For all its glitter and brightness, for all its Neil Simon one-liners and the talent exploding on the stage of the Robert G. Reim Theatre, there's an underlying bitterness and sadness to "Promises, Promises," the Stages St. Louis production that will run through Aug. 15.
Ben Nordstrom inhabits the body and mind of Chuck Baxter like a hand in a glove; Brandi Wooten simply sweeps everyone off the stage (including Nordstrom and that's not nearly as easy as she is) as the drunken floozy Marge MacDougall.
And yet. . . .
First staged in 1968, the musical celebrates men lying to, cheating on and stealing from women. It makes heroes of middle-aged married men, corporate executives, whose primary joy comes from afternoon liaisons with younger women who participate because their jobs are at stake. Without exception, the women of "Promises, Promises" are in a position which is primarily prone.
The play, which earned the late Jerry Orbach a Tony for creating the stage version of Chuck Baxter, began as a 1960 movie, "The Apartment," written by I.A.L. Diamond and Billy Wilder, directed by Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and winning five Academy Awards. As the movie title indicates, it's about a young, ambitious, ruthless man who could have served as a model for J. Pierrepont Finch of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," which arrived a couple of years later. In an attempt to compile brownie points, Baxter was willing to let his co-workers use his apartment for their assignations and soon had a schedule as routinized as the New York Central commuter lines.
Meanwhile, he was mooning over Fran Kubelik (Tari Kelly) but stumbling over his own feet when it came time to make a move. They both liked basketball, but that's not much of a cornerstone for a relationship. Besides, she had plans of her own. Professionally, she was happy to be the hostess in the executive dining room. Simon, despite his genius at comedy, did not have many great, serious roles for women, or show women in positions of strength. His women were mostly Jewish mothers, subjects of many jokes, or they were the Pigeon Sisters ("The Odd Couple"), or they were dime-a-dance girls like Charity Faith Hope Valentine ("Sweet Charity").
In the Stages production, Nordstrom's Baxter is so good it's almost eerie. His youthful, ingenuous looks are perfect, his command of facial expressions amazing. He dances well, clowns beautifully, sings satisfactorily, commands complete attention when he breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to audience members. His comic scene with Wooten is simply glorious, with flawless timing and brilliant playing off one another. She's striking, brought down the house with a perfectly delivered, "It's owl!" and created a superbly funny character.
Tari Kelly, as Fran Kubelik, was good, but lacked the excitement she should bring to the role. Richard Pruitt excelled as the doctor who lived next door and started slowly, but later, he delivered the crackling Simon one-liners with the same sharpness the writer showed so well. Michael Halling, tall and dapper, was an elegant heel as J. D. Sheldrake, Baxter's boss and partner in seduction. Kari Ely sparkled as Peggy Olson, Sheldrake's secretary, and the four apartment-using executives, John Flack, Edward Juvier, David Schmittou and Darrel Blackburn were a delight as they panicked, harmonized, showed their desperation, and did a little of the old soft shoe.
The Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics) score, the only major show score they ever wrote, includes "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and the title song, both long-timers on the Top 40 charts. But it isn't exceptional, even though David manages to rhyme "I'll phone ya" with "pneumonia."
Matthew McCarthy's lighting design, with movable panels, went through a range of color and brightness that brought lovely support to an okay set. Dana Lewis' choreography and Michael Hamilton's direction were imaginative and disciplined, creating one of the best productions of Stages' 20 seasons.
Promises, Promises, a Stages St. Louis production at the Robert G. Reim Theatre through Aug. 15
—Joe