Aussie Crooner David Campbell Returns to New York, Premieres Catch Me Song on Broadway CD

David Campbell, the handsome Australian who flirted with Broadway stardom a decade ago, has returned to New York City for a run at Feinstein’s at the Regency and to promote On Broadway, a new CD of show tunes including a world premiere recording from the upcoming Broadway musical Catch Me if You Can.

“I always wanted to do a Broadway record,” Campbell told Broadway.com during a recent chat. Although On Broadway is his first album of show music, it’s the sixth solo album in a career that started with 1997’s Yesterday Is Now, when he was just 23. The new Sony Music release, co-produced by Broadway music man Rob Fisher, includes favorites like “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “Bring Him Home,” “Being Alive,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Luck Be a Lady” but is most notable to theater fans for Track 13, “Goodbye,” from the upcoming Catch Me If You Can by Tony-winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

“I met Marc and Scott many years ago and heard the Catch Me If You Can score was terrific from a friend in Australia,” Campbell recalled. “I emailed them and said, ‘Do you remember me?’ and asked them about it. Next thing I know, I got six songs in an email. I chose ‘Goodbye,’ which is just incredible, but it was hard to choose one diamond out of all of them. They’re all amazing. To have the world premiere on my CD is just incredible. I feel like Barbra Streisand!”

The son of Aussie rocker Jimmy Webb, Campbell first came to New York City in the late 90s to play a few piano bar gigs and caused such a splash that he wound up staying, immediately fueling talk of a Broadway career. Although he never made it to Broadway, Campbell was well on his way, headlining the Encores! run of Babes in Arms, the off-Broadway premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Saturday Night and even playing Jimmy opposite Kristin Chenoweth in an early reading of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Then he disappeared. “I went home to Australia,” he said. “The timing just wasn’t right for me... I didn’t have my head together yet.” Stage work in Australia came easily to Campbell upon his return, and looking back, he doesn’t regret his decision: “I’m glad I left. I could have burned myself out and burned out people on me. I could have done stupid things.”

These days, Campbell is playing husband to wife Lisa and daddy to five-and-a-half month old son Leo. “He’s great,” the new dad gushed. “A really happy kid. My wife’s pretty happy, too. And me? I get just by! But this guy? He wakes up happy. You couldn’t wish for a better guy to hang with.”

Although he’d love to return to the stage, Campbell will not be playing the Phantom as rumored in Love Never Dies when the musical premieres in Melbourne next year. “I’ve worked with the director Simon Phillips on Spelling Bee and Urinetown and he’s one of my favorite directors to work with, but I’m not doing it.”

So what about a long-awaited Broadway debut? “I’m not counting on anything,” Campbell said. “I’m just back in New York to do some shows and to show my love for the place. It’d be fantastic, but let’s just get these shows out of the way!”

Campbell will appear at Feinstein’s at the Regency for two more performances: December 1 and 2 at 10:30pm.