The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

Just announced in the past few hours. This will be the first West End production of Promises, Promises since the original production ran from 1969 to 1971:

http://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/ar ... 7-20160624

I hope they use a full orchestra with the original arrangements. Otherwise the people are getting cheated, IMHO.

The statement that both I Say a Little Prayer and A House is Not a Home will be added to the original score suggests that it must be the same production as ran on Broadway in 2010. The casting of the two leads will be the crucial factor as to whether this production succeeds in London or not. I've seen two productions of PP over the years, the first on London's fringe in 1996 and the second in Sheffield several years later and both had a limited fixed time run but were well received and apparently played to mostly full houses. 

I didn`t bother with the B`way revival in 2010, not least because I don`t like Kristin Chenowith and thought she was miscast.
And I still think it`s just plain wrong to wedge in "...Prayer" and "...House...". I still don`t know why Burt let them get away with it.
Overall, I`m not much in favor of revivals anyway. I think that the way the Some Lovers score was presented might be the best way to go, but that`s just me.

Yes Blair, the addition of two of Bacharach's classic hit songs did smack of desperation. I'd rather they included 'Tick Tock Goes the Clock' like they did for the London Fringe production in '96. It was a big production number and for me it was the highlight of the show.

'You've Got It All Wrong' would have been a nice addition also.

'blue'

On leaving the Festival Hall on Monday night after the wonderful Bacharach concert we were handed leaflets promoting the 5 week run at Southwark Playhouse starting in January 2017 of Promises, Promises. So that would appear to be that and as the Southwark Playhouse is decidedly south of the river it seems the show will have to wait a bit longer before it's produced again in London's West End.

Funnily enough Southwark Playhouse is just around the corner from the Chocolate Factory where What's it All About: Bacharach Reimagined played last July through to September before transferring with a new title to the West End. The chances of the new production of PP containing this gem sung here by Rose Marie Jun & Leslie Miller are remote at best. Also featuring the piano and 'pitchy' vocals of the composer:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pBgxXYlqynk

Maybe if the show is a runaway success during its 5 week run at the Southwark Playhouse it will transfer to the West End. Let's hope so. Sue Raney's recording of one of the show's undisputed great songs is a recent find on YouTube.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L8B28IME9jU

Just booked to see this production next February. Nothing wrong with the Southwark Playhouse. Intimate small theatre. Producing musicals at large West End theatres is a risky businesses. My impression looking at the booking site is that bookings are currently quite slow for PP bu meany people wait for the reviews.

The cast for the show opening in January has just been announced:

http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-thea ... 42229.html

I've managed to get tickets for the opening night of this revival which opens in a couple of weeks. The Southwark Playhouse is a small theatre seating 240 so I'm expecting a very fringe theatre type production with a small group of maybe six or seven musicians instead of a pit orchestra. Anyone else got tickets yet?

Martin Johnson wrote:I've managed to get tickets for the opening night of this revival which opens in a couple of weeks. The Southwark Playhouse is a small theatre seating 240 so I'm expecting a very fringe theatre type production with a small group of maybe six or seven musicians instead of a pit orchestra. Anyone else got tickets yet?

Yes, we're going on the second night. You never know, Martin, I suppose there's an outside chance that Bacharach might attend the opening night, although I wouldn't put money on it as he didn't bother coming over for either the London Fringe production in 1996 nor during the run of the show at the Crucible in Sheffield in 2005.

Yep, taking the family on saturday Jan 21st.

I’m going during the first week of the run and I’m looking forward to it as I would any new production of ‘Promises, Promises’. Wonderful songs though they both are, of course, It will be interesting to see how much it grates having ‘I Say a little Prayer and ‘A House is Not a Home’ shoehorned into the score.