PROMISES Hmm...

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 1:58am

I had mixed feelings seeing PROMISES PROMISES, but my opinion is very different from my expectations and what I have heard and read.
I saw the original, but it was, like 40 years ago.
I remember the dancing, Jerry Orbach's voice and presence, Marian Mercer's brilliant underplaying and that waif, Jill O'Hara.
It's a strange musical, the score is half brilliant and half WTF?
My biggest suprise was that I really liked Kristen Chenoweth in this show. A part of it was that she was the one lead who can really sing and handle the difficult score and has true stage skills.
I thought she did the dramatic songs very well, A HOUSE... was actually very simple and moving, and she does NOT sing it to a chair. SAY A LITTLE PRAYER was fine but I didn't understand why the other women were in the number when she wasn't a member of the secretary group.
And she moved me.
I did have trouble with her hair, the girl gets drunk, swallows a handfull of pills, walks the town for hours than sleeps and wakes up with perky hair, naw.
And the blue Christmas dress is unflattering.
But I liked her a lot, mudh more than I thought I would.
Sean Hayes is likable and funny, but he didn't control the stage for me, and he does well singing the small stuff and some nice harmony work with Kristen, but most of the time his voice was very weak and he had no voice left when his 11 OClock title number came around, he totally went for a safe note at the end and missed it and just cut off, leaving the set change all to itself.
Tony Goldwyn was way at sea, Came off way too nice and destroyed one of my favorite songs, WANTING THINGS. And i didn't need to see all his women to get the song.
Rob Ashford confounds me, how did he get to helm such a major revival as this? I liked some of the choreography but it had no through style, the dancers, as usual on his shows are all top notch and great to watch.
Dick Latessa picks up every scene he is in, and Katie Finneran is smashing as Marge, Simon wrote a classic two scene stealing role here and I may have admired Mercer's underplaying more, but Finneran nails every laugh and her timing is impecable.
In two smaller roles Brian O'Brien is menacing as Karl and Helen Anker is letter perfect as Miss Olsen. And they both dance their asses off when called upon.
It will be interesting to see how critics and audiences take to this production.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 2:32am

I didn't see the original (wasn't born yet), but I pretty much agree with all of your opinions.

[Piper3500]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 8:36am

you would really think they could pay attention to detail with the hair thing as you say. i totally agree. that would stick out to me. in the original how was it done? would they have time to faux mess it and get it back via wig or what have you

a lot of people did not see the original, reardless of whether they were born yet or not :0

Updated On: 4/21/10 at 08:36 AM

[sowren1020]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 9:58am

Curtainpulldown, I experienced very much the same show at PROMISES, PROMISES last night. Kristen was very likeable in the show, I wasn't sure at first if her voice was a good match for the simplistic tunes of the show, hers is such a trained operatic sound, but by the time she got to the end title song with Sean Hayes, it sounded right. Sean Hayes is adorable but just not believable as a Mad Man straight up and comer, his voice in shreds by the end and those end notes! Gone! Tony Goldwyn was willing to act the role, but no singing ability. Peter Benson, Sean Hingston, Ken Land,Brooks Ashmanskas singing "Where can you take a girl" showed that if you just let the real Broadway performers get numbers they can bring it home. Kate Finneran, comic gold! And the voice of a steel belted radial tire, funny and powerful, it just kept on rollin! But why cast a love story that is not plausible from the two leads? Casting TV stars that bring in an audience is good if they are right for the role and don't have the audience saying, as I heard on the way out, "musicals just aren't very good, are they?"

[sadephram]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 10:51am

Quick question to you guys who've been to the show:
which seat do you think is better : J6 (left orchestra) or A1 (front row, left mezzanine) ?

THANKS!
Updated On: 4/21/10 at 10:51 AM

[sowren1020]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 11:45am

Seat J6.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 11:55am

I was blessed with having seen Christine Baranski's genius take on Marge McDugall in the 1997 Encores! Concert Series production and have been blessed with an audio of this to remind me over and over (and over) how sensational she was... so her performance remains fresh in my mind today as it was back in 1997.

Having seen the current revival this past weekend I can personally say I HATED Katie Finneran's take on the role. My bf, who just discovered PROMISES, PROMISES and is devouring everything he can find on the show, hated Katie's take even more than I did.

The audience unfortunately never had the pleasure of seeing Baranski's version so they simply ADORED Katie. Their first (and most likely... only) exposure to the role will be Katie's, so they'll never see the role played by a true comic gem. Baranski just made each line reading her own -- it was something to experience... her and Martin Short. Katie's line readings are by-the-book and you can see her waiting for her next line. Boring, boring, boring. I also hate that she's again using the same voice she used for Brooke in the 2001 Broadway Revival of NOISES OFF. I guess she finds this to be her 'funny' voice. It wasn't and isn't.

Missed opportunity, I say... even though she'll most likely win her 2nd Tony Award for this.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 12:02pm

I did have trouble with her hair, the girl gets drunk, swallows a handfull of pills, walks the town for hours than sleeps and wakes up with perky hair, naw.

That and even when "unconscious" she still was able to pull down her dress and cover herself. God forbid!

And my other problem with her is when the secretary is talking to Sheldrake about how she was able to pick her life up after they ended their affair but Fran is basically a young fragile thing who won't be able to handle it. I actually laughed out loud at that.

[sadephram]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 12:15pm

Thanks sowren1020!

I hate those huge theaters...

[sowren1020]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 1:40pm

I was blessed with having seen Christine Baranski's genius take on Marge McDugall in the 1997 Encores!

That is so great that you have saw such a definitive performance and that it has stuck with you. Antonio Banderas gave a quote about his role in NINE, that these roles don't really belong to the actors but the ages to be reinterpreted. That said, I can totally see why such a different take on this character would not feel right. But I bet the producers are counting their blessings that they have a cast member such as Kate Finneran who is getting the response she is getting in PROMISES with Marge. I love the fact that you still remember Baranski's performance from 1997!

[LindaTNo1]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 2:50pm

CurtainPullDowner

Question? Did you remember to take your notebook with you while jotting down every single thing that did not appeal to you and pick it apart as if you were the Director or a Theater Critic?

Seems your post was a little over the top in the dissing mode. You seemed to go into this show with negativity and not objective at all.

If you came out of the theater the same way you went into the theater, then you really did not like it at all to begin with. But, we all have our choices in life.

Alot of people who have seen the show have really great reviews on it and well, I guess you see it differently.

BTW - Some posters on this thread are simply going along to get along with the thread author.

[Marquise]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 3:06pm

Alot of people who have seen the show have really great reviews on it and well, I guess you see it differently.

@ LindaTNo1 ~ CurtainPullDowner's thoughts on the show were his opinion and he's entirely entitled to them. If that's how he felt about the show after having seen it who are you to tell him that he's wrong/

BTW - Some posters on this thread are simply going along to get along with the thread author.

Wow! That's very presumptuous of you LindaTNo1.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 3:19pm

I think LindaT's post wins "Most Obnoxious of the Day." Please bring out the tiara!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 8:56pm

I saw the original. Several times. I saw London and I saw the LA version.

I have not seen the new Broadway version as I am still on the west coast.

However, a very kind person allowed me to listen to every single minute of the new version (don't ask, I won't tell) and I have to say, I am shocked that the producers have brought this show to Broadway with two men in leading roles who clearly have no singing talent whatsoever. Maybe the show becomes richer when you SEE Sean Hayes play the role, but to hear him is a painful experience.

Every time he begins to sing, I clench, wondering if he will ruin yet another great Bacharach/David hit and every time, he lives down to my expectations.

Tony Goldwyn is even worse. Didn't the producers see the original, or even listen to the recording? The guy playing the part, Edward Winter, may be best remembered outside of Broadway as Colonel Flagg on "M*A*S*H*" but that guy could sing the ass out of a song. Hell, he was in the original "Cabaret."

Who hired a guy who can't sing to play a role with a killer song?

Miscasting is the great crime of this show.

I can't comment on the choreography, as I haven't seen it, but I saw the infamous "Turkey Lurkey" number five times in the 60s and they really should have incorporated the choreography. It was amazing. Absolutely amazing. The grainy footage on Youtube from the Tonys or the scene with the replacement cast offers only a glimpse at how good it was. And considering the dancers from West Side Story - guys - just performed the number at some benefit, don't tell me it can't be done. It should have been.

I guess they miscast the choreographer as well.

Updated On: 4/21/10 at 08:56 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 9:25pm

I don't mind taking criticism of my opinions at all.
But LindaTNo1, I go see a lot of Theatre and I am not a critic,
and I don't need a notepad to remember whaat I liked and disliked.
I went into PROMISES with mixed feelings.
It is one of those shows that people talk about but few have actually seen and I was very young when I saw the Original, but several songs on OBCR are among my favs. And several I find weird and confusing.
It's interesting that, if you don't count BACK TO BACHARACH this was the only Broadway score by David and Bacharach. The show was a big hit in it's time and was influencial to even Sondheim.
In it's way it was the AMERICAN IDIOT of it's time, but it had a book by Simon based on a movie script by the Masters, Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond.
I read the comments on the boards and most that I read said Hayes was the discovery here and as I stated he is very likeable and very funny, those are compliments. Most of the incarnations on this role, Martin Short and Jason Alexander are comedians first and singers second. Jerry Orbach was a singer/actor who created many musical leading man roles and also many revivals, this is not an easy score or role to play and he was up to the task. Listen to his HALF AS BIG... and PROMISES.. on CD.
It's important that his story (and the singing of the score) take center stage, and Hayes didn't do that for me, and I am a big fan of his TV work.
Chenoweth was the discovery here, because I agreed with the naysayers that this did not seem like a good fit for her, but she proved me wrong. She made sense of all the songs given her because she took the stage and acted and sang them. Of the two inserts A HOUSE worked better.
I thought the dancers were wonderful and the Orchestra voices were delicious.
I would see this show again.
I was moved by the Simon/Wilder/Diamond story and Hayes and Chenoweth make an interesting pair of misfits hooking up.
I have also admired some of Tony Goldwyn's work but there are many Singer Actors who could do the scene work and then get to WANTING THINGS and show his irony by Singing the S*HIT out of it and take his acting moment. Why didn't they cast Kudish, he's plu-perfect for this role, as are both the covers of the role.

I agree in any other season Finneran would be the front runner for supporting Tony, but there is a spirited Actress in ALNM that may be wonderfully unbeatable.

[garyl]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 9:28pm

How are the orchestrations? compared to the original.( Jonathan Tunick).I love the original cast album and Jerry Orbach...afraid I am going to be very disappointed with Sean

[Marquise]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 9:36pm

I personally don't like the arrangements to Turkey Lurkey. It's similar but not quite. Dance break is "off" to these ears.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 9:51pm

I liked the orchestrations, they are reverant and the changes are subtle.
I think part of TURKEY LURKEY is cut and a dance break has been added to Sean and Kate's duet that I don't remember.
What I missed was that Trumpet Blaring in TURKEY.. it was there, but it needs to Step up.

I have been humming the score all day.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 10:57pm

It's the same orchestrations. What has happened is that they have cut the hell out of them. Half of the overture is missing and they have shoehorned in "Say A Little Prayer."

That overture is pretty famous. Kids have hummed that thing for ages. You shouldn't just cut it to pieces because overtures are passee.

They are passe because nowadays, they are usually crap. This one was masterful. It was written by two of the greatest musicians of their time. It worked. Play the piece the way it was written and it will still work today.

They would never do that to Oklahoma and they certainly didn't cut the hell out of the South Pacific overture.

[Marquise]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 12:14am

Actually the overture was just written by one musician: Burt Bacharach. Hal David only wrote lyrics, unless of course you consider: "pa, pa, pa, pa"... and "ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh" actual lyrics per se.

(Referring to the ORIGINAL overture not the abridged new one with "Prayer" added and the orchestral voices actually singing the title....)

Updated On: 4/22/10 at 12:14 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 1:12am

No, actually, the show was written by three men. Let's get real. Most shows are. Burt wrote the tunes and Harold Wheeler wrote the dance arrangements and then Jonathon Tunick wrote the orchestrations.

Most composers get all the credit but on this site, we're educated enough to understand that the show would never have reached the heights it did without the amazing scoring, done by guys at the height of their careers and powers.

[Marquise]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 2:04am

Yes but you wrote written and that credit goes to Mr. Bacharach. Tunick and Wheeler arranged and orchestrated his score but they didn't write it. THAT'S my point.

Get real, indeed.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 2:37am

Bacharach wrote a lead sheet for each song which is usually one staff for the melody and some sort of rhythmic accompaniment. Granted, he's a great pianist so his hand in might have been more extensive than most but I've spent a great deal of time examining the original composition work of many of the great composers of Broadway and that's about all they usually do, especially if, when they are writing the show, the are one of the most in-demand composers in the world at the top of their career.

Richard Rodgers did single staff melodies for his compositions and great arrangers and orchestrators like Hans Spialek and Phillip J. Lang and Robert Russell Bennett did the heavy lifting. Most of what you hear played in "Rhapsody in Blue" came from the mind and hands of Ferdinand Grofe, not George Gershwin.

Let's get real. Composition is only one element - the most important obviously - that goes into what we hear onstage and I refuse to diminish the work of the other great musicians and composers who collaborate on a score.

My job in the film business is to come up the original ideas for motion pictures. Without the ideas that I come up with after months of starring at the ceiling, none of the three films I'm presently working on would even exist, but after me, there is a long line of writers who get hired to flesh things out, fill in the gaps, add additional elements to the characters I create and turn my clunky first drafts into the smooth duck **** that we crank out here in the studio system.

I think understand collaboration inherently and I can say that creating the music for a Broadway show is a very similar process.

[A Director]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 2:39am

The show was a big hit in it's time and was influencial to even Sondheim.
In it's way it was the AMERICAN IDIOT of it's time, but it had a book by Simon based on a movie script by the Masters, Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond.

Promises, Promises was not the American Idiot of its day. Bacharach and David were mainstream pops; Green Day is not mainstream. The score for Promises, Promises is so-so with one or two pop hits and the rest is weak. The lyrics are not very good.

In what way did the score influence Sondheim? What other Broadway composers were influenced by the score?

Simon's book is so-so. The final line of The Apartment is a classic; the final line of Promises, Promises, is not.

When Encores did Promises, Promises, many reviews said the show was dated.

[Marquise]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 3:53am

allofmylife, i am not debating the contributions of Mr. Tunick or Mr. Wheeler to the overall PROMISES, PROMISES score but the score was WRITTEN by Burt Bacharach hence the credits: MUSIC BY Burt Bacharach, ORCHESTRATIONS by Jonathan Tunick and DANCE ARRANGEMENTS by Harold Wheeler.

The orchestrations and dance arrangements were all built on the music Bacharach composed. He is the writer of the music. You don't see the orchestrator or arrangers of Sondheim's shows getting credit for composing the music. The music Tunick and Wheeler orchestrated and arranged was written by Burt Bacharach. Let's "get real"...what is soooo difficult to comprehend about that.


Updated On: 4/22/10 at 03:53 AM