Promises, Promises: Bacharach Redux

If you’re one of those who belong to the GenX set, there are some things that you just can’t shake off – musically speaking, in particular. There’s Beatlemania, and a host of other unforgettable melodies that, up to this day, continue to zap us back to that time zone when skies were bluer and Michael Jackson was still black.

Aside from those precious Motown gems, the Carpenters, Stevie Wonder, early James Taylor, (to name a few) there were also Burt Bacharach’s bouncy riffs tinged with oodles of irony and cynicism. And then of course, there was Dionne Warwicke – THE voice who aptly gave even more resonance to his compositions.

The younger set must be asking, "Burt Bacha-who?!?" Well, thanks to the popularity of the soundtrack of My Best Friend’s Wedding, (I Say A Little Prayer) Bacharach’s music seems to be sending the younger generation back to their archives in search of THE missing link that bridges ’70s psychedelia and modern-day boyband nausea.

Well, Bacharach fans rejoice! His music continues to live on via a modern day reprise of his musical, Promises, Promises – the first and only musical-comedy collaboration between Bacharach, lyricist Hal David and playwright Neil Simon.

Actor’s Actors Inc. (AAI), a relatively new group of intrepid theater stalwarts, has taken on the daunting task of mounting its most ambitious production to date. Since its inception in 1992, the group has infused new lifeblood to the "dying" local theater sector.

Veteran stage director Bart Guingona assembled a formidable cast bound to breathe new life to the story which was also adapted for the silver screen in the early ’60s by award-winning director Billy Wilder (of Sunset Boulevard fame). The movie, The Apartment, starred Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine.

The cast includes theater prodigy Michael Williams, ex-showbiz denizen Lee Robin Salazar, pop princess Rachel Alejandro, newcomer Tintin Arnaldo and "seasoned" stage performer Bernardo Bernardo (BB).

Now, exactly how "seasoned" is BB? Well, let’s put it this way. This will be the second time Promises, Promises will be staged in Manila. During its maiden performance 30 years ago (which included the likes of Tita Muñoz and Julie Borromeo), BB was supposed to have played the part of Chuck Baxter (which Michael Williams is playing now).

"Actually," BB quips, "when Bart invited me to do this, I thought he was giving me the lead role, because I thought that that was the only part suited for me."

"Well, apparently, I was older than I thought!," he roars, upon being handed the role of Dr. Dreyfuss, the nosy, 60-year-old neighbor (who also provides most of the play’s comic relief ).

"I enjoy Bacharach’s music! In fact, I knew Burt Bacharach," BB continues in jest. But when the laughter had died down, he spoke highly of the resurgence of local theater, thanks in large part to AAI. "There’s a good crossover," he says, "thanks to the likes of Rachel and Lee Robin. Since Rachel is a recording star, kids familiar with her work, or that of Lea Salonga’s, are bound to be more curious about theater.They’re bound to say, "I want to be like Rachel… or Lea."

For her part, Rachel (who plays cafeteria girl Fran) admits, "Actually, ever since Lea did well abroad, more Filipinos have become more aware of theater. It opened up to a lot of people who normally wouldn’t go there… who’d rather see a movie."

"And when you look at what Trumpets did for KC Concepcion and Carol Banawa," she adds, "people become all the more familiar with the genre."

It wasn’t such a hard feat for Lee Robin, who now finds it more rewarding to dabble in theater instead of the movies. "I think I’ve found my calling in theater. I enjoy it, I’m passionate about it. I’ll stay here for the meantime," he avers.

Now also a self-confessed Bacharach fan, Lee Robin admits, "a lot of the songs are quite popular. Like, What Do You Get When You Fall In Love?. Prior to this, I didn’t even realize that that came from a musical."

But much of the credit belongs to director Bart Guingona, whose fond memories of his nostalgic childhood years served as his inspiration for doing the musical. "I believe that an artist, or anyone should do something that has personal relevance, or resonance," he asserts, "and this one is particularly resonant because I remember growing up on this music."

"Do you know how it feels when you hear a piece of music that throws you back in time?," Bart ponders. "In Bacharach’s case, the music is so perky and sophisticated, but the lyrics are so cynical. It’s all the underlying cynicism that I love. It’s so complex… not shallow at all."

(Promises, Promises opened last Feb. 1 at Onstage Greenbelt. Subsequent playdates are Feb. 11, 14 and 16.)