Step into the whimsical, wonderful world of a true entertainment icon.
Join us on September 24th, which would have been Anthony Newley’s 95th birthday, for a spectacular tribute to the man who redefined show business. Starring the charismatic Bradley Knight as Newley, this production celebrates the legendary songwriting partnership of Newley and Leslie Bricusse. Prepare to be swept away by timeless classics, including Who Can I Turn To, The Candy Man, Pure Imagination, Goldfinger and many more! From the surreal magic of Willy Wonka to the depths of the West End and Broadway stage, experience the hits that shaped a generation. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or discovering his genius for the first time, this is a birthday celebration you won’t want to miss.
Review by Stephen Gilchrist
There was a time, some decades ago now, when Anthony Newley was probably the most impersonated celebrity on the impressionist circuit with his highly mannered, theatrical, and expressive singing style that prominently featured a thick, elongated Cockney accent and stylized vowel sounds, much admired and copied by David Bowie in his early songs.
Newley was a phenomenon and one of the few Brits who mastered the crafts of actor (his childhood marked with a terrific turn as the Artful Dodger in Lean’s ‘Oliver Twist’), director, singer and composer, matched only by Noel Coward and Charles Chaplin (about whom Newey wrote a musical – one of the numbers featuring in this show- which is as yet unproduced in the UK). The scope of his talent was never better exemplified than in his iconic works with his erstwhile writing partner Leslie Bricusse – ‘Stop the World…’ and ‘The Roar of the Greasepaint.’ Newley won the 1963 Grammy Award for Song of the Year for “What Kind of Fool Am I?“, sung by Sammy Davis Jr and wrote “Feeling Good“, which became a signature hit for Nina Simone. His songs have been sung by a wide variety of singers including Fiona Apple, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Michael Bublé, and Mariah Carey.
After his death at 67 in 1999, Newley’s legacy slowly faded from the spotlight. Today, he is virtually unknown to the general public.
Bradley Knight and his musical director Russ Stevens have spent much of their collective careers keeping the flag flying for Newley’s brilliance with an immense amount of love and respect and never sending him up. Knight not so much impersonates Newley, but channels him with remarkable precision as Newley. His performance at Crazy Coqs was a 75-minute paean to his hero on what would have been his 95th. birthday.
In the 21 numbers and pursed lips, later life husky stage patter and before a doting and adoring audience, Bradley brought Newley back from the hereafter to present a retrospective of his singing and composing career from his early days in which he may have inadvertently become a pop singer via ‘Idol on Parade’ the 1959 British comedy film with the numbers ‘Why’, ‘Do You Mind’ (by Lionel Bart) and the novelty version of ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’.
Being careful not to over emphasise Newley’s later life vibrato (though this was a distinctively recognisable aspect of his later performances) Knight moves on to his partnership with Bricusse with a medley, and numbers from their shows, including ‘Who Can I Turn To’, and ’What Kind of Fool Am I’ as a much-lauded encore.
The whole show was an extraordinary and impressive tribute to a great British entertainer. Newley was also an excellent interpreter of his friend, Bricusse’s solo works with ‘Talk to the Animals’ from ‘Doctor Doolittle’ (in which Newley starred) and a most affecting version of ‘A Better Life’ from ‘Scrooge’ in which Newley also starred on the stage.
Knight’s charming, sophisticated and black-tie presentation, accompanied, empathetically by Stevens on keys and leading a three-piece band, proved an overwhelming success which brought to life, without any teasing mimicry, Newley in his prime, his look, his voice, and his genius. Eventually Newley returned to the after world and the audience went home. But the audience left believing with some justification they had actually seen, courtesy of Bradley Knight, much more than just a shadow of a great artiste’s life’s force, but the man himself. A brilliant performance and a wonderful evening of music!
