Theater Review: "Promises, Promises," or How I Met Kristin Chenoweth

When I told my older sister, Thao, that I was coming to Syracuse, NY for graduate school, naturally her first question was, "When are you coming to visit?" Thao lives in New York City, midtown, with her husband, and her being there gives me a reason to come to the city. Then again, why should you need a reason to go to New York, it's New York!

I've been to New York twice at this point, both times when Thao was there, and I've naturally done all of the touristy things (Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, corny photo ops). This time, my goal was to see a Broadway musical (though that mutated into Broadway + Fringe).
But not just any musical: the "Promises, Promises" revival, starring my favorite Broadway actress Kristin Chenoweth (who I had previously written an obituary for in the news writing class).

And if I am honest, I saw the musical just so I can watch her perform, having previously only seen her through a television and computer screen. I had the fantasies of finally meeting her, maybe it would go something like, "Hi Kristin, I'm Diep and I'm a journalist, I interviewed Joshua Bell who knows you and he said that you are just a darling person. Oh, and look at that! We're the same height! People make fun of me too. Did I tell you that I'm also a soprano?" She would laugh, I would laugh, and our natural chemistry would just take over from there.

But first, I had to see the show...
"Promises, Promises" first played on Broadway in 1968. It was written by Burt Bacharach, Hal David and Neil Simon and was based on the 1960's film, "The Apartment." Sean Hayes (also known as Jack from "Will and Grace") plays Chuck Baxtor, an office worker at an insurance company, Consolidated Life. He wants to move up in the company, so much so that he agrees to let the executives of the company use his apartment for their extramarital affairs.

Apparently the company does not pay enough to let these gentlemen rent cheap motel rooms. And I sincerely hope that Baxtor kept a spare set of sheets devoted for his use, otherwise the personal hygiene issue at hand makes the situation so much more unfavorable.

To make this picture more complicated, Chuck is interested in Fran Kubelik (Kristin Chenoweth!), the cafeteria worker, who does not seem to notice him and who is having an affair with Baxtor's boss, JD Sheldrake (Tony Goldwyn) in Chuck's apartment. Sean Hayes is believable in his role, his singing voice is pleasing and his stage presence just big enough to occupy the stage but not so big that you forget about the character.

He makes you sympathetic to his plights but also understanding as to why he would put up with it, he's just a nice guy trying to live in a dog-eat-dog environment. It's tough for him but when he finally succeeds in the end, the payoff is worth it.
The plot line is mundane, the songs pleasant and mostly forgettable (aside from the obvious torch songs ie: anything sung by Chenoweth). And the costumes are beautiful.

Tearing a page from the "Mad Men" book of 60's dress (the popularity of the TV show may have something to do with the revival of the musical), the men walk around in crisp, tailored suits and the women flounce across, amazingly kicking up their legs in beautiful cinched-waist dresses.

The most pressing question for me was: how do you breathe when you dance in those dresses?

As for the plot itself, the storyline moves at a snail's pace until the second act, after Chuck discovers Fran's indiscretions, and goes to a local bar to drown his sorrows. There, he meets Marge MacDougall (Katie Finneran, who won a Tony for this role) who is only in two scenes but proves, via the uproariously laughter she received from the audience, that her Tony was deserved.

You may be wondering what I think of Kristin Chenoweth. There is a reason I saved her for last. She effectively played Fran's fragility but at some points (such as her first scene with Sheldrake), there were moments of spunk and ferocity that makes you wonder, why would a woman like her be willing to play second fiddle?

Then there's the issue with the additional songs that were added to the revival for Chenoweth to sing, the wondrous "A House is Not a Home" and "I Say a Little Prayer," both written by Bacharach and David, though not for the musical.

Because of that, they do not fit the musical, the latter because the emotions in that song directly contrast with the way she acts to Sheldrake in the next scene. The former had me confused because Fran and Sheldrake never cohabited.

But I would be lying if Chenoweth didn't give me tears when she sang it, because she did. Too bad it did not fit the scenario. At least I'll have a recording of her singing those two songs that I am very fond of. And her lovely duet with Sean Hayes in "I'll Never Fall in Love," was worth the admission price.

"Promises, Promises," is a charming a musical as you can get, talking about male-female relations with happy little tunes that you may or may not recognize given the composer. Unfortunately, because it is charming, it is also instantly forgettable, just kitsch instead of something real and truthful.



And afterward, I did something that I had never done before: I waited at the stage door. And after thirty minutes (with a Sean Hayes autograph where he remarked that even though he played a straight man, he's still "just Jack" and a Katy Perry sighting complete with screaming fangirls that made me fear for my life), Kristin came out. I was at the barrier, she came up and

I....

Blanked. I was a journalist, having interviewed people countless numbers of time by now and make a living out of conversation. I, the one who never stops talking, could only squeak out, "Your voice was amazing."

She giggled, said "Thank you," and moved along.

Well, so much for my fanciful scenarios. At least I got some autographs.

The autographs in clockwise: Sean Hayes, Kristin Chenoweth, Katie Finneron, Tony Goldwyn ("Ebay it!" Thao said)

ETA on 09/08: According to the New York Times, Molly Shannon will replace Katie Finneran starting Oct. 12 to Dec. 26. Hopefully she will elicit as many laughs as Finneran did. Take it from me, flock to "Promises, Promises" - if you're inclined towards the musical - when you can! It's worth it just to see Finneran work her magic on Sean Hayes.

Details
What: "Promises, Promises"
Where: 1681 Broadway, New York, NY
212-239-6200
When: Tuesday through Sunday until Jan. 2