Al Carmines and Maria Irene Fornes were important off-Broadway contributors in the 1960’s downtown scene. Mr. Carmines composed Promenade and Ms. Fornes wrote the book and lyrics. In 1969, this show opened a brand new theater which was named after this musical. The summer Encores! Off-Center series has revived this largely forgotten avant-garde delight this week at New York City Center.
The original production featured Madeleine Kahn in a major role as the Servant. She left the show before the original cast recording was done. Hollywood found her and she went to make her feature film debut in What’s Up, Doc? with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. I could imagine her in the part while watching Bryonha Marie Parham clown it up while singing her operatic coloratura.
Promenade is not an opera nor is it a typical musical. The show opens with two prison guards, #105 (James T. Lane) and #106 (Kent Overshown) digging their way out of prison. The Jailer (a very funny Mark Bedard) is bragging about being busy with the visiting wives. They escape to begin an adventure in New York meeting all sorts of self-absorbed people in various social strata.
They first drop in on a banquet of the wealthy. Mr. S (J. D. Webster) dismissively tells the Servant: “we know not what you’re about or care to know.” The well-to-do are dressed in their finest pimp wear. Clint Ramos’ cheeky costumes made me think I was attending a grand family reunion for the character Huggy Bear from television’s Starsky and Hutch.
At this particular party all of the ladies sing about wanting to be naked. When a large cake rolls in, this musical’s rocket boosters get dialed up to turbocharge. Voluptuous in her baby doll outfit, Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels) slays as Miss Cake singing, “I’m not a morsel, I’m a feast.” The song title is “Chicken Is He.” The rhyme: “who doesn’t love me.” Ms. Milligan raises the bar early on and much of what follows matches her vocal intensity and seriously fun song interpretation.
Promenade wages war on the privileged class but in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. “You treated me the way I treat others!” The motto: “money makes you dumb.” In the latter stages of this show, the themes get more serious and include a sarcastically comedic anti-Vietnam section. “Here I am, waiting for the bombs.”
This show is best described as wild, bizarre, fantastical, radical, hilarious, odd and period specific. This is exactly the kind of musical theater treat that should be served up in this series. The cast was excellent across the board. The ladies get extraordinary songs and deliver gorgeous vocals while also generating big laughs. As Miss I, Miss O and Miss U, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Soara-Joye Ross and Marcy Harriell made the most of their moments in the spotlight.
Laurie Woolery directed Promenade with the right tone of archness combined with a healthy dose of buffoonery. The decision to combine both Acts into one was not ideal. With 32 songs, the show became a marathon (an increasing and very disturbing theater trend). A break in the action might have been advised to let the material sink in before things got more pointedly serious in the second half. Promenade is a musical theater treasure. What’s inside is wholly unique and fascinating to see and hear.