** PROMISES, PROMISES OFFICIAL REVIEW THREAD ** — Page 5

Vincentelli is Positive? Wtf?

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/promises_are_fulfilled_NknsdSoPPOk1FuD87dnabM?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=

I predict this is gonna be so like the Oscars. Meryl pretty much had the award in the bag for JULIE & JULIA for several months, what with the sentimentality factor (hasn't won since 1983, but been nominated many times since) and the fact that she got nominated last year and lost. Then THE BLIND SIDE came from nowhere and pitted Sandra Bullock against her. It was a horse race. I believe the same will happen this year. Angela has the sentiment (and had been the frontrunner since NIGHT MUSIC opened), but Katie Finneran has that extra factor of being the only shining aspect of a dull, panned show, which makes her stand out even more. Not to mention her performance is more showy than Angela's. Also, I believe there's a small contingent of voters who may not want her to break Julie Harris' record. This is all conjecture, of course, but in the end I truly believe that Finneran will walk away with the award.

---

Robert Feldberg of The Record (NorthJersey.com) is very Negative, but loves Finneran.

http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/theater/92070704_Trysting_in_a_creaky_and_musty_apartment.html

Now that all the season's musical revivals have opened, let's look at the overall reviews:

1. FINIAN'S RAINBOW - 100% positive
2. RAGTIME - 89% positive
3. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES - 86% positive
4. A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - 77% positive

5. WHITE CHRISTMAS - 45% positive
6. PROMISES PROMISES - 44% positive
7. BYE BYE BIRDIE - 21% positive

Now, IF the Tony nominations follow the critical consensus, the first four shows show be nominated for Best revival of a Musical.

If the first two titles were still running, and the playing field level, FINIAN's would easily have a lock on the award. But we don't know show many Tony voters saw the show (or RAGTIME) and even if they did they may feel more included to give the award to a show that is still running and would benefit from the boost - so LA CAGE could win it.

Personally I believe the award should go to the best of the 4 nominees whether the show is open now or not. So, based on the reviews alone FINIAN'S RAINBOW should win it. (I saw FINIAN'S. BIRDIE and RAGTIME when I was in New York in November but won't see the others until I am back in June.)

Did the weak performance of BIRDIE set up the critics to be more favourable to FINIAN'S RAINBOW?

---

Marquise

So anti, so negative! I choose to not take ANY critic seriously at all. They are all people with opinions of their own as individuals. Thankfully, they don't speak for ALL people. Some of them don't have much experience either. So consider the source. These critics already had an opinion up front without giving the production to grow and mature in the run of the show. Some prefer plays to musicals so consider their weak sources.

Promises Promises will do fine during its run and it will have a very nice run.

allofmylife presents an interesting supposition that if David Merrick were the producer of PROMISES, PROMISES, things would have turned out differently. I think this is highly likely. Though Merrick was a real SOB as a person and VERY difficult to get along with, he had theatrical acumen at a very high level. I agree that he would not have allowed Chenoweth to stay in the production and would have probably fired director/choreographer Ashford, or at the very least have brought in an accomplished director/choreographer to assist. Little seems to have happened during previews outside of adding two extraneous songs to the score to beef up Chenoweth's part.

I saw the original production of PROMISES, PROMISES and found it well acted but otherwise uninspiring. I don't think it deserved its three year run. And the use of three back-up singers in the pit turned me off; pop music it may have been, but theatrical it was not, notwithstanding the hits "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and the title song. Even if this production had garnered rave reviews, I would not have gone to see it, even to return to the good old Broadway Theatre where the original production of GYPSY had no trouble filling the stage space, unlike its current tenant.

---

Updated On: 4/26/10 at 07:33 AM

Marquise, Hal David did attend the opening night performance.

---

"I predict this is gonna be so like the Oscars. Meryl pretty much had the award in the bag for JULIE & JULIA for several months, what with the sentimentality factor (hasn't won since 1983, but been nominated many times since) and the fact that she got nominated last year and lost. Then THE BLIND SIDE came from nowhere and pitted Sandra Bullock against her. It was a horse race. I believe the same will happen this year. Angela has the sentiment (and had been the frontrunner since NIGHT MUSIC opened), but Katie Finneran has that extra factor of being the only shining aspect of a dull, panned show, which makes her stand out even more. Not to mention her performance is more showy than Angela's. Also, I believe there's a small contingent of voters who may not want her to break Julie Harris' record. This is all conjecture, of course, but in the end I truly believe that Finneran will walk away with the award."

great analogy and both movies were on Pay before i could blink an eye. I truly think Carey Mulligan should have won the Oscar but had no chance with the other two. A lot came out about Sandra winning due to the nominees and it was "her time" - Seriously...Carey should have won.

The biggest surprise that happened at the Oscars in recent history is when Crash won best picture (which Sandra was in as well)

There are already clear separate camps on this one and although I would not be angry at all if Landsbury won i think it should go to Finneran. It is a taste thing perhaps.

Linda;
we are on the same page. although i do think critics are knowledgable in all aspects of theatre, if i listened to them, there are shows i would not have seen that i thoroughly enjoyed. it is an opinion

---

Updated On: 4/26/10 at 10:19 AM

The closest we get is a "consultant" like Zaks coming in for "Addams Family" while everyone is careful not to imply any firings took place.

That happened in the Golden Age too. George Abbott, Jerome Robbins and Neil Simon were often brought into doctor shows without credit.

And on the recent Pal Joey revival, the star was indeed fired. Or leg-injuried.

---

She's Linda Tripp, right?

HeyMrMusic, the comparison I was trying to make is that everyone assumed Meryl had it in the bag for several months until Bullock came from nowhere to take it. I think the same will happen at the Tonys this year regarding Lansbury and Finneran.

---

"And the use of three back-up singers in the pit turned me off"

Really? Did it turn you off one year later when Tunick used them again in a little show I like to call Company, which not only borrowed the pit singers but the entire feel of the Promises score, orchestration-wise?

The producers of Wicked were not the ones who "demanded" rewrites. They "demanded" nothing. Stephen Schwartz was the one who wanted to do one more rewrite before New York, not the producers. And I don't believe they replaced "a few" of the leads - I believe they replaced Robert Morse - I can't remember any other lead being replaced but perhaps my memory is faulty, although given the nature of your comment about the producers "demanding" rewrites, I'd trust my memory more than yours.