Customer Reviews

Promises, Promises

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have always been a big fan of the 1968 musical "Promises, Promises" with its "different", for Broadway, Burt Bacharach/Hal David score. I was a bit wary that they would tinker with the original orchestrations for this revival but I was pleasantly surprised they haven't. Sure they have somewhat softened the brass and added voices to the unseen, scat-singing chorus but the results work just fine. "Promises, Promises" is one of those rare shows where dialogue, jokes and musical numbers hum along in perfect synch, like a finely tuned car, but this production has thrown a few curves in the road.

The female lead, Fran Kubelik, played by Kristen Chenoweth is short-changed in musical numbers so this revival has added a couple of Bacharach/David numbers, "I Say A Little Prayer" and "A House Is Not A Home" for her to sing and how, why or where they fit into this finely tuned show I can't figure out but they adjust to the curves well but adds a little excess baggage to the trunk of the finely tuned car.

Sean Hayes as Chuck Baxter has a very unusual, to say the least singing voice. Although he sounds like an elf with blocked nasal passages and a pronounced vibrato, strangely enough it fits with the vulnerability of his character. And his duet with Miss Chenoweth on "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" is charming.

The musical numbers featuring "Knowing When To Leave" which is a tricky song to sing, "Where Can You Take A Girl" "She Likes Basketball' "Whoever You Are" the title song, "Half As Big As Life" "Our Little Secret" and even the silly "Turkey Lurkey Time" in fact the entire score is just fine and a lot of fun.

And for a change a revival that for the most part doesn't monkey around with the original but I still wonder how "I Say A Little Prayer" and "A House is Not A Home" fits the show.

P.S. Just for the record, "A House Is Not A Home" was the title song for a movie about a whorehouse. The lyrics are pretty generic but knowing and having seen the original movie, when Kristen Chenoweth sings about the "house" I think back to a movie where scantily clad babes are lounging around the "house."

I have always loved this show and its music. For a long time there was no CD available and now both the original and a new cast recording are there for you. The Burt Bacharach and Hal David collaboration from the late 50s until their break-up in 1973 provided us with a decade of hit after hit. At the height of their powers, they joined with David Merrick in 1968 and produced Promises, Promises. Now, over forty years later, we finally have a new Broadway version. The rhythmic melodic score and story moving lyrics has been made even more exciting by the new orchestrations and expanded role of the vocalists in the pit. Additionally, two additional Bacharach-David hits, "I Say A Little Prayer" and "A House Is Not A Home" have been added to the show. However, the best things about this new album are Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth

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I saw this show on June 6 and was captivated on every level. The top-notch writing, music and production values are topped only by the magnificent performances, most notably the sensational Kristin Chenoweth.

I also have the original 1968 recording with Jerry Orbach and Jill O'Hara and I can say that Sean Hayes, Ms. Chenoweth and cast have more than done justice to the original. This recording also includes a few delightful tracks that were not on the original, particularly "Say a Little Prayer".

A very funny, very touching story about two decent, lonely people looking for real love in a cruelly casual world, "Promises, Promises" is just as relevant today as it was forty years ago. If you can get to New York this summer, don't miss this show at the Broadway Theater.

No, I haven't seen the revival. Yes, I'm familiar with the Original, Original Cast Album - it came out when I was a kid. All I can go on is what I'm hearing in this new B'way Cast Album, and unless this production tours with Hayes and Chenowith in the leads, I'm not likely to experience it in person.

The plight of revival cast albums is that the original version exists as comparison. On the other hand, the advantages of new recordings are the technical improvements of recording and time limitations. Older show albums had to cut a lot of music to accomodate a vinyl disc's side . . . and that was murder on shows like West Side Story, Follies or Nine that left a lot of second verses, incidental and dance music unrepresented. The new Promises expands on music missing in the original (The missing dance break in "Turkey Lurkey Time" always bothered me - you had to turn to the Ed Sullivan Show TV soundtrack of the Original Promises cast when they performed the number live to hear what you missed) Even two Bacharach-David songs not intended for the show are here.

Others have mentioned the constricted, passive sound, lack of reverb and theatrical space, and I think that's the problem. The 1969-ish boom-boom-bang of the Original Cast Album is sadly missing here. Sean Hayes' performance has already raised a lot of silly extra-theatrical noise, but that's not the issue here. What may have worked on stage doesn't communicate 'musical numbers only'. Despite good intonation, his vocals sound nasal, fluttery, raspy and lacking in punch. Kristin Chenoweth comes off far better, her phrasing more meaningful and with an expert understanding of Bacharach's complex (yeah, I said, it) musical structure, but again, the recording makes her sound small-scaled as if this wouldn't "read" to the first balcony.

All-in-all, this Promises is a nice souvenir for those of you who got to see it live. My preference for the Original Cast Album with Jerry Orbach and Jill O'Hara remains.

Some of the existing reviews are by people who are fans of soundtracks, which explains their purchase, and have not necessarily seen the show. In this regard, I can understand their lack of enthusiasm for this cd, particularly with the quality of Sean Hayes' voice. No, it's not a standout soundtrack, on its own merit. However, having seen the show, I can tell you that the CD is perhaps better appreciated by someone who can bring to mind the performance. First off, let me say that no, Sean Hayes is no Robert Goulet in the voice department. However, he was an absolute delight on stage, well worthy of his Tony nomination, with most likely his vocal talents the secondary reason for his being cast. So to listen to his solos here, you might be scratching your head; to recall his performance through listening to his solos here is a most pleasant experience. The two songs that were added in were obviously done so to showcase Chenoweth's voice, and as they were both by Burt Bacharach and loosely fit the story, if you don't think too hard about it they work just fine. So while this will never equal Camelot in a poll of best soundtracks, listen to this light cd whose songs tell the story and take it for what it is - frothy fun, that inimitable Bacharach sound, the happy blending of Hayes and Chenoweth (who appear to have great chemistry on and off the screen) and the memories - for me, at least - of a lovely two hours spent at the theater.

I have seen multiple productions of many of my favorite musicals and plays and listened to multiple recordings of many shows. Some work just as well, some not as well and some are just a nice alternative recording for a show freak like myself. In addition to the original production I also saw the City Center Encores revival with Martin Short and loved it. However, without having seen this revival, I must say that I am deeply disappointed by the recording. The orchestra sounds fine, but the performances are flat, unemotional and at times gratingly unmusical. Kristin Chenoweth can do almost anything. I've seen her and listened to her go from pop to opera without breaking a sweat, but her voice sits only so-so on this score and she doesn't convey the hearbreak that her character should experience. I'm afraid that it's a case of a wonderful actress/singer in the wrong part. Now for Sean Hayes. I was not a fan of Will and Grace, and particularly not his performance on there, however, I have heard from many legitimate sources that he is very charming in this show. I also did not have a problem with his performance hosting the Tony Awards this year. The show had problems, but they weren't his fault. But, on this recording his voice is monotonously unmusical, flat with an anoying vibrato and worst of all, no sense of irony given to the lyrics. This show, like the original movie "The Apartment" is cynical, funny, sad and most of all ironic. Maybe he conveys this onstage, but on the recording I find it very disagreeable. The supporting cast are all pros whom I have enjoyed many times onstage. No one shines in what appears to be an uninspired production. Having said all this, I hope to see the revival and perhaps revise my opinion to some degree, but the recording should be able to stand on it's own and it doesn't, in my opinion.

Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes, shine brilliantly on this new cast recording, the orchestrations are amazing, the quality crystal. The songs are cathcy and the new additions just add to the brilliance. Definitely lives up to the original recording. Amazxing!

Having not seen the Broadway production, this review is strictly about the recording. I've been waiting for this CD for months, ever since I heard Kristin Chenoweth would be starring in a new production of PROMISES, PROMISES. I've loved the original Broadway cast album for decades, so I was very excited to hear this new version.

Overall, I'm very happy with the new album. Kristin Chenoweth, is, of course, absolutely perfect. She's a far better singer than Jill O'Hara (from the original cast), and she adds perfect touches of humor. I was less impressed with Sean Hayes. He's a considerably better singer than I expected him to be, but his singing is somewhat unsupported and weak, especially when paired with the vocal power of Ms. Chenoweth. He also has to face comparison to the great Jerry Orbach from the original cast, which is a little unfair, because very few could compare favorably to such a strong performance.

The original arrangements are left pretty much untouched here; the swingin' '60s style is intact. All the songs from the original cast album are included here, and several songs have been added, including two Burt Bacharach songs that were not written for the musical -- "I Say a Little Prayer" and "A House Is Not a Home." I suspect these songs were added to give Kristin Chenoweth a few more opportunities to shine, as the original role did not call for much solo singing from the character of Fran.

This recording is a must of any fans of Burt Bacharach, Kristin Chenoweth or just Broadway musicals in general. However, no disrespect to Amazon, you'd be wise to purchase your copy from Barnes & Noble, as their version contains three bonus tracks (karaoke versions of "I Say a Little Prayer," "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and "Promises, Promises"). Of course, if you don't care about the instrumental bonus tracks, you'll get it from Amazon a LOT cheaper than B&N...

I enjoyed this recording of Promises, Promises. The leads were excellent-Chenoweth has a fantastic voice. Hayes was good but no one can beat Jerry Orbach. However, thoroughly enjoyed the music from beginning to end. Brings us back to an era when musicals had songs you would hum and recall after you left the theater. I have all the recordings of this show including the Italian Cast and the Betty Buckley. Each one has its own special joys.

I was a Bacharach tragic from about 1963 and it was big, big news in 1968 when PROMISES, PROMISES premiered on Broadway. I bought the Original Cast recording with Jerry Orbach and Jill O'Hara and over the years pretty much wore it out. I was delighted to buy the CD reissue a few years ago. The show itself was a big hit in Australia where I live in 1970 and again I loved it. Fast forward to 2010 and the revival with Kristin and Sean. I bought the new CD and immediately loved it - Kristin is wonderful as ever; Sean has a different take on the Chuck Baxter character - more vulnerable and less forceful than Jerry Orbach but very valid and touching. I was lucky enough to visit New York in November 2010 and saw the show. Well, what a blast! The dancing, singing, production, orchestral vitality - it was everything a fan could want. Topping it off were delightful performances by Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth, not to mention Tony Goldwyn as the cad who performs in "Our Little Secret" and "Wanting Things". This version contains two ring-in Bacharach songs, "I Say A Little Prayer" and "A House Is Not A Home", used to poignant effect and sounding totally appropriate. Additional material is included - a verse for "Our Little Secret" and a fun instrumental break in "A Fact Can Be A Beautiful Thing". A hidden track presents a lounge version of Chuck Baxter's "Half As Big As Life". For an afficionado of this show these are great trinkets. I would not want to be without the Jerry Orbach recording but this one is quite special. I gather the show is ending in January when Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth's contracts expire. See it urgently. It's a delight.