NEWLEY - THE FOOL WHO DARED TO DREAM To 30th November 2008.

NEWLEY - THE FOOL WHO DARED TO DREAM
Based on an original idea by David Boyle
Script by Pete Gallagher. Additional input by Joan Lane

Upstairs At The Gatehouse, Highgate Village N6 4BD To 30th November 2008.
Tue–Sat 8pm, Sun 4pm.
Runs 2hr 10min One interval.

TICKETS: 020 8340 3488.
www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com
Review: Geoff Ambler 20th November 2008.

He Wrote Good Songs and so much more!
When considering the pantheon of post-war British superstars Anthony Newley doesn’t immediately spring to mind but if David Boyle gets his way this will change. Newley was undoubtedly a prodigious and precocious British talent, his presence on the international stage during the 60’s as an actor, singer and songwriter earned him a Beverly Hills lifestyle and a Hollywood life of films, ups and downs. His talents, nurtured by his evacuation from blitzed London into the life of George Pescud, a retired music hall star, and later the Italia Conte school led to a break as the Artful Dodger in Leans’ Oliver Twist. His music however remains unforgettable and Newley peppers a whirlwind bio with some sensational music from a life filled with it.

David Boyles portrayal of Newley is of a troubled star; a melange of love, lust, success and acclaim for a man hiding behind a clownish facade. Dressed in a clowns trousers he sings, swings and gurns his way through what becomes a compelling history, developing from an arrogant cockney wit through chaotic success, a string of marriages, children and affairs and a time wed to Joan Collins, until finally we meet a Newley facing cancer and death, with his daughters beside him. Boyle’s Newley is a work of musical art, a homage to a man whose flaws and triumphs he shares with the Gatehouses’ audience.

The second act brings some of his more introspective numbers with No Such Thing as Love and Begin Again and Boyle presents a man less at ease with himself, whose successes were perhaps greater that his capacity to handle them.

Accompanying Boyle are three backing singers who take on all the other roles in Newleys life. Kate Eason, Victoria Hart and Anita Markham assist as mothers, lovers and wives, as well as dogs, agents and daughters and the show relies as much on their vigour and flexibility as on Boyle’s wit. Hart particularly stands out, Monroe-esque in beauty and bursting with musically talent, this singing waitress radiates energy on stage.

While lacking some of Newley’s obvious hits The Fool Who Dared To Dream delivers an entertaining glimpse into the life of a man who shouldn’t be forgotten. He once said ... Just write on my tombstone: He wrote good songs. And he did. And so much more.

Anthony Newley: David Boyle
Vocals and Various Characters: Kate Eason, Victoria Hart and Anita Markham

Director: Pete Gallagher
Musical Director: Jan Winstone
Choreographer: Racky Plews
Lighting and Sound: Paul Alexander and Gareth Risdale

2008-11-24 10:52:00