Promises, Promises Revival
2 hours and 40 minutes, with one intermission
Promises, Promises - 2010 Broadway History , Info & More
Broadway Theatre (Broadway)
1681 Broadway New York, NY
It’s Manhattan. It’s the '60s. And the city is back in full swing, in Broadway’s first-ever revival of Promises, Promises - starring Emmy® Award winner Sean Hayes (Will and Grace) as the enterprising associate on the way up, and Tony Award® winner Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked) as the cafeteria waitress whose romantic troubles have got her down. Don’t miss this smart and sexy musical based on the Oscar®-winning Billy Wilder film, The Apartment.
The creative team is a perfect cocktail: a splashy score by the Academy Award®-winning team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, including such songs as "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and the straight-up swinging title tune… Add a book that takes turns tickling your funny bone and breaking your heart, courtesy of the legendary Neil Simon… Top it all off with a sparkling blend of direction and choreography by Tony Award® winner Rob Ashford—and you’ve got an intoxicating evening of Broadway magic.
Promises, Promises - 2010 - Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Promises, Promises
Broadway's Unfulfilled 'Promises'
2 / 10
I haven't said anything about Rob Ashford's staging because there's not much to say other than that it's bland and unamusing. Rarely have so many jokes been stepped on so firmly. The only scene that takes off is the one in which Mr. Hayes picks up a drunken bimbo in a bar. The bimbo in question, fortunately, is Katie Finneran, who steals the show right out from under her famous colleagues. Ms. Finnernan received most of the applause during the curtain call at the preview I saw, and earned it. Also worthy of note is Scott Pask, whose elaborate set is a knowing sendup of corporate midcentury modernism (even the paintings on the walls of the offices of Consolidated Life are clever parodies of Arshile Gorky and Morris Louis). Mr. Pask and Ms. Finneran both deserve to be remembered when this year's Tonys are handed out. Saving their redeeming presences, 'Promises, Promises' is slick, pointless and forgettable.
Promises, Promises
8 / 10
Still, as directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford, the show forges ahead through the sheer force of design elegance, dance-floor stamina, performance energy, and the quick thinking of Hayes. The actor is nimble, funny, likable, and much more asexually wholesome than one might expect given that his character has agreed to allow his philandering bosses to use his midtown apartment for trysts in hopes of securing a promotion. While his performance style flips the calendar ahead to 1990s sitcoms that break the fourth wall, Hayes buoys the show with his generosity. He also compensates for Chenoweth's discomfort in her role (and unflattering wig!) as his love interest, the seemingly innocent coworker who turns out to be yet another company superior's plaything. And when, in a second-act show-stopper, Hayes is paired with agile and hilarious Katie Finneran as a lonely lady at a bar, the two break through barriers of time and setting to produce timeless audience laughs of pleasure.
Promises, Promises History
Other Productions of Promises, Promises
| 1968 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 1969 | West End |
London Production West End |
| 1970 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
| 1997 | Off-Broadway |
Encores! Concert Off-Broadway |
| 2010 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2017 | West End |
Off-West End Revival West End |
| 2018 | Off-Broadway |
Transport Group Concert Production Off-Broadway |
Promises, Promises - 2010 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
| 2010 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Katie Finneran |
| 2010 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Promises, Promises |
| 2010 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Brian Ronan |
| 2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Sean Hayes |
| 2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Rob Ashford |
| 2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Dick Latessa |
| 2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Katie Finneran |
| 2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | 0 |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Rob Ashford |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Jonathan Tunick |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Sean Hayes |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Katie Finneran |
Videos