Presented by Musicals Tonight!, casting by Stephen DeAngelis, at the MainStage at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14 St., NYC, Dec. 4-22.
When "The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd" opened on Broadway in 1965, it must have seemed experimental. First of all, the second collaboration between Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley was basically a two-character vaudeville on the British class structure. This allegory also included a Greek chorus of Urchins. And with 22 musical numbers, it was on the way to the through-sung musicals of later years.
The original production had an enormous asset in the considerable personal charisma of stars Cyril Ritchard and Anthony Newley. Thomas Mills' production for Musicals Tonight! obtained a legitimate stage star to play Sir—George S. Irving. His diction and characterization were excellent as the British upper-class nob, Sir, who plays the Game of Life with Cocky, his servant. David Edwards had the look and the voice for the ever-optimistic lower-class lad, but without a Cockney accent and Newley's star wattage, he didn't register in the way this Chaplinesque role should.
Cocky always plays by the rules, while Sir keeps changing them. And the problem with the material is that even with the brief appearances of several minor characters, it is all too much the same, repetitious and ultimately a little tedious, even with its four famous songs: "A Wonderful Day Like Today," "Where Would You Be Without Me?," "Who Can I Turn To?," and of course, "The Joker."
Leslie Ann Hendricks as The Kid had more of this quality because most of her role is reaction. Jimmy Rivers as The Negro did a memorable job with his one number, "Feeling Good." Other walk-ons included Mamie Parris as The Girl, and Drake Andrew as The Bully. Barbara Anselmi gave a fine piano rendition of the score as musical director, but without the original orchestrations, the music sounded a bit thin.