Promises, Promises

[Sara D]

It's been nearly 14 years since this production played on the London fringe, but I know for sure 'Tick Tock Goes the Clock' was in the first half, probably early on and possibly following 'Half as Big as Life'. It was a big production number featuring three female singer/dancers. I fell in love with the song instantly, despite the slightly, from a feminine perspective at least, dubious lyric. I ended up seeing the show three times during its 4 week season. I saw a much bigger production of PP in Sheffield over Christmas 2005, this time, alas, without 'Tick Tock Goes the Clock'.

[promisesx2]

Thank you for your thoughts, Sara D.
I've discovered that "Tick Tock" is a very infectious song.
It seems like a cut song that might have been worth revisiting for the revival, just as "Happily Ever After" was reinstated in Company.
And speaking of cut songs, I'm guessing that "What Am I Doing Here?" was replaced by "Knowing When to Leave."

[vincent.cole]

How we fixed broken `Promises'

By HAL DAVID

March 24, 2010

ON BROADWAY

Editor's note: Michael Riedel is on vacation. Pinch-hitting for him is award-winning lyricist Hal David who, with Burt Bacharach, wrote the score for the 1968 musical "Promises, Promises," now being revived on Broadway.

I remember "Promises, Promises" as a series of marvelous moments and some not-so-marvelous hotel rooms. I first heard of the project in 1967 at the Oscars gala in Beverly Hills. Our song "Alfie," Burt Bacharach's and mine, was nominated as one of the best songs of the year. That was pretty exciting.

But to most songwriters, a Broadway show is the ultimate dream.

It was Neil Simon's idea to adapt the Billy Wilder film "The Apartment" for a musical play in collaboration with Burt and me. Our producer, David Merrick, secured the rights from United Artists, and then Neil, Burt and I got busy writing the show.

We had a wonderful cast, led by Jerry Orbach. After

much work, we were ready for rehearsal.

In the first week of rehearsals, I learned that what I thought was the completed score was only the first draft. Songs went out and new songs went in, songs went out again, and new songs went in. On the road in Boston, we had a song in the second act called "Wouldn't That Be a Stroke of Luck."

Everyone seemed to like the song — everyone, that is, except the audience. Neil wrote a new scene. Unfortunately, right at that time, Burt came down with pneumonia. While waiting for him to recover, I wrote most of the lyrics for a song called "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."

When Burt was released from the hospital, he wrote a great melody for the song, which stopped the show the first night it was performed.

In case you don't know it, the second verse of it is, "What do you get when you kiss a guy/You get enough germs to catch pneumonia/After you do, he'll never phone ya."

I don't know if I subconsciously thought of Burt when I wrote the pneumonia/phone ya couplet, but it worked, and that's all that mattered.

Two years ago, a reading and sing-through of "Promises" was staged in New York with Sean Hayes. It played like a brand-new show. Neil Simon was there, and during the intermission he said: "Do you know why it took over 40 years to revive this show? Because it took over 40 years to find Sean Hayes."

After the reading, the director and writers decided that they wanted to supply additional material for Fran (Kristin Chenoweth) in Act 1. With the addition of "I Say a Little Prayer," the role had greater clarity. It worked into the show effortlessly, as though it had been there all along.

It's funny, but after "Promises" opened in New York in 1968 to great reviews, the cast bought a piano roll of the Bacharach/David song "I Say a Little Prayer."

They unrolled it, and everyone signed it as a present for me. It's hung on a wall next to my piano ever since. I guess it was a good omen.

In the four decades since, people may have thought "Promises" was dated. But now, in 2010, it feels like the show was the inspiration for the hit TV series "Mad Men."

It feels so fresh because it was written during the time period of the show, not about that time period.

In many ways, the casting and performances of Sean, Kristin and Tony Goldwyn take us back to the emotional depth of "The Apartment," while at the same time maintaining its great humor. And heart.

It's been more than 40 years since Burt and I wrote that score, and after that we went on with our careers — recording movies and writing for stars like Dionne Warwick and many others. Seeing "Promises, Promises" back on Broadway again proves my dream was all I hoped it would be.

[Sara D]

Thanks, Vincent, for posting Hal David's piece here. I've always got the impression that his attitude towards the show over the years has been a bit more positive than BB's and it was he and not Burt who was at the first night of the London fringe production of 1996.

If the 2010 model of PP is a great production which gets a good reception that hopefully ensures a long run, then I'll try and visit NY to see it. It will also give me an opportunity to visit some of the city's famous jazz clubs that I've heard so much about.

[Rio]

Same thing:

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/t ... rTuQPYHxAI

[ron hertel]

Vincent:
Rarely do we hear anything about - or - from Hal David. Really enjoyed reading his thoughts on "Promises Promises 2010". Thanks for posting it! ............ I've been playing the Broadway recording and hope it is a successful revival .......... Enjoyed seeing it back in 1970 in New York!
Ron

[Jerry]

Thank-You, Vincent for your generous posting! I second the opinion that we rarely get to hear from the great Mr. David, an artist of great talent & humility!

Can't wait to see the show!!

Best,

Jerry

[promisesx2]

I've just read that yet another song has been added to the score of Promises, Promises: "A House Is Not a Home." Does anyone know if this is true? Or is it a rumor?

[Jerry]

Hey, Promisesx2--

Sounds like a rumor, though it could fit the overall telling of the story in more ways than one...would be kinda cool, though!

Jerry

[Rio]

This article says so:

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/13 ... g-March-27

[An Enormous BB Fan]

I'm sorry, but I don't care if both Burt and Hal like it, I don't! It appears to me that, for some strange reason, they are not trusting the greatness of their own show! And I've got news for them: Adding these 2 songs will not make the show any better and it won't bring in more business. They obviously think that it will. I contend that theatre-goers wish to see a production of "Promises, Promises" and not a show which is a collection of Bacharach/David hits. The show was a hit with the songs that it had. Quite frankly, I think was they are doing is condescending to what they think the audience will want to hear. And I also think that adding those 2 songs is an insult to Burt and Hal -- even if Burt and Hal agree to it. I mean, really! Imagine if someone mounted a production of "Sweeney Todd" and they decided that one of the characters should sing "Send In The Clowns"?

[Bruce Bernard Williams]

I agree with EVERY word in your post about the addition of the two (2) songs to the new production of Promises, Promises. And you stated that it is an insult to both Burt and Hal, I also feel that it is a greater insult to the theater-goers. Although I didn't get a chance to see the original production and now I wish I had, I would certainly have NO interest in seeing this new production because I feel that the addition of those two (2) songs will only cheapen its appeal! If I wanna hear a concert by the great Maestro himself, then I would go out and get tix to see said concert. I will be reading all the reviews on this new production and I'm sure that there'll be some critics that will voice the same sentiments that we both share.

[BachtoBacharach]

Since Burt and Hal support and approved the additions, I guess this is all a moot point. Are they insulting themselves? I guess I am a purist and agree that the show doesn't need those tunes but apparently they have a different take. And, I do hope the show will succeed; to wish otherwise is selfish of me. If it is the big hit I believe it will be, I think this exposure will be great for Burt, Hal and Dionne, also. Let's face it, how is a new generation going to be exposed to their greatness? Certainly not oldies radio...most of those stations don't play much Bacharach/David anymore. For every one playing of Dionne's brilliant Bacharach/David hit, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose"...probably one of the best pop tunes ever, there are five airings of the awful Supremes hit "The Happening." 1960s Pop music history has been rewritten by XM-Sirius and almost all you hear are Beatles-Motown. I for one, am glad to see Promises, Promises revived, albeit with some tunes that weren't in the original. Even with the addition of those two extra tunes, it beats the crap out of another Motown-type review or a "Dreamgirls" redux.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Burt and Hal probably were talked into it. I really doubt -- in fact, I'd bet anything -- that the idea was not from Burt and Hal. And, yes, it's possible that Burt and Hal could indeed insult themselves. In fact, they insulted themselves by getting involved with "Lost Horizon". Even geniuses like them make wrong decisions. And I think that Burt make the biggest mistake of all time (in Pop music) when he dumped Hal and Dionne. What a huge error in judgment that was. (He had his reasons, I understand -- but still!)

I want the show to be a huge success. I'm not rooting for it to fail at all. And this is the whole point! I'm angry because I feel that the additions of these 2 songs will really backfire on them. The New York critics will see right through this. Let's just hope that I'm really wrong about this!

(And don't forget my prediction about Sean Hayes -- that the critics won't like him either in this role. They will love Kristen though.)

[I do go out on a limb, don't I? ]

[Jerry]

Hey, Enormous--

Limbs are meant to be trod...just make sure the branch will hold you, as well as, your opinion! I have really mixed feelings about this discussion. Not having a whole lot of familiarity with the show, aside from the hits--'INFILA', title tune & 'Knowing'--beyond its source material, I obviously, don't have the depth of feeling regarding the purity of the score.
But, as we get closer to the show's opening, let's keep a few things in mind:

--Genuises, they may be, Burt & Hal have always been Commercial songwriters; they are and always were after a Hit. I doubt that this has changed, even at this stage of the game. They want the widest possible audience to pay for their product, so the addition of 'I Say a Little Prayer' and 'A House is Not a Home', seems like show insurance, I suppose. And yes, I completely respect how the purists on this listserv feel about it. But, let's look at it this way: do we want a ' cult hit', that might run on Broadway for 2-3 months, or, would we rather have the BB-HD songbook opened for a whole new generation? I think the answer to that is a no-brainer.
--If the maestro(s) are able to integrate the two songs, without the feeling that the show is being compromised for the sake of a hit, then I say, more power to them!
--And, I completely agree with the sentiments expressed regarding 'oldies'(hate that word) radio, particularly, the disappearance of great sixties music. This includes, not only BB-HD-DW, but Sergio Mendez & Brazil66, the Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell classics, the more obscure, complex Beach Boys stuff, and, just about anything that wasn't simply Top 5 Beatles-Motown. I think the fault for this, Dear Brutus, lies not with radio programmers but with the marketing groups and research companies, which determine the music we hear and more aspects of our lives, than we'd care to admit.

The music is still out there...it will never go away, so long as resources like this listserv exist.

Yes, the addition of these classics does constitute compromise, though, consider the alternative of not hearing them at all.

Best,

Jerry