you get this cd; not only to add another, lesser known broadway show to your collection but also to get music provided by newley and ritchard -- two of london's best and most idiosyncratic music hall performers, who spanned the early to late 20th century. their rich baritone voices and cockney and king's english accents will haunt you and make you glad you got this cd.

This musical is ingrained in my memory like no other. My parents bought the vinyl version after seeing Newley and Ritchard perform it on tour in Boston in '65 or '66. The record was played constantly around our house and was--along with The Sound of Music, Bye Bye Birdie, and Mary Poppins--my first introduction to musical theatre.

Alas, that it has not shared the same popularity as those others. It is truly a remarkable work of theatre and music. Supposedly neither Newley nor Ritchard read music, instead they composed songs in their head and sang them into a tape recorder for others to transcribe. That's hard to believe given the sheer complexity of the time signatures and harmonies.

This is a musical that is more about the songs than the story, making it incredibly easy to stage. It's a wonder to me that the musical forces of today are not eager to revive "Roar." Songs like "Who Can I Turn To" and "It Isn't Enough" showcase a vocalist's ability to, well, show off.

I also think the positive philosophy behind the story make it ripe for a feature film. David Bowie once said in an interview that Newley's singing style had a tremendous influence upon him--particulary during his "Diamond Dogs" recording sessions.

No serious collection of musical theatre is complete without this album!

Ok, I'm prejudiced! I performed the off-Broadway premiere at Montana State College (now University) in Bozeman, Montana. At the time of our performance, we had listened to the original Broadway recording many times over to attempt to adhere to the vagaries of nuance intended by Anthony Newley and Sir Cyril Ritchard. It was a task of great pleasure!
The music is striking and memorable. "Who Can I Turn To" is one of my most pleasant moments of performance and is certainly one of the most heartfelt songs I have ever enjoyed as a listener or as a performer.
"On A Wonderful Day" is also right up there at the top of my choices. It is a lyrical and beautiful song of pleasure about being alive! Please listen to this CD and share my pleasure!

Anthony Newley produces a masive canon of standards in his 50 odd years in the business. His musical's with Leslie Bricusse were full of originality not seen in British productions usually. His "Stop the World" broke records and this follow up "Roar of the Greasepaint" was again accepted by the masses on Broadway. Newley himself said that he felt this musical had a slightly better score. With the fabulous 'Who Can I Turn To' and the 'Joker' to 'Wonderful Day Like Today' this CD should be next to your "Stop the World" copy, (which should be next tou your Anthony Newley Collection!) Paul Goodhead -President of the Anthony Newley Appreciation Society Worldwide.

THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD was Anthony Newley's followup to "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off", which had been a huge hit for Newley on both Broadway and London stages, in addition to the movie version.

While ROAR... sadly fell short of it's initial goals, the show itself is full of charm and contains a clutch of memorable tunes; not to mention the magnetic Anthony Newley, joined by veteran Cyril Ritchard. The show ran for 231 performances at the Shubert Theatre, but managed to pay off the bulk of it's investment on a pre-Broadway tour, recouping the rest within the first five weeks of the Broadway run.

Newley is in his element with numbers like "The Joker", "Who Can I Turn To?" and "This Dream". He joins Joyce Jillson for the aching "My First Love Song". Cyril Ritchard's "A Wonderful Day Like Today" later became a successful stand-alone single for artists like Lena Horne.

While I'll personally always prefer his unforgettable Littlechap in "Stop the World...", Anthony Newley's impeccable musicality alone makes this a must-own recording for show music fans.

One of the great lost scores of the 1960's, "The Roar of the Greasepaint-The Smell of the Crowd" is brimmed full with unforgettable songs. The performances are top-notch from Anthony Newley, Cyril Ritchard and the rest of youthful cast. On the CD the orchestrations have never sounded better. A must for your Broadway collection.

Since, some 44+ years ago, I was the conductor on this album, it would be presumptuous of me to comment on the quality of the performances. I'll leave that to others.

Honesty, however, requires that I admit to enjoying immensely being reacquainted with my old - and extraordinarily gifted - friends.

Herb Grossman

(ps I would think it only fair that you credit Anthony Newley with being the work's co-author.)

It is hard to believe so many great songs came from this show! You have "Who Can I Turn To?", "Feeling Good!" (a song which has currently been rerecorded), "What A Wonderful Day Like Today", "The Joker" and "Look At That Face". It is incredible! With artists like Anthony Newley and Cyrill Ritchard and a score by Leslie Bricusse, how can this miss?

I've always loved musicals and this is no exception. The music and lyrics are inspired and Newley and Ritchard are superb as the main characters.