✭Matinée Wednesday: Round Thirty…
Last night @TGH3RD surprised me with tickets to see the hit revival, Promises, Promises, which stars Broadway vet Kristen Chenoweth and in his Broadway debut, Sean Hayes, of Will & Grace fame. Running for just over two hours and forty-five minutes, (including a fifteen minute intermission) I can honestly say that time flew by. The audience of the Broadway Theatre was transported back to a simpler and much funner time - the Sixties!
Many people are calling this musical the Mad Men of Broadway. I love Mad Men — it’s one of my favorite television shows — but aside from both stories taking place in New York City in the 1960s, there aren’t many other similarities. Oh, the adultery, but that’s it.
The story is one that we all know. Slightly Nerdy Boy falls in love with Unattainable Girl who doesn’t even know his name. Unattainable girl is having an illicit affair with Slightly Nerdy Boy’s boss. Slightly Nerdy Boy grants his boss permission to use his bachelor pad to host his trysts with Unattainable Girl, although he doesn’t know who his boss’ mistress is. So on and so forth…
The boss turns out to be a jerk, (surprise, surprise) or a “cad” in sixties-speak, and the Unattainable Girl is knocked down a couple of pegs and suddenly becomes attainable. Slightly Nerdy Boy makes his move, they sing, and live happily ever after. Curtain.
I am a hopeless romantic, therefore, naturally I loved every minute. The music is by Burt Bacharach, so it’s safe to say that you’ve heard at least one of his songs before. Ms. Chenoweth killed it with her rendition of “I Say a Little Prayer,” and to see the two leads sing “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” featuring Chenoweth on guitar, was simply magical.
This show is one that everyone should see —it’s just swell!— but they better do it fast! Both of the leads (who make the show) have only signed on for limited runs. Chenoweth is already set to appear on “Glee” very shortly. See it with them while you still can!!
