By Rachel Drobner ’12, Staff Writer

Finally returning to the stage after almost forty years, the hit Broadway musical Promises, Promises tells the story of the fictional insurance company, Consolidated Life.  Protagonist Chuck Baxter, played by Sean Hayes, ambitiously attempts to succeed in the business world by winning over the admiration of his bosses.  He accomplishes this by lending his apartment to executive businessmen for their extramarital romantic trysts.  The title, in fact, refers to his bosses’ promises that he will be rapidly promoted.

The revised and adapted version of the musical takes place in 1962, reflective of the current cultural fascination with the early sixties.

This craze is evident as well in the popularity of the critically-acclaimed “Mad Men” on AMC, a show that details an advertising firm’s scandals and skinny-pant suits, operating within the same time period as Promises, Promises is set.

Tony award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth, part of the talented cast, took on the role of Baxter’s romantic interest and his boss’s mistress in Promises, Promises. To add to the excitement, six-season favorite “Saturday Night Live” actress Molly Shannon made her Broadway debut in the show on October 12, playing the role of Marge MacDougall.  Shannon was actually given the role after the actress Katie Finneran went on leave for her pregnancy.  Shannon’s witty sense of humor and loud personality is a perfect fit for the role, as critics have affirmed. Overall, Promises, Promises is a clever musical parody on the lascivious side of the corporate world in the 1960s.

For any Newark Academy students interested in engaging theatre to enjoy in New York City this winter break, Promises, Promises is an excellent bet.  For those who had the pleasure of enjoying Newark Academy’s winter musical last year, the energetically performed How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, this musical will happily strike at similar themes.  Considering the current hype regarding the business practices and lifestyles of the sixties, the show is both timely and enjoyable.