RainbowJude
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Leslie Bricusse's SAMMYPlaybill has been buzzing with news about Leslie Bricusse's new musical, Sammy, recently. The casting for the premiere of the show has been announced:
| Andrew Gans and Kenneth Jones at Playbill wrote: | The new musical is based on the life of singer-dancer-actor Sammy Davis, Jr. with book, music and lyrics by Bricusse, and additional songs by Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The cast will be headed by the previously reported Broadway veteran and Tony Award nominee Obba Babatundé, who will star as showbiz legend Davis, Jr.
Babatundé will be joined by the newly announced Heather Ayers (May Britt/Ensemble), Ann Duquesnay (Rosa Davis), Mary Ann Hermansen (Kim Novak/Ensemble), Adam James (Frank Sinatra), Troy Britton Johnson (Dean Martin/Cohn/Jennings/Ensemble), Ted Louis Levy (Sammy Davis, Sr.), Keewa Nurullah (Lola Folana/Ensemble), Victoria Platt (Altovise Gore/Ensemble), Lance Roberts (Will Mastin), Alonzo Saunders (Murphy/Ensemble/understudy Sammy), Sarrah Strimel (Luella/Hedda/Ensemble) with Jenelle Engleson, Stephanie Girard, Lauren Haughton and Anise Ritchie (Ensemble).
According to The Old Globe, "Sammy traces the highs and lows of the ultimate triple-threat singer, actor and dancer. Davis became one of the greatest performers of his generation, paving new ground while struggling with issues of identity, race and a turbulent personal life." |
What interests me most is what the score for this show might look like. Is this a biographical muiscal about someone who did a fair deal of singing that doesn't use any of the material he sang in his lifetime? Does this make it the first anti-jukebox biographical musical? Or is it going to use songs that Davis sang that were written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly, like "What Kind of Fool Am I?" and "The Candy Man"? Is it part jukebox and part original score?
Does anyone know?
Later days
David
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Monsieur D'Arque
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I'd assume it's a mixture of both, since Bricusse/Newley was his most "standout" songwriting team.
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RainbowJude
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SAMMY newsAll right, so the show opens tomorrow and as Monsieur D'Arque said, we have a mixture of the two:
| Kenneth Jones wrote: | The score includes numbers that Davis was associated with in his career, but also boasts more than a dozen new songs that Bricusse wrote specifically for this project. Additional songs are by Bricusse and Anthony Newley; Davis recorded a number of Bricusse-Newley songs in his day.... The Sammy songlist follows:
ACT I: "Once In A Lifetime", "Another Hot Day In Harlem", "The Biscuit's Better With The Butter", "Vaudeville", "Burlesque", "Gonna Build A Mountain", "Getting My Act Together", "The House O' the Lord", "Rosa's Prayer", "Who Can I Turn To?", "Charley Charm", "Black Sammy, White Sammy", "Something In Your Smile", "The Joker".
ACT II: "Livin' Large", "Singin' An' Swingin'", "The Only Man For Me", "Slow Down, Sammy", "The Candy Man", "What Kind Of Fool Am I?", "Salt & Pepper", "The Greatest", "The Good Things In Life" |
We also have some pictures:
 
Looks like a fun show...
Later days
David
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teapot
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I saw it in previews last Sunday. It is NOT a "fun" show.. it is in the vein of dramedy musicals, heavy on the drama. Babatunde does an amazing tour de force as Davis. The supporting cast is weaker, with the exception of Rosa, Davis Sr., and Mastin. The actors playing the Hollywood types are reduced to impressions and caricatures. The songs, with two exceptions, are a good blend of old and new Bricusse, and very well presented. The costumes and sets are, for the most part, well executed. Strangely, dance is NOT as heavy an element of the show as might be expected. With work, and some major changes, it would be an exciting addition to the Broadway roster.
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Alexia Dark
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If I never have to hear the ridiculously lame lyrics of Leslie Bricusse in anything new, I will be happy.
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