The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

Finally, news of Burt's new musical theatre project has surfaced...

From Playbill On-Line:

[Spring Awakening lyricist Steven] Sater is working on a new musical with pop-hit composer Burt Bacharach, whose 1968 musical Promises, Promises returns to Broadway this season. Sater and Bacharach have penned several pop tunes that have been No. 1 hits in Italy. The show, which would mark Bacharach's first musical in 42 years, received a winter reading in Los Angeles featuring Spring Awakening stars Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele. Although Sater couldn't reveal details about the musical, he did describe the experience of collaborating with the composer of such tunes as "Close to You," "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "A House Is Not a Home." "When you write with Burt, you're writing lyrics first, but I go to his house and we sit at the piano, it's a real old-fashioned relationship," Sater said. "For me as a lyricist, I learn so much working with him. It's like playing tennis with the most amazing player in the world in terms of how he hits the ball back. It's incredible."

Thanks!!! Always great to know what Burt is up to and how far along the pipe his projects are. (Especially when we know that sometimes good projects don't come to fruition.)

Steven Sater is quoted as saying, "When you write with Burt, you're writing lyrics first . . ." Does anyone know if this the Bacharach and David working method? Or would Hal David provide the first few lines and then set words to the music? My apologies if this question has been asked before, as I imagine it has.

Bonjour Promisesx2;

I heard a few times from Burt, that either the music or the lyric can come 1st.