Joplin Little Theatre presents the musical 'Promises, Promises'

May 14—If you go "Promises, Promises" will be performed at the Joplin Little Theatre, 3009 W. First St., at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. There will also be a 2:30 p.m. showing Sunday. People can get tickets at joplinlittletheatre.org, by calling the box office at 417-623-3638 or coming by the box office at the time of show. Tickets to the musical are $18 for regular admission, $15 for senior citizens and students.

Joplin Little Theatre closes out its 2023-2024 season with the musical "Promises, Promises."

The show was written by Neil Simon, based on the screenplay "The Apartment" by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond. Music was written by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David.

"Neil Simon is big around here. Add in Burt Bacharach, and how can you go wrong? You just can't," said Marilyn Bouldin, director of the Joplin Little Theatre performance.

The show is based on the classic 1960 movie starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine; the musical premiered on Broadway in 1968, with a revival in 2010. It's about a young businessman, Chuck Baxter, who works at a life insurance company and is trying to climb the corporate ladder. As he does, he falls for a young woman named Fran Kubelik, who works in the executive dining room. Flirtations between the two never seem to come to fruition. Meanwhile, Baxter is trying to get ahead in the company by lending out his apartment for executives and their girlfriends. One of those secret trysts just happens to be between his boss and Kubelik.

Baxter will be played by Preston Hamilton, Kubelik by Charity Brower.

"It's a comedy-drama, and we see the ins and outs of the evolving of Fran and Chuck's relationship," Bouldin said. "It's really a beautiful story. Everything in between that everyone in the company is going through is very comedic."

Bouldin said the musical presents a beautiful score, with flowing and jazzy songs that are familiar to people.

Joplin Little Theatre added in a few Bacharach songs from the 2010 revival, including "I Say a Little Prayer" and "A House is Not a Home." Bouldin describes them as real "goosebumps" songs in the musical.

"The music stands out," Bouldin said. "I knew that folks in this area would really love to go back in time through this music again. There's also a lot of laughs in this musical. I wanted our area to experience the laughter as well as the moments that bring you to tears in a good way."

Another highlight will be high-energy dance performances, under the direction of choreographer Sophie Stoebel. These include "Turkey Lurkey Time," which takes place at the company's Christmas party. The dance number ends the first act and has been described as a cult classic.

The musical keeps the 1960s vibe with its colorful costumes, retro dialogue and sets. The sets were built for Joplin Little Theatre by Bill Bouldin and James Dunn.

"It takes you back in time, in a fun way," Bouldin said.

Bouldin is also looking forward to the special treat of a live orchestra for the production, under the music direction of Jarrett Little. She said that not only has Little pulled together the cast for the Bacharach musical numbers, he's assembled the orchestra for the show to provide the jazzy score for the production.

"I know that people in our area like to see a show with a live orchestra," Bouldin said. "I wanted to bring a show that could provide that to our stage."

Bouldin said she's excited about her cast of 19 performers, half of whom are area college students who haven't performed at Joplin Little Theatre before. This includes Brower, a Missouri Southern State University student who sings "I Say a Little Prayer."

"I don't know if people realize what a powerhouse she is," Bouldin said. "She's truly a triple threat. This is her first show at JLT, and she's going to blow everyone away."