Emerson Colonial Theatre Official Blog
Promises, Promises
On October 26, 1968, the pre-Broadway tryout of the Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Neil Simon musical PROMISES, PROMISES completed its run at the Colonial Theatre. The cast featured Jerry Orbach, Edward Winter, Kelly Bishop, Baayork Lee, and Donna McKechnie.
The show’s now-iconic Act 1 closer “Turkey Lurkey Time” was received poorly by Boston audiences. Following the opening performance at the Colonial, choreographer Michael Bennett and his assistant Bob Avian reworked the choreography in their hotel rooms, transforming the song into the high-energy, cult classic dance number that the show is known for today.
Promises, Promises would later open on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on December 1, 1968, and run for a total of 1,281 performances. The original Broadway production was nominated for eight 1969 Tony awards, winning two for Jerry Orbach (Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical) and Marian Mercer (Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical).
The production also brought Bennett and Avian to the Colonial, who would later go on to achieve acclaim for their work on hits like A Chorus Line and Company. The pair returned to the Colonial in 1971 to co-direct and choreograph the pre-Broadway tryout of Steven Sondheim’s Follies.
Fun fact: a 2010 Broadway Revival of PROMISES, PROMISES featured Kristin Chenoweth, who starred in The Queen of Versailles at the Colonial!
Credit: NYPL For The Performing Arts