Promenade @ Encores

[missthemountains]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 2:17am

Who was there tonight? What a wild night. I'm still processing it. Y'all, if you can, don't miss this one. It's very absurdist and very strange--but it's some of the best design work and best performances I've seen at Encores yet. A true ensemble cast of total knock-outs.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 3:16am

I  liked it as well. The show was similar to those off Broadway musicals of the 1960'3 reminiscent of Jones and Schmidt and Leslie Bricusse (The Roar of the Greasepaint comes to mind with the haves prevailing over the have nots) where plot was secondary and themes of the day prevailed. It was a very strong cast with some extremely talented singers who commanded the stage and played to the entire house at times throwing their bodies into their vocal performances that had a bit of an evangelistic affect.. The actors also handled the comic aspects deftly and freely. The production design was pleasing and the 7 person orchestra was outstanding. One  wonders what the show would have been like if they had more rehearsal time since the evening had so much going for it.  If it sounds like your cup of tea I would get a ticket. The humor is absurdist and the musical is an integration of show music and light operetta. Some of the cues could be picked up and there were some diction issues, but they were minor quibbles in what turned out to be a satisfying evening in the theatre.

 

[jewishboy]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 8:44am

I’m very excited for this! Glad to hear these positive reports! Hate to just ask this, but what is the run time? Thanks!

[LxGstv]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 12:21pm

jewishboy said: "I’m very excited for this! Glad to hear these positive reports! Hate to just ask this, but what is the run time? Thanks! "

According to City Center’s email, it’s approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes with no intermission.

 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 12:43pm

LxGstv said: "jewishboy said: "I’m very excited for this! Glad to hear these positive reports! Hate to just ask this, but what is the run time? Thanks! "

According to City Center’s email, it’s approximately 1hour and 50 minutes with no intermission.

I would say that the run time listed in the email is accurate. There was no intermission which was fine. I guess the original production was performed in a church (which probably influenced the evangelistic elements) and it starred a very young Madeline Kahn as the maid. I was surprised at how pleasing the music was. Like I said it was light opera mixed with 1960's show music but it also felt a little like Brecht.. The character of the Mayor who spoke gibberish and whose followers kissed his butt because of status and wealth could have been a modern day Donald Trump going on about airports during the Civil War.


"

 

[elmore3003]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 6:54pm

SmoothLover wrote:  I guess the original production was performed in a church (which probably influenced the evangelistic elements) and it starred a very young Madeline Kahn as the maid. 

 

This is not quite correct.  The original production of PROMENADE was a one-act performed at the Judson Poets Theatre in the Village in 1965.  In 1969 it was the first production at the new Promenade Theatre on the Upper West Side.  It was expanded to two acts, the Viet Nam War references were added, the score gained a lot of new songs, and the only person from the 1965 production in the cast was Florence Tarlow, who played Miss Cake.  Madeline Kahn played the Servant, George S. Irving was the Mayor, Alice Playten played Miss U and stopped the show with "Capricious and Fickle," and Shannon Bolin played the Old Lady.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 10:03pm

I thought this was one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen. I hated every minute of it, I wanted to leave after 5 minutes but I was in the middle of a row and had to sit through it. My two friends also said it was one of the worst they’ve seen.

The songs and lyrics are just awful, there is no plot, it was way too absurd for me to be entertaining. Just bad in every way.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 10:28pm

I thought this was fascinating. It's a bit of a mess, but I found it very enjoyable, and ultimately moving in a quiet sort of way.

It took me a little while to get into it - the big banquet scene in the beginning has a lot of fun moments, but for me it was just much too long and slow to be happening so early in the show, and with characters that are relatively one-note. With the exception of the opening "digging" scene, the first 40 minutes or so of the show are taken up by this banquet, and I just couldn't really get into. But once the focus turns to the 2 prisoners and the servant, I began to really enjoy the show. The cast handled the vaudevillian farcical elements very well, and I enjoyed how the show presents a satirical critique of society, with a kind weirdness that almost feels like Lewis Carroll. I thought the ending was very beautiful, and tied the show together perfectly. 

I liked the music a lot, and while I do think some of the lyrics are a little too repetitive, there are also lots of insightful gems in there. Some of the songs felt unnecessary, and could easily have been cut. But given how rarely this piece is performed, I understand their decision to showcase as much of the material as they could

The cast is packed with comedic talent. From Becca Blackwell's larger-than-life mayor, to Mark Bedard's clownish Jailer, even to Steve Routman (as the Injured man and 2nd soldier), who barely does anything in the show yet still made me laugh out loud several times. 

This is a really bizarre piece, and I would never claim that all of it works, but I ultimately really enjoyed it! 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 10:37pm

Cape Twirl of Doom said: "I thought this was one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen. I hated every minute of it, I wanted to leave after 5 minutes but I was in the middle of a row and had to sit through it. My two friends also said it was one of the worst they’ve seen.

The songs and lyrics are just awful, there is no plot, it was way too absurd for me to be entertaining. Just bad in every way."

 

My friend texted and said pretty much the same thing...it gave them headaches-excrutiating to watch!

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 10:40pm

I think this is one of those pieces that mostly goes over my head.  I did like the music quite a bit, but I found the operatic singing style made it a little hard for me to understand the lyrics, which I feel is where the meat of the show lies in its message and themes (though thankfully City Center fixed the sound issues that had plagued Working), and I kept hoping there would be a few more nudges/hints to help tie everything together.  That said, I think there were some truly enjoyable moments and the cast was really incredible.  Overall, I definitely don't regret going, even if I did spend most of the time trying to figure out what the show was trying to depict.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 10:52pm

I discovered the original cast recording in 1970 ish. I've love the score and the lyrics are a hoot. I was so excited to finally see a production of it. The cast album is so odd and unusual and I always imagined it was going to be a fascinating hoot.

Unfortunately, the show in my head was way better than what I experienced at Encores tonight. It was a mess. I always thought Only One Naked Lady If staged right would blow us away. Unfortunately, that song lie there like an unfunny turd.

It was nice to hear that score but since the show was directed so presentationally and out front and silly, there were no surprises. It was really dull in spite of a well sung show.

A true disappointment. 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 11:30pm

why is this only getting two performances in the middle of the dang week?

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/10/19 at 11:45pm

SmoothLover said: "I liked it as well. The show was similar to those off Broadway musicals of the 1960'3 reminiscent of Jones and Schmidt and Leslie Bricusse (The Roar of the Greasepaint comes to mind with the haves prevailing over the have nots) where plot was secondary and themes of the day prevailed....
"

FTR, only because it's a show I love dearly and have done twice, in GREASEPAINT, the "haves"--really ONE have: "Sir"--prevail over the "have nots"--ditto, "Cocky"--for much of the play. But in the end Cocky has overthrown Sir, only for each to realize he needs the other. The very Brechtian and allegorical musical ends with the have and have-not still squabbling, but knowing they have to move forward together and with some sense of equality.

Sorry to correct what was probably just a "slip of the keyboard", but as I said, I love the show. SmoothLover's characterization of 1960s musicals such as GREASEPAINT and PROMENADE is otherwise spot on.

Updated On: 7/10/19 at 11:45 PM

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 12:30am

I tend to be pretty critical but for some reason I took the performance for what it was and felt transported back to the Off Off Broadway scene in the 1960's.. I did not focus on what was holding it all together which is unusual for me.. I wish I could go back in time and experience it all for a week..

I think my expectations were low so the experience exceeded them.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 12:45am

SmoothLover, I'm sure you remember how HAIR seemed to be the cumulation of that entire movement and was supposed (by Clive Barnes and others) to be the template for all future musicals.

Fortunately, Prince and Sondheim saved us from that fate! LOL. And HAIR did suggest that rock 'n' roll had a place on Broadway, which hasn't always been a bad thing.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 2:30pm

Critics pick from NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/theater/promenade-review.html

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 3:30pm

chrishuyen said: "Critics pick from NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/theater/promenade-review.html"

 

Well at least someone else liked it besides me. I was beginning to think I had fallen on my heard. For anyone going tonight be sure to read the article in the program about the Off Off Broadway scene and how Promenade fit into it all. The book writer Maria Irene Fornes and the music  writer Al Carmines wrote tons of plays that were integrated in the 1960's and early 70's eras where there was a movement of sorts that was countercultural challenging what was going on in the city and the world at large. There was also a playful irreverence. The Ridiculous Theatre company comes to mind. Al Carmines was an openly gay minister who wrote an LGBTQ revue called The Faggots.  The article also talks about the dwindling of the Off Off Broadway scene due to multiple factors. That s why I wish I could go back for a week and experience it all. And as long as I am going back in time, I would like to be 32 in case there is a fairy godmother out there that will grant me my wish.

 

[LxGstv]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 3:41pm

I enjoyed it, yes it was incredibly silly and over the top, but it was also very funny, I liked the randomness of the humor in it. Some songs work better than others, but overall it was satisfying. “Capricious and Fickle” was definitely the highlight for me.

I did read about the piece and how it came to be beforehand, that probably helped as I knew what to expect... my partner knew nothing about it and he hated it...

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 3:58pm

LxGstv said: "I enjoyed it, yes it was incredibly silly and over the top, but it was also very funny, I liked the randomness of the humor in it. Some songs work better than others, but overall it was satisfying. “Capricious and Fickle” was definitely the highlight for me.

I did read about the piece and how it came to be beforehand, that probably helped as I knew what to expect... my partner knew nothing about it and he hated it..."

I think you are right. If you go into it knowing some of the history then you have more of an appreciation for it. But if you look at it by today's Broadway standards you might think that aspects of it do not live up. The production was a little more book dependent than other Encores endeavors but it was ok by me. Like I said if they had another week of rehearsal they could have enhanced some of the staging. I think the same goes for all Encores productions. You have to have an appreciation for their purpose of dusting off old relics and bringing them to life. But if you want everything to be A Chorus Line or Evita then you might be kind of bored or think it is just the worst thing ever. There is a lobby project before the show presented by The Civilians. I liked what they had put together for this particular show because you learn more background about Promenade's writers.

 

 

 

[scarlet721]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 6:44pm

I wish City Center had made it clearer in the program or in the lobby that it had no intermission (I did not purchase the ticket so didn't get an e-mail).  My companion also thought it would have an intermission based on the number of songs, but since there is almost no dialogue, the lack of intermission didn't bother us.

I loved the opening of the show, and liked the actors playing 105 and 106.  I found myself watching them during the banquet scene (which I felt went on way too long with too many unconnected songs), and wish they had more to do early in the show.

I found the costumes a bit distracting, way too sparkly, and wish that City Center would invest in some hand props when they are obviously investing in costumes.  

Oh, and I really wish there had been an "explosives" warning, I jumped out of my seat a lot.

All in all, it was a surreal and ridiculous (in a good way) night.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/11/19 at 10:33pm

Holy Hell, that was awful.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 7/12/19 at 10:32am

That NYT review is very insightful. I quite enjoyed this production, while I realize it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Al Carmines and his works were off-off-Broadway, avant-garde works that spoke about social awareness. He was ahead of his time and quite prolific. The Lobby Project show mentioned he wrote Joan of Arc and Hamilton/Burr musicals in the early 70s, and he also wrote a predecessor to Assassins and a musical depicting homosexual life as normal. He’s a fascinating study and not much of his work has been well preserved, which makes Promenade a prime candidate for an Encores treatment, not the crowd-pleasing rep they’ve been choosing in recent years.

This production had a dynamite cast. Each of the women (women of color, too!) stopped the show with their arias (and yes, I’ll call them arias because this seemed to be quasi-operetta/opera). I also applaud the casting for being the definition of diversity and inclusion, with a majority of the actors being people of color and the inclusion of different body types and gender identities (the Mayor was played by a non-binary actor). While the orchestra was all white and male, this was a wonderful thing to see onstage. The cast also sang the score beautifully, and this material is quite difficult. “The Laughing Song” is no easy task for an individual to pull off, and having the entire ensemble sing it so proficiently is a testament to these performers.

Also, because another poster didn’t like them, I’ll say that I thought the costumes were fantastic. Clint Ramos is a genius.

So while Promenade might not be everyone’s cup of tea because of its varying musical styles, absurdist humor, and satirical plots (I mean, what would even be the equivalent in musical theatre written today?), this was a joyous representation of the show and an exquisitely performed version of the full score, which has never been fully recorded.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 7/12/19 at 10:51am

Madeline Kahn later performed a song from the show that wasn't sung by her character on Johnny Carson. Ah, memories...

 

[rg7759]

Posted: 7/12/19 at 11:18am

I'm sorry only having 2 performances during off hours is essentially asking people not to come.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/12/19 at 11:54am

Having thought about it more, I think my biggest problem with the show (not the production but the show, itself) is that it just seems half-baked. Almost like they were trying to write it in some sort of a code to talk about the issues of the times but forget to actually have a message, if that makes any sense. The one interesting character to me was the mother looking for her babies but she was treated as a joke, which didn’t make any sense to me. But I doubt I’ll remember much of anything about this show in a week or two.