The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd

The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd
Original Recording
Music	Leslie Bricusse Anthony Newley
Lyrics	Leslie Bricusse Anthony Newley
Book	Leslie Bricusse Anthony Newley
Productions	1964 UK tour 1965 Broadway

The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The musical is best known for introducing the standards "Who Can I Turn To?" "Feeling Good" and "The Joker" the last of which was covered most successfully by Bobby Rydell. The show title is a transposition of the phrase "the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd," referring to the experience of theatre performers.

Resembling a music hall production more than a book musical, the allegorical plot examines the maintenance of the status quo between the upper and lower classes of British society in the 1960s. The two main characters are Sir and Cocky. Since Sir is forever changing the rules of the game of life, downtrodden young Cocky always gets the short end of the stick. Assisting Sir is his eager disciple Kid, anxious to pick up bits of wisdom while helping keep Cocky in his place. Cocky tries to beat Sir at the game, first by getting a job, and then with love, but Sir bests him both times. Cocky is re-inspired when he sees a new character, the Negro, win the game behind his and Sir's backs. By ignoring the rules, Cocky manages to win, but neither he or Sir can function without the other. The show ends with both of them frozen in a pose similar to that of the dab.

With this project, Bricusse and Newley had hoped to match the success of their 1962 hit Stop the World – I Want to Get Off. The show opened at Theatre Royal in Nottingham on 3 August 1964, and then toured the UK in anticipation of a London opening. Cocky was played by Norman Wisdom; Sir by Willoughby Goddard; The Kid by Sally Smith; The Girl by Dilys Watling; The Negro by Cy Grant; Elaine Paige made her first professional appearance on stage in the chorus.