By the time everyone trooped back onto the stage for the group curtain call, we all knew we’d been through something special. And for all of you who missed him this time around, keep ‘em peeled: he’ll be back!
Bricusse’s output is so prodigious and so tuneful that only the tone deaf would not find lots of numbers here satisfying and delicious. Many will find something to enjoy in every song, and certainly Musical Director, Michael England, does a terrific job accompanying the singers with a six piece band (including England on piano) that does real justice to England’s arrangements. As ever, there could have been more strings to swell the underscoring, but that is a small quibble.
Danielle Tarento has today announced casting for Pure Imagination, a review celebrating the songs of Leslie Bricusse, one of the most extraordinary musical theatre and film songwriters of our time. Leslie Briscusse was one of the world’s most prolific songwriters writing over 1000 songs in collaboration with some of the world’s most celebrated writers including Anthony Newley, Henry Mancini, John Williams and John Barry. His shows and movies achieved iconic status including Stop the World – I Want to Get Off; The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd; Pickwick; Harvey; The Good Old Bad Old Days; Goodbye Mr Chips; Henry’s Wives; Scrooge; Sherlock Holmes; Jekyll and Hyde; Noah’s Ark; Sammy; Cyrano de Bergerac Kennedy; Victor/Victoria and It’s a Dog’s Life! and the film score for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Doctor Doolittle. During his career he amassed nominations for 10 Oscars, nine Grammys and … Read more
