Customer Reviews

Promises, Promises (1968 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This light musical rendition of the successful play "The Apartment" is delightful, chock full of tunes crafted by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Though written in the sixties, the songs still have a fresh flavor and enjoyable feel that remain timeless. The story itself may seem a bit quaint by today's standards: a young and rising executive-wannabe named Chuck Baxter tries to curry favor with his higher-ups by letting them borrow his apartment for their romantic trysts. His conscience finally gets to him and he realizes what kind of creep he's becoming; is a promotion really worth losing part of his soul? In the end, he stands up to the men using him and tells them where to get off.
The movie version starred Jack Lemmon, who was great for the part. In the musical, the role went to Jerry Orbach, who was then in his prime as a Broadway musical star. The other cast members in this production are all fine, but he's the one who really shines. His voice isn't potent and powerful, as it was in "Carnival", but instead takes on a lighter tone perfect for the fresher style of music in "Promises, Promises". His part is demanding: nine out of seventeen songs are sung wholly or in part by Chuck. The rest of the cast keeps pace with the lead, especially Edward Winter(J.D. Sheldrake), Marian Mercer(Marge MacDougall) and a young Donna McKechnie(Vivien Della Hoya). The female lead is performed by Jill O'Hara, whose strangely squeaky voice charmed at times, but seemed to fail her in a few spots. However, none of the songs was disappointing and her shakiness was rare enough to not be too grating.
Our favorite song was the signature tune "What Do You Get When You Fall In Love?", sung by Orbach and O'Hara. Most people are familiar with Dionne Warwick's version, which is nice, but this one is way better. Jerry and Jill play off each other well, but his vocal inflection and harmonizing are unreal. It's no wonder he received a Tony award for his part in "Promises, Promises". There have been rumors that a better rendition of this CD is in the works. We really hope so, and that it's back in print for more people to discover and enjoy. This is a fine example of American musical theater, and a treasure for fans of Jerry Orbach.

What can you say about Burt Bacharach and Hal David other than they have been responsible for some of the most loved, most covered songs of the last forty years. In 1968 at the height of their powers they turned to the theater and wrote what has long been considered one of the best Broadway scores of the period.

Why it took so long for the Cast Recording to be released on CD is a mystery but it's been worth the wait because the sound quality really is a marked improvement over the LP. The score is first-rate from beginning to end. With songs like the title number, "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", and "Whoever You Are", you can't fail to be persuaded by Bacharach & David's great gifts. The show buzzes from overture to finale (and THAT overture, by the way, is one of the most exciting recorded). There's no hiding the period of the show, it's quintessentially a work of the sixties, tremendously orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick, and sung powerfully by the cast, in particular Jerry Orbach. But when all's said and done, it is the melodic quality, the rhythmic vitality, and the lyrical savvy of this work that makes it so irresistible. I warmly endorse the album. It's full of heart and hope - and not a little heartache too. Burt Bacharach surely is among the very best melodists America has produced, and with the passage of time this show's score seems more and more comfortable in the company of other masterpieces of the Broadway stage.

It's really great to have this cast recording available again! And so appropriate, given the passing of Jerry Orbach, that one of his best performances can again be purchased.

When I think of the sounds of the 1960s, the Beatles and the Beach Boys come immediately to mind. BUT - the music of Bert Bacharach (often with the wonderfully honest and unsentimental lyrics of Hal David) is almost the "official" soundtrack for the period of the second half of that decade. Promises, Promises is a snapshot of that time, when corporate life was almost exclusively dominated by men, sexual liberation was coming on fast, and New York was (or thought it was) the cultural center of America. With this outstanding Broadway cast recording, you can't go wrong! Great to be able to stop playing my sadly worn vinyl LP!

The pop/mod sound of the 1960s perfected by the songwriting duo of Bacharach and David made it's way to the Broadway stage in 1968 with "Promises, Promises", a musical adaptation of Billy Wilder's 1961 Oscar winning film "The Apartment".

The plot is simple: It revolves around Chuck Baxter who lends out his apartment to various executives at Consolidated Life hoping for some kind of an advancement in return, the twist comes when Fran, the charming cafeteria hostess he's smitten with turns out to be the mistress of "THE BIG BOSS".

The Overture is one of the best composed for the stage, right up there with the overture from "Gypsy" in that it captures the mood and spirit of the entire show.

Jerry Orbach shines as "Chuck" and he tackles the signature Bacharach meter changes head on with his renditions of "Half as Big as Life", "She Likes Basketball" and "Promises, Promises". Orbach was awarded the Tony for Best Actor for his performance.

Jill O'Hara who made a splash as "Sheila" in the Original Off Broadway production of "Hair" the previous year hit the big time (and scored a Tony nomination) for her turn as "Fran Kubelik". Her voice is perfectly suited for the vulnerability and fragility of her character, especially in the show stopping number "Knowing When To Leave". "Whoever You Are, I Love You" and her duet with Orbach on "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" are also standouts.

"Turkey Lurkey Time" may be weak as far as lyrics go but no one can beat that infectious Bacharach beat that frames the entire song. It became one of the best remembered show stoppers of it's time thanks to the brilliant choreography of the late-great Michael Bennett. The number brought the house down EVERY TIME.

The show has yet to receive a full scale Broadway revival but in 1999 it was given 2 concert stagings: City Center's ENCORES! series did a staging which starred Martin Short and L.A.'s Reprise staged it starring Jason Alexander. There were hopes of transferring the ENCORES! version to Broadway but the plans were scrapped. All we have to remember this great show is this recording. A MUST HAVE FOR ALL THEATRE LOVERS!

Promises, Promises is a fantastic score and (contrary to what another review says) there were concert revivals on both coasts in the late 90s (with Martin Short for Encores and Jason Alexander for Reprise). In fact, Bacharach and David wrote a new song for the Encore version. Also, Jill Haworth NEVER appeared in Promises.

It is amazing that Promises was so popular but remains unique and unimitated. Even if it was revived again and recorded again, the OBC would remain important since it establishes the sound of this piece in its time. Today someone would be imitating that 60s-70s sound. This is the actual idiomatic thing.

I've always loved the music in this show and it was a treat to hear it on CD rather than my scratchy vinyl. The CD offers no additional material, but it's a great buy nonetheless. I chatted with a Manhattan theatre critic the other day and he said that he had never heard a more stunning overture with pit singers and that Bacharach beat. Jill O'Hara isn't the best singer, but you'll be amazed by Jerry Orbach. Real treats: Turkey Lurkey, Whoever You Are, She Likes Basketball, and Knowing When to Leave. Of course don't forget the title theme and the endearing I'll Never Fall in Love Again, which is a nice contrast to the other songs. Also, check out the "Lost in Boston" series for two missing songs from the musical. Also "Broadway First Take" for an incredible recording of the songs before Promises Promises opened. If you like this CD, you'll really enjoy "What Am I Doing Here" and "Tick Tock", both dropped before the musical opened.

The CD is too short at 45min for such a price. I believe they could have added in at least a few bonus tracks. And just what do they mean by "Enhanced CD"? No doubt, the tracks are remastered, but I haven't found anything special(programs,video clips,etc.) on the CD that would deem it "Enhanced".

I'm so glad to finally have a CD of this, my favorite show album for the last 25 years; my LP has been completely ruined from repeated playings. Burt Bacharach & Hal David are gods of pop music, and this, their only foray into the world of Broadway is, to me, among their greatest accomplishments. Skeptics must give it more than one listen: songs that may sound dated at first will grow on the listener little by little (even "Turkey Lurkey Time"...I swear).The orchestrations are so witty & layered: the time signature changes so unexpected, so appropriate to the lyrics, which, in a deceptively simple way, capture perfectly the everyday speech (and inner thoughts) of the characters. Billy Wilder's film, "The Apartment",captured early-60's New York brilliantly. "Promises, Promises",moving the story into the late 60's captures perfectly that time when, thanks to the Pill,and for the first time, SEX was FUN, and a nice boy could still fall in love with the mistress of his boss!

It's surprising that Bacharach and David, one of the greatest songwriting teams of the late 20th Century, only produced one Broadway musical- but what a musical it was! Catchy music, a strong story line, and a tremendous cast. Jerry Orbach just brings down the house with his renditions of "Promises, Promises" and "Half as Big as Life". Jill O'Hara's singing has been dispaged by some, but she brings great style and emotion to that show stopper "Knowing When to Leave". And who is hiding in the chorus but Donna McKetchnie, helping to make "Turkey Lurkey Time" another outstanding moment in the show.

Nearly 35 years after it came it still sounds hip and exciting, much more so than most of the shows that have come out since. In an era filled mostly with curiosities like "Stomp!", hackeneyed pseudo-rock scores like "Rent", rewrites of movies and and endless Andrew Lloyd Weber rehashes of the same few melodic fragments, I don't think Broadway has produced a single composer who can write more exciting and musically interesting scores than Burt Bacharach.

Yes, this sounds just like Burt Bacharach/Hal David so that's exactly why you'll love this album. Jerry Orbach IS Broadway; his roots are there. Jill O'Brien is now a little known now; see if you don't just love her voice - out of the ordinary. I loved the musical when I first saw it and still do. This librarian suggests you buy it!