"Promises Promises"

Posted: 12/25/05 at 3:30pm

Has there ever been a B'way revival of this show or rumors of one? A good idea?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 3:33pm

No Broadway revival, but Encores! staged a very good production of it - one of the very best Encores! productions, I think. Brantley, though, was chilly, finding the show to be a product of its time with its leering businessmen and objectified females (whereas I think the sexual politics that go on in the show still go on). So, I don't suspect we'll see a revival while Brantley is around, but I think it will be tried again eventually.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 3:56pm

"So, I don't suspect we'll see a revival while Brantley is around...

Why? Does Brent Brantley dictate what gets produced on Broadway now? He's not the be all/end all of theatre critics.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 4:03pm

No, but revivals tend to run for a much shorter time than new musicals (with the notable exceptions of the Cabaret and Chicago revivals), and Promises, which has a large cast and orchestra, wouldn't be a cheap proposition. I think a Promises, Promises revival would need reviews saying that the show is the second coming to take hold, and knowing that the chief NY Times critic already has a negative view of the show is a bit of a deterrant.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 4:10pm

Well if he couldn't kill half the garbage that's on the boards now Promises might have a chance.

EDIT: In the hands of a clever director a revival of this show could work. I'm just sorry it didn't happen in 1997. That Encores! production was great.
Updated On: 12/25/05 at 04:10 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 4:16pm

Yeah, shows are getting around receiving negative reviews these days, so it's not impossible.

Just for the sake of discussion, who would you cast as C.C. Baxter? Talk about a marathon role. He's almost never off stage, and the songs are killers.

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 4:20pm

I don't care how dated this show may be, I think that it would work, possibly as a 60's nostalgia piece (a la Sweet Charity). I mean, it's the only Bacharach/David musical in existence. Besides, it was the very first Broadway show that I ever saw (with Lorna Luft), so it has a special place in my heart. Bring on Promises, Promises!!

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 4:28pm

A suggestion? Don't laugh...

Updated On: 12/25/05 at 04:28 PM

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 4:41pm

I'm not going to laugh at that suggestion. That just might work.
How about Kerry Butler for "Fran Kubelik"?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 4:45pm

Sheldrake?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 5:56pm

He'd be a perfect Sheldrake.

I think Kerry Butler is a bit too 1 dimesional and sweet for the role. I always thought Fran should have a bit of an edge to her.

Natascia Diaz or Julia Murney would be great, in my opinion.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 8:36pm

Smaxie = genius. I'm buying my ticket now.

I want an "unknown" for Fran though... I don't even know why.

Turkey Lurkey Time is (all at once) the dumbest song ever written and the BEST show-stopping production number that NEVER fails to put a smile on my face. How can that be?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 11:49am

Meanwhile, I've been thinking and thinking about Marge MacDougall (yeah, I know...this is the type of life I lead), and I keep ending up here, with Jennifer Coolidge. I think she would land it somewhere in between the sweet, ditsy Marge of Hope Holiday of The Apartment, and the slightly more voracious Marge of the musical, as apparently played to the hilt by Tony-winner Marian Mercer or Christine Baranski, who pretty much walked away with the role in the Encores! version. There's something slightly off about Coolidge, and I always love seeing that scene played with a Marge that is almost too much woman for C.C. Baxter.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 10:48pm

I would really love to see Kerry playing that role.
I think she actually gets to play guitar in that show. And I would love to see Kerry play guitar.

[Glebb]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 12:19am

Turkey Lurkey Time = Incredible.
It's on my iPod and I've to to get my CAMP DVD out to see the dance. It's the best!

[jimnysf]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 12:37am

Re: "it's the only Bacharach/David musical in existence".

That's not entirely true. There is another but it was a film musical, the awful "Lost Horizon" with Sally Kellerman, Liv Ullman, George Kennedy and others "singing" some pretty awful songs.

You can check out the trailer which features some of the songs and some funny dances at:

http://videodetective.com/home.asp?PublishedID=480476

Lost Horizon (1973)

[Glebb]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 1:04am

Oh God!
Lost Horizon was really bad.

"Different people look at things from different points of view."

Updated On: 3/11/06 at 01:04 AM

[alterego]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 1:17am

I don't mind the score for LOST HORIZON. Forget about the script...it's appalling.

I have the Original London Cast of PROMISES, PROMISES with Tony Roberts and Betty Buckley, it is vastly superior to the Broadway album. Sadly it has never been released on CD.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 1:23am

SUCH a glorious score. Played with the full orchestra as Bacharach set it, with the four pit voices. It sets your hair up on end.

I miss Jerry Orbach.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 1:54am

This is the type of show ENCORES was designed for - and yes, both they and REPRISE! in Los Angeles have done it. WAY too expensive a show to justify a Broadway revival, without some serious, serious star power.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 8:30am

Saw the original at the Shubert. It would seem, like Chorus Line, a little dated

I always wondered why Bacharach/David never followed up with another show since this was such a hit

Updated On: 3/11/06 at 08:30 AM

[Doctor Dolittle]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 10:22am

Saw the Encores production which was excellant and a lot of fun. Definitely think this would work as 60's nostalgia. Encores totally approached it that way.