The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd

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The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd was a follow up musical play to Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley's Stop the World - I Want to Get Off. It floundered in Britain with the comedian Norman Wisdom as the lead, but was more successful on Broadway with Anthony Newley starring and directing with Gillian Lynne adding her choreographic talent to a set designed by Sean Kenny while the great Producer David Merrick oversaw a national tour before opening it on Broadway. The plot was allegorical in nature, pitting Cocky, the little man who always plays by the rules, against Sir, who goes his own way, ignoring the rules. Newley played Cocky, while Sir was played on Broadway by Cyril Ritchard.

The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd opened at the Shubert Theatre on 16 May 1965 and ran for 232 performances.

The song "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)?" became popular at the time, and in addition to Newley was recorded by Tony Bennett, as well as Dusty Springfield, who had the biggest hit of the three with the song. Other songs were recorded by Sammy Davis Jr.. "Feeling Good" has been covered by a number of artists, including Nina Simone (on 1965 I Put a Spell on You), Muse, Michael Bublé and most recently The Pussycat Dolls.