Promises, Promises

[BachtoBacharach]

Amen Jerry! We sometimes discuss Burt and Hal here as though they WEREN'T hitmakers...that's what they were after. I sometimes notice that folks discuss Burt's instrumental versions of his hits like they were the holy grail and maybe they are to some folks...my favorite versions of the tunes are the tunes that Burt wrote and arranged and produced for folks like Dionne, BJ. etc. and those Burt and Hal produced and arranged are their visions unfiltered by others...Burt didn't write ISALP for high art, he wrote it hoping it would be a commercial hit for Dionne and boy was it! Folks can say The Look of Love is the definitive Bacharach/David tune (and as his art maybe it is), but ISALP is the tune most folks Immediately identify as BB/HD/DW aside from Walk On By...it's been covered so many times since Dionne hit with it in 67. Yes, Burt can be "wrong" about his choices but then again Lost Horizon was not a flop until after it opened and Burt wasn't "wrong" until the thing flopped...would he have been wrong if LH had succeeded...psychic he's not (and no jokes about Dionne here)...he didn't care for his original version of ISALP but the public loved it...and he grew to but his satisfaction came from the tune being out there and exposed on the top 5. Burt wrote hits for folks like Dionne because she consistently put his product on the charts. And she did it more often and better than anyone else. That's what he was after...not to sit brooding over his piano producing works of art no one ever heard as sometimes younger folks might like to believe who really don't have the context us older folks do...sometimes age does matter in these discussions where context is important. The art part was secondary to what he was after which was commercial exposure for his music and income from that music. There are a lot of starving artists out there. Art was not what Burt and Hal had first in mind when they went into the studio to record Dionne...it was that satifaction of knowing that the tune might be a big fat hit. Burt's success on the charts accomodated his art and allowed him to continue to write commercial music. The art part has evolved...who thought Walk on By was an art masterpiece when it was released? It certainly is but that was not Burt's sole intention. If it hadn't been a hit, it wouldn't probably have been seen as art but by a few.

[Jerry]

Hey BToB!

WHO'S OLDER??!!?? No one on this board---LOL!!

But seriously, folks...to solidify your point, none of the great immortals of The Great American Songbook (genuflect, please!) were out to create High Art; Berlin, Porter, Rogers, tec., etc., with the probable exceptions of Gershwin & Copeland (and only some projects, at that) were lookin' to have hits! If it weren't for those songs in the BB-HD catalogue, we frankly, would not be having this discussion. If the maestros don't feel compromised, why should we?

All The Best,

Jerry

[BachtoBacharach]

Amen again Jerry! And Enormous...hate to disagree but I really don't think Burt had to have is arm twisted to add the tunes...he is a pretty strong and opinionated gent...and would probably b slap anyone who suggested that he has compromised his "art"...art, schmart...I bet he is delighted! LOL! And, although I questioned the casting of Sean Hayes, I have changed my opinion.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

I am so glad that people are voicing their opinions on this matter here. And it was my intent to stir the pot a bit and get things going here. And I think that this is a good topic that can be viewed from many and various angles. I do approach this particular issue from a "purist's" point-of-view. I suppose I'll have to just view this show as "Promises, Promises 2.0" and leave it at that.

And I totally agree that Burt and Hal wanted big smash hits when they were writing songs back then. And, god bless him, I think that Burt wanted great fame, too. And I'm so happy he achieved everything he did. He's nothing less than a genius and he deserved every bit of it. And I hope that this version of "Promises, Promises" is a big smash hit just like it was the first time around.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

[BachtoBacharach]

That parody is totally twisted and too funny and probably close to the truth!

[Jerry]

Terrific stuff!!!

Jerry

[nymusicalsguy]

Saw the new PROMISES last evening. I'll post a full review closer to the show's opening; I don't think it's fair to completely evaluate the show even in a forum such as this one when they're only on their second (as of tonight, third) preview. But I did want to share some of the MAJOR changes made to the score and show, and some GENERAL impressions, since so many people here have been curious about it...

The Overture has been rewritten, with the addition of "I Say A Little Prayer" and other internal cuts made. It's also fully staged.

"I Say A Little Prayer" and "A House Is Not A Home" are both present, with reprises and incidental music arrangements, too. The former ALMOST works...the latter, much less so, as the lyric is incredibly specific and NOT to the situation in the musical.

The cast, led by a charismatic Sean Hayes, is largely terrific.

Director Rob Ashford has added the ensemble into both "She Likes Basketball" and "Wanting Things".

The orchestra has been reduced to 18 or so pieces down from 30. Mainly strings cut plus a French horn and an acoustic piano. All replaced by 2 synths. Original orchestrator Jonathan Tunick has reduced his orchestrations about as well as possible, but the sound design seems to emphasize the backbeat over clean, crisp delineation of each instrument. I'm hoping this will be fixed before opening.

Harold Wheeler's dance arrangements have been replaced by those of David Chase, whose work complements Ashford's new choreography but lacks the Bacharach style Wheeler nailed on "Turkey Lurkey" and "A Fact..." I really missed the soaring dance arrangements of these two numbers.

Most Puzzling Book Change: Probably due to a desire to emulate MAD MEN in the costume & set designs, they've reset the show to 1962. This is referred to in two clunky lines of dialogue, with no indication of why the score sounds SO much more like 1968 than 1962!

The book, other than that, largely remains intact, and yes, it still WORKS. There's a lot to love in this revival...and a lot I hope is changed by opening night. I'm anxious to read other Bacharach board posters' opinions soon!

[An Enormous BB Fan]

A few thoughts:

Where did you sit?

You left out something important (at least for me): How did the audience respond? For the curtain call, was there a rousing ovation from the audience or was the response mild or tepid? Or are preview audiences unreliable?

How packed was the house (percentage-wise)? (Just curious to see how much interest there is in this show.)

I'm so happy that you thought Sean Hayes was "charismatic". I didn't see him as Chuck Baxter, so I'm hoping that he proves me wrong -- and he has, at least to you he has. So that's good!

I'm not happy about the arrangements being changed -- especially if you say that they're further from the Bacharach style than closer! It sounds like they've diluted the Bacharach sound and that's not good at all. Tunick and Wheeler did a masterful job and, to me, it's foolish to think you can do better.

You said nothing of Kristen! How was she?

So "A House Is Not A Home" doesn't really work. I didn't think it would. I'm still against the addition of both those songs. They should have added a scene where it was raining outside so they could've added "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" to the score -- NOT!

Reducing Tunick's orchestration -- BAD! And reducing the orchestra from 30 to 18 -- what a loss! It's just not right nor fair to the theatre-goers. They're not selling the tickets at reduced cost, so why give a reduced show? Nothing can reproduced the sound of live instruments. That's what a big Broadway musical is all about (at least to me), and that's what the audience should get... especially with a Bacharach score!

Changing the show to 1962 will do nothing for the show. And, as you say, the show is in one year and the music is in another. Imagine if you had a show set in the "Flapper" era and the music was "Doo-Wop" style. Well, to be fair, this isn't that bad, but you did pick up on it.

Did Dick Latessa get some laughs as Dr. Dreyfuss? (I believe that the original Dr. Dreyfuss [A. Larry Haines?] got a Tony for the part.)

Was the choreography Fosse-based? And how was it? (I suppose you're waiting to talk about this when you do your full review. Looking forward to it.)

[Steve Schenck]

Thanks for the initial review! I was also wondering, did they include "Tick Tock Goes the Clock" in the revival? I'm hoping so, but I gather they didn't since you didn't mention it. I plan to see it later in the spring.

[nymusicalsguy]

Hey, friends, I'll try to answer a couple of these questions, but I'm indeed saving the rest for a full review...

I was sitting in the orchestra center/house seat section.

I do wish the producers hadn't reduced the orchestra...recent revivals of GYPSY, FINIAN'S RAINBOW, SOUTH PACIFIC and RAGTIME have all utilized the original orchestrations and used the super-sized orchestra as a selling point. (It worked for GYPSY and SP, not so much for FR and RAGTIME.) As I'm posting here on a Bacharach board, I admit I'm biased, but I think the unique sound of BB's music deserved the same treatment, and it's of course disappointing to see it didn't get it.

Audience response was wonderful, but that's to be expected in previews, when cast & crew pack the house with friends. Still, the positive response to the music (and the first notes of the Overture -- the first minute of which is the Overture as we know it) is always thrilling. I do hear that PROMISES has a big advance sale, and it completely sold out its first preview. I'm sure the grosses for the coming weeks will be likewise strong.

Hayes totally proved me wrong, and was much stronger than I'd have expected...Chenoweth sings the hell out of the score, and otherwise IS as I would have expected from her (a wonderful actress playing against type in this role.) Latessa is perfection, as he was at Encores! 13 years ago.

No "Tick Tock Goes The Clock" or more distressingly, "You've Got It All Wrong." Ashford has opted instead for the two "familiar" Bacharach songs, which I believe to be the impetus for their inclusion.

I'm hoping for major changes, choreography-wise, so for now, I'll just say it's a work in progress. Please don't take this as damning criticism...I'm just hoping that Ashford is able to bring his own stamp to it. Right now, I think it's fair to say that it's stylistically far from the Michael Bennett original.

Hope this answers most of everybody's questions for now.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Thanks for your reply. A few more questions:

First, I said "Fosse" when it was "Bennett". Sorry 'bout that. Either way, I'm hoping that Ashford does at least as good a job as Bennett did.

I meant to ask you: Were any of the songs from the original Broadway production removed? I really hope not.

And what about "Grapes of Roth". I think the original orchestration (whether by Tunick exclusively or with Burt's assistance) is as great as it can get. I listen to it all the time and it's one of Burt's greatest! I'm praying they didn't mess with it. I hate when people mess with perfection.

Looking forward to your full review. (Are you planning on seeing it again after it opens?)

[nymusicalsguy]

Hi,

In answer to your question, no, none of the original songs have been removed.

That said, "Grapes of Roth" and "Christmas Day" are largely used as underscore/background music (though there is choreography to the opening portion of "Grapes"), especially "Christmas Day." It was almost lost in this production, taken at a very fast tempo and heard under the dialogue. There are some cuts and alterations to "Grapes" as it has been affected by the new dance arrangements. Sorry!

And yes, I will be seeing it again soon, and will write more then!

[An Enormous BB Fan]

I'm happy that all the original songs are in the show. I'm sorry, however, to hear about "Grapes" and the most wonderful "Christmas Day". Both "Grapes" and "Christmas Day" are NOT background music. I still can't figure out why they've messed with the original. There was no need to do so.

[nymusicalsguy]

For better or worse, I believe many directors today look to leave their "mark" on a piece -- which is why they make changes to a show's text and/or score for revival. Rob Marshall did this with PROMISES in 1997, requesting the new song "You've Got It All Wrong" from Burt and Hal, but otherwise left the musical intact...much to my incredible delight. Rob Ashford has taken a different tack, and in the long run, only audiences and to a lesser extent, critics, will prove how wise that was. But I will say that I, too, wish this production had the same musical values as that amazing Encores! production of 1997.