BWW CD Reviews: Stage Door Records' ANTHONY NEWLEY SINGS 'THE GOOD OLD BAD OLD DAYS!' is Interesting

For me, Anthony Newley is Matthew Mugg. I grew up watching and loving the 1967 film of Dr. Dolittle, but it wouldn't be until 2015 that I discovered that Anthony Newley is responsible for some of my favorite music (namely "Feeling Good" and the score for 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), and that he wrote a ton of material with Leslie Bricusse, another favorite of mine. This piqued my curiosity in Stage Door Records' release of ANTHONY NEWLEY SINGS "THE GOOD OLD BAD OLD DAYS!," which is an altogether fun and somewhat important album for historical reasons.

Originally conceived as Anthony Newley's big return to Broadway, THE GOOD OLD BAD OLD DAYS! was written by him and Leslie Bricusse while he was performing in Las Vegas. However, when producer James Nederlander and choreographer Bob Fosse pulled out of the project it looked like the show would never see the light of day. Eventually Bernard Delfont rescued the musical with a plan to produce it as a short UK tour that culminated in a West End opening in December 1972. The show garnered mixed to positive notices and ran for 309 performances at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Now, for the first time ever, audiences can hear and savor Anthony Newley's original demos for the musical with Stage Door Records' release of ANTHONY NEWLEY SINGS "THE GOOD OLD BAD OLD DAYS!."

With his warm and charming vocal instrument Anthony Newley brings life to these songs, which convey the story of the Devil persuading God not to give up on the world. The format of the musical was that of a revue, so each number stands on its own and can exist outside of the context of the show. Therefore, listening to ANTHONY NEWLEY SINGS "THE GOOD OLD BAD DAYS!" feels like you are taking in a private cabaret concert from the man himself. With cheer and mirth, numbers like "The Good Old bad Old Days," "The People Tree," and "It's a Musical World" are both captivating and vibrant. Tunes like "The Fool Who Dared to Dream," "And Women Must Wait," "Thanksgiving Day," and "I Do Not Love You" are filled with tangible heart and emotionality. Anthony Newley shows character range on songs like "The Wisdom of the World" and "Musn't Grumble Can't Complain"

Lyrically, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's work for this musical is reminiscent of Leslie Bricusse's skill in writing "Façade" from JEKYLL & HYDE. There are some smart and cheeky quips sprinkled throughout the disc, making the lyrics for tunes like "The Good Old Bad Old Days" and "Hell Of a Night" bring broad smiles to the face. Then the stirring poetry of songs like "Today," "Tomorrow," "Yesterday," and "The People Tree" strums gently on the heartstrings and is nicely affective, even if these lyrics are dated and seem contrived by today's standards.

While ANTHONY NEWLEY SINGS "THE GOOD OLD BAD OLD DAYS!" won't be flying off the shelves any time soon, the recording does allow modern audiences to visit an all but forgotten work by a pair of artists who are known and loved on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. It also gives those who are like me an excuse to research and learn more about our favorite art form. Ultimately, while the disc is interesting and fun to take in, it's not one that I will return to with frequency.

Stage Door Records released ANTHONY NEWLEY SINGS "THE GOOD OLD BAD OLD DAYS!" on January 26, 2015. The album can be purchased from Stage Door Records' online store, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, and elsewhere music is sold.

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