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One of just a handful of musical theatre performers to not
only star in, but compose his own shows, the multi-talented Anthony Newley
landed his first major film role at the age of 17, playing the Artful Dodger
in David Lean's classic 1948 version of Dickens' OLIVER TWIST.
In 1955, he made his West End debut in the musical revue
CRANKS which later had a brief run on Broadway.
Playing a rock n' roller in the British film IDLE ON
PARADE led to successful singing career starting with the IDLE theme song,
I Waited So Long, which reached the top of pop charts, then the No. 1
hits Why and OLIVER! composer Lionel Bart's Do You Mind?
During the 1960s and 70s, he was one of the few British
performers to succeed on the U.S. nightclub circuit, especially in Las Vegas
where he was voted Male Musical Star of the Year in 1977.
But he is best remembered for writing the music and
starring in the landmark hit musicals STOP THE WORLD...I WANT TO GET OFF
(1964) and THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD (1965).
Each musical had successful Broadway runs with Newley reprising both his
roles. STOP THE WORLD was revived on Broadway in 1978, this time with Sammy
Davis Jr. playing Newley's role of Littlechap.
STOP THE WORLD and ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, with lyrics by
Newley's longtime collaborator Leslie Briscusse, also contain a number of
memorable songs that are now considered cabaret classics -- What Kind of
Fool Am I?, Gonna Build A Mountain, The Joker and Who Can I Turn To?
Among his other compositions is the film score for WILLIE
WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY which was nominated for a 1971 Original
Music Score Academy Award. The film's best-known tune, The Candy
Man, became one of Sammy Davis Jr. most successful recordings. |
