Press Release – Friday 25 October

 A WORKSHOP OF LESLIE BRICUSSE’S MUSICAL SAMMY, BASED ON THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAMMY DAVIS JR., WILL BE PRESENTED BY ANTHOLOGY THEATRE AND KATY LIPSON FOR ARIA ENTERTAINMENT

 CLARKE PETERS WILL DIRECT OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING ACTOR IN THE TITLE ROLE

 IMAGES AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE

A workshop of Leslie Bricusse’s musical SAMMY will be presented by Anthology Theatre Productions and Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment on Thursday 31 October to an invited audience of producers, theatre owners and investors. Olivier Award-winning actor, singer, writer, and director, Clarke Peters will direct recent Olivier Award-winner Giles Terera in the title role in this rousing musical written by Oscar and Grammy Award winning composer, lyricist and playwright Leslie Bricusse. Clarke Peter’s vision for this modern re-imagining of Bricusse’s original musical, which played a short season in San Diego previously, will examine the life and enduring legacy of the 20th Century’s greatest entertainer. Through the era-defining music of Leslie Bricusse, Sammy’s collaborator and friend, with innovative elements of projection and dance, SAMMY

celebrates Sammy Davis Jr. as a phenomenal talent, a cultural pioneer, and a complicated man – both shaped by the times he lived in and defining them. Sammy Davis Jr. recorded more than 60 songs written by Leslie Bricusse, including his only No.1 hit, "The Candy Man." The musical will feature new work by Bricusse and stand-out numbers from the Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley songbook, including; “What Kind of Fool Am I?” “Feeling Good”, “Who Can I Turn To?” and “The Candy Man Can". Mike Dixon will be the musical supervisor. The producers hope to mount a full production of the show in 2020 which will mark what would have been Sammy Davis Jr.’s 95th Birthday.

-ENDS- For further information please contact Shop PR on 020 7831 7657 Chloe Pritchard-Gordon [email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS Creative Team Leslie Bricusse – Music, Book, and Lyrics Leslie Bricusse is a prolific and celebrated British composer, lyricist and playwright. He is a double Oscar and Grammy Award winner. Leslie has written the book, music and/or lyrics for more than 40 musical films and plays during his career. Stage musicals include: Stop The World - I Want To Get Off; The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell Of The Crowd; Pickwick; Harvey; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Henry's Wives; Scrooge; Sherlock Holmes; Jekyll And Hyde; Cyrano De Bergerac; and Victor/Victoria. He has written songs for such films as Doctor Dolittle; Scrooge; Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Superman; Victor/Victoria; Home Alone 1 & 2; Hook; Goldfinger; You Only Live Twice; and The Last Emperor. Leslie has been nominated for ten Oscars, nine Grammys and four Tonys, and has won two Oscars, a Grammy and eight Ivor Novello Awards, the premiere British Music Award. His legendary songbook includes well-known songs such as, “Feeling Good,” Le Jazz Hot,” “Pure Imagination,” and “The Candy Man.” Sammy Davis, Jr. recorded 60 songs written by Leslie, including “The Candy Man”- Sammy’s only Number 1 hit. In 1989 Leslie Bricusse received the Kennedy Award for consistent excellence in British song writing, bestowed by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. That same year he was inducted into the American Songwriters’ Hall of Fame - only the fourth Englishman to be so honoured — after Noel Coward, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Clarke Peters – Director Director Born in , Clarke Peters is an actor, singer, writer, and director who has had a long career across film, theatre and television. Clarke created and stared in the Tony nominated & Olivier award-winning musical Five Guys Named Moe which premiered on Broadway in 1992 and ran for more than 400 performances. He has performed extensively in New York and , winning a for his performance in The Iceman Cometh on Broadway.

Clarke is well known to TV audiences for his featured role in , as well as for appearances on Person of Interest, Treme, Damages, Marvel’s , Jericho, Bulletproof, and the HBO mini-series The Corner. He recently appeared in the Oscar- Winning film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. Clarke can be seen in the upcoming BBC / HBO production of His Dark Materials as Dr Carne. Mike Dixon - Musical Supervision, Vocal Score & Musical Direction Mike Dixon is a leading Musical Supervisor, Musical Director, Conductor, Arranger, and Composer in London’s West End and on UK Television and Radio. He has worked on commercial and critically acclaimed West End and International Musicals, including: Mrs Henderson Presents, The Bodyguard, We Will Rock You, Grease, Zorro, , Daddy Cool, Footloose and Doctor Dolittle. Mike has worked closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber and The Really Useful Group as Musical Director for the original Aspects Of Love, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium) and then Musical Supervisor for Jesus Christ Superstar (Lyceum). He is a long-time collaborator with Leslie Bricusse. Mike has worked for three decades on British television, including several Royal Variety Shows and ‘An Audience With…’, countless light entertainment shows, and many high- profile concerts. Since 2001, Mike has been a regular Conductor of the world's longest running live music programme, “Friday Night Is Music Night” for BBC Radio 2. Giles Terera – Sammy Davis Jr. Giles Terera is an award-winning actor, musician, writer and film-maker. In 2018 he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for the role of Arron Burr in . He is also known for roles such as Horatio in the National Theatre’s production of and originating the role of Gary Coleman in the London Production of . He most recently appeared in the West End production of Rosmersholm alongside Tom Burke and Hayley Atwell. Other West End appearances include Death and the King's Horseman, , , 125th Street, Jailhouse Rock, and Book of Mormon. In 1999 he joined the acting ensemble at the National Theatre, where he appeared in , Candide and The Darker Face of the Earth. Television appearances include CBBC’s Horrible Histories - starring in all five series. As a film-maker, Giles’ first documentary MUSE OF FIRE – created with Dan Poole – explored modern perspectives of Shakespeare and featured interviews with actors and filmmakers including Ian McKellen, , Mark Rylance, , , Baz Luhrman, and Ewan McGregor. Producers Anthology Theatre Productions and Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment Anthology Theatre Productions, part of the Anthology Group, began its life in 2002 when Bob Benton started supporting and investing in productions. Since then, ATP has grown into a business that commissions, develops, produces and invests in theatre, while offering advisory services across theatre and live entertainment. Recent co-productions include The Pope by BAFTA winner Anthony McCarten at Royal & Derngate, a UK tour of The Entertainer with Shane Ritchie, and the West End hit The Wipers Times by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman. ATP were associate producers on Dusty with Eleanor Lloyd productions. The

Anthology group of companies combines expertise in creativity and finance to develop and produce scripted and unscripted TV, film, and theatre. Aria Entertainment was founded in 2012 by Katy Lipson. She recently produced the UK Premiere Tour of The Addams Family and the 50th Anniversary production of Hair at the London Vaults which won Best Off-West End Production at the 2018 WhatsOnStage Awards and has recently completed a major UK Tour. Winner of Best Producer at the 2017 Off-West End Awards, Katy made The Stage 100 in 2018 and 2019 and has been Producing Artistic Director at the Hope Mill Theatre for the last 3 years producing shows such as Parade, Yank, Spring Awakening, (WOS Best Regional production), Pippin, Little Women, Aspects Of Love, Rags and Mame starting . She is the founder of the From Page To Stage season of new musicals which has invested in and helped develop 100 new musicals over the past six years.