Exclusive – Anthony Newley musical begins development with starry cast onboard

EXCLUSIVE!

Next week, The Ministry of Entertainment is bringing together a dream cast for the first stage in the development process of its new stage musical biography – Newley! 

Based on the life and loves of legendary British entertainer/actor/singer/composer/lyricist/director Anthony Newley, Newley! is conceived by Graham Mulvein (producer of the world premiere production of Scrooge – The Musical which starred Newley throughout the 1990s) and written by Susan Selfe and Mulvein.

Led by Olivier Award winner Paul Baker (Taboo, Starlight Express, Les Misérables, Chicago, The Lion King), the cast includes David Boyle (Newley The Singer and His Songs, Being Sellers), Louise Dearman (the only actress in theatrical history to have played both witches in the Broadway/West End hit Wicked), Anita Dobson (Carnival of the Animals, The Merry Wives of WIndsor, Bette and Joan), Jodie Jacobs (Rock of Ages, Evita, We Will Rock You), Dezzi Lloyd, Zack Shaw and Rebecca Trehearn (Dogfight, City of Angels). The musical director is Matt Spencer-Smith, currently MD on Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Casting director is Anne Vosser.

The next stage in the development process is a workshop production and a concept album recording, both scheduled for late 2015.

Hackney-born Anthony Newley starred in numerous film and stage musicals including Stop the World, I Want to Get Off and The Roar of the Greasepaint (The Smell of the Crowd).
 Soon after being accepted at the Italia Conti stage school, he began winning film roles and was cast as the Artful Dodger in David Lean’s Oliver Twist. His singing career began with the 1959 film Idle on Parade. In 1961 he collaborated with songwriter Leslie Bricusse on the show Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (Newley starred in the piece and also directed). The show ran on Broadway for 556 performances and several of its songs (‘What Kind of Fool Am I?’, ‘Once In a Lifetime’ and ‘Gonna Build a Mountain’) became hit singles. Soon after, Bricusse and Newley wrote the score to the James Bond film Goldfinger and then in 1965 produced The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd (featuring the songs ‘Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)?’, ‘A Wonderful Day Like Today’, ‘The Joker’, ‘This Dream’ and the Nina Simone hit ‘Feeling Good’). The duo also wrote the score for the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which included the Top Ten hit song recorded by Sammy Davis Jr, ‘The Candy Man’. In the mid-1970s the team also collaborated on the TV version of Peter Pan and the London stage success The Good Old Bad Old Days.

Performers involved in developing the new musical Newley! include (clockwise): Paul Baker, Louise Dearman, Anita Dobson, Jodie Jacobs, David Boyle and Rebecca Trehearn.