Promenade

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Promenade

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  6w, 11m

Book and Lyrics by María Irene Fornés
Music by Al Carmines

This Obie Award-winning Best Musical, an abstract fantasia of song and dance, follows the exploits of two escaped prisoners as they make their way through The City, where the poor and homeless mingle with the Idle Rich.

Image: 2019 New York City Center Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 11m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Experimental
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1970 Obie Award for Best Musical

Details

Summary

This absurdist delight follows the Candide-like travails of two escaped prisoners, known only by their numbers as they make their way into and through The City, where the poor and homeless mingle with the Idle Rich. The messages range from "Live with your own truth (whether you like it or not)" to "Riches make you dumb." Al Carmines' music is a magical blend that takes the audience from rock to blues, from Puccini to Noel Coward. Such songs as "Capricious and Fickle," "The Clothes Make the Man," and "Listen, I Feel" pepper this abstract fantasia of song and dance. A ground-breaking off-Broadway hit.

History
Promenade premiered at the Judson Poet's Theatre in New York City in April 1965. The musical moved off-Broadway to the Promenade Theatre in June 1969 under the direction of Lawrence Kornfield.
105 
106
JAILER 
SERVANT
MISS I
MISS O
MISS U 
MR. R 
MR. S 
MR. T 
WAITER
ROSITA
DISHWASHER
MAYOR
MOTHER 
SOLDIER I / DRIVER
SOLDIER II / INJURED MAN
  • Setting Several locations the escaped prisoners visit in The City.
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“It is a triumph. A wickedly amusing musical. A great show. A joy from start to finish.” – The New York Times
“Bizarre and sneakily thrilling... A piece of experimental theater that started as a one-act at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village in 1965, then expanded to become an unlikely off-Broadway hit in 1969, Promenade is zany. It is lumpy. It is also gorgeous.” – The New York Times, 2019

Photos

  • Promenade

    Image: 2019 New York City Center Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Promenade

    Image: 2019 New York City Center Production (Joan Marcus)

Music

Song Samples

Promenade Theme
Unrequited Love
Isn't That Clear
Four
Chicken is He
A Flower
The Moment Has Passed
The Clothes Make the Man
Cigarette Song
Two Little Angels
The Passing of Time
Capricious and Fickle
Crown Me
A Poor Man
Little Fool
Listen, I Feel
I Saw a Man
All is Well in the City
  • Musical Style Classic Broadway, Operetta
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Medium
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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18 Piano-Conductor Scores
1 Percussion
1 Reed
1 Violin
1 Trombone
1 Trumpet
1 Bass
18 Piano-Conductor Scores

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Authors

María Irene Fornés

María Irene Fornés (1930-2018) has been called the greatest and least known dramatist of our time. She wrote over 40 plays, won nine Obie awards, and mentored thousands of playwrights across the globe. Off-Broadway’s Signature Theatre devoted its entire 1999-2000 season to he ...
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Al Carmines

Rev. Al Carmines’ career was highlighted by the development of small, experimental theatre in New York City in the 60s and 70s when he wrote and starred in several musicals. His work as a composer/lyricist and as a minister at Judson Memorial Church were both instrumental in ...

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