Promises, Promises

[body2body]

The reviews for "Promises, Promises" are in and most are lukewarm.

 

http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/theater/reviews/26promises.html?hpw

 

The L.A. Times was a little more positive.

 

Every review refers to the lack of chemistry between Sean Hayes, and Kristin Chenowith. I keep wondering if Mr. Hayes had not "come out" in the press just before the opening, if this would have been such an issue? Can there be such a thing as critical Homophobia in the realm of the Broadway musical?

 

I will be seeing this during a Theater weekend in New York City next month.

[ted]

Most also commented on the connection with Katie Finneran so I don't think that follows. Quite a few seemed to think Kristen is miscast too.

 

I saw this 2 weeks ago and was quite entertained, and the rest of the audience seemed quite appreciative too. I suspect this will last a while just on the names and the score, despite what the critics like or don't like.

[skynyc]

My two cents

 

In conjunction to the "Who Cares" post I add that Promises Promises is chock-full of folks who are less-than-pleasant. It really is a piece that is of it's time. Based on Billy Wilder's The Apartment which starred Jack Lemmon, it's about a young man "Chuck Baxter" who allows the higher-ups in his office to use his apartment for extra-marital trysts in the hopes of getting a promotion. The gentlemen in the office sing gleefully about needing a place that they can take a nice girl...a hotel won't do. When Chuck realizes that one of the gentlemen using his place is using with the girl that Chuck himself is in love with he is crestfallen and heads to the local watering hole where he finds a drunken sexpot of his own.

Again, on paper, this sounds like a tongue-in-cheek Mad Men, and I don't think even Mad Men could get away with a tongue-in-cheek sensibility. But the score is so catchy and familiar with typical Bacharach and David rhythms and riffs, and Sean Hayes is so appealing as Chuck, that I found the show delightful. I disagree with the critics who didn't care for Kristen Chenoweth's Fran. Calling her miscast they want her to remain perky and adorable...two qualities that really don't describe Fran. (Although the added number Say a Little Prayer is full of perky adorableness...which didn't work for me. It was the one scene where I didn't believe the character of Fran.) Katie Finneran has had huge accolades as the boozy Marge, and she is very funny...but after all the reviews and word of mouth, I thought it was just more of the drunken schtick that was in every bar scene in a episode of Bewitched. She's great, but I don't think she saves the show.

There has also been a lot of disparaging remarks about the choreography, particularly of the Turkey Lurkey Time number which can be found on Youtube from teh original production's Tony Award performance, and was recreated in the movie Camp. All I can say is that that number was choreographed by Michael Bennett and I can only hope that I will see someone with half the creative brilliance as Mr. Bennett again in my lifetime. I don't compare contemporary religious art with The Last Supper.

All in all, this is a fun revival of a show that could have been left on the shelf...but finds a satisfying production with a top-notch cast.