The Burt Bacharach/Hal David song collection is one of the few baby-boomer-era catalogs that have yet to be exploited onstage.
There have been a couple of attempts, both misfires. Back in 1990, there was a ticky-tacky off-Broadway revue (the title of which I cannot for the life of me remember) that was more suited to the Carnival cruise line than the legitimate stage.
In 2003, the Roundabout came a cropper with the unfortunate “The Look of Love,” which prompted Times reviewer Bruce Weber to dismiss Bacharach and David’s songs as “limited” and “bland.”
Well, maybe the third time’s the charm. Yet another Bacharach-David revue is in the works. This one is called “What’s It All About?” — as in “Alfie,” which happens to be my favorite Bacharach-David tune — and it begins previews Nov. 19 at the New York Theatre Workshop.
The company has a good track record. Not only did it launch “Rent,” but “Peter and the Starcatcher” and “Once,” which won the Tony for Best Musical in 2012.
And I’m hearing from sources who attended a workshop of “What’s It All About?” that the theater may have another hit on its hands.
The show has been put together by Kyle Riabko, a 25-year-old singer, songwriter and actor who performed in Broadway’s “Spring Awakening” and “Hair.” He also appeared in “Some Lovers,” an original musical written by Bacharach and “Spring Awakening” writer Steven Sater that ran last year in San Diego.
That’s how Riabko got to know Bacharach — and earn his trust.
Riabko has re-orchestrated many of the classic tunes — “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “Message to Michael,” “I Say a Little Prayer” — so that they sound brand-new.
For instance, says a source who attended the workshop, his version of “Walk on By,” made famous by the great Dionne Warwick, now sounds like something that could be sung by a “depressive, hipster emo band.”
Says another source: “The orchestrations are fresh, but they don’t mangle the songs beyond recognition.”
Riabko appears in the show along with six other cast members, male and female. The director is Steven Hoggett, who choreographed “Once.”
“What’s It All About?” doesn’t have a traditional script. It’s shaped, instead, like “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” the gold standard of revues, which managed to create characters and situations through a canny assembling of Fats Waller songs.
(If I were Riabko or Hoggett, I’d get in touch with Richard Maltby Jr., who created “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” as well as “Closer Than Ever” and “Fosse.” He knows how to make a revue feel like a full-fledged musical.)
Bacharach, 85, has yet to see “What’s It All About?” — but he’s given Riabko his blessing. And he’ll be in New York in the fall to keep a watchful eye on his songs.
The revue runs a “little long” and ends on a rather downbeat note, a source says, but the cast is appealing and the production seems polished and sophisticated.
It’s a pity Bacharach and David wrote only one original musical, “Promises, Promises,” whose score remains as fresh as a gin and tonic on a summer afternoon in Nantucket.
(Guess where I’m going in August!)
I wasn’t crazy about Rob Ashford’s Broadway revival a few years back, but there was an Encores! presentation in 1997, directed by Rob Marshall, that was tremendous fun. Martin Short made an excellent Chuck, Kerry O’Malley was a heartbreaking Fran, and Christine Baranski and Dick Latessa nearly stole the show delivering Neil Simon’s zingers.
After the original “Promises, Promises,” David wanted to write more musicals, but Bacharach preferred the recording studio, where he had total control over the sound of his songs, something he didn’t have in live theater.
Still, their character-driven pop songs are well-suited to the stage, and since I don’t find them “limited” or “bland,” I’m looking forward to “What’s It All About?”
And that’s the message from this Michael.