THEATRE + COMEDY

Baytown Little Theater presents The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd,  words and music by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. Directed by Jim Wadzinski. Running July 15 through July 31.

"The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd" is a parable disguised as a comic allegory. Set in a broken down three ring circus, the plot revolves around the ringmaster, Sir, who represents the upper classes, and the sad clown Cocky, who represents the everyman. The center ring of the circus is a game board, and Sir and Cocky are constantly playing the game - for food, for shelter, for love, for all the necessities of life - and Sir always wins, primarily because he changes the rules at every turn. Finally, Cocky revolts and wins the game. However, in the end, they discover that without one another, they have nothing, and try to find a way to co-exist.

Aside from the excellent script, the music is the claim to fame for this show. "On A Wonderful Day", "This Dream", "Look At That Face", "The Joker", and in particular "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" (Tony Bennett) and "Feeling Good" (Michael Bouble') have all been hits in their own right.