John Kander and the late Fred Ebb collaborated on not only musicals but also films.
Canterbury Summer Theatre stages “The World Goes ‘Round,” a retrospective of the songwriting team’s work, from July 6 to 16 in Michigan City.
Showtimes are at 2 p.m. July 6-7 and 13-14; 7:30 p.m. July 8 and 15; and 6:30 p.m. July 9 and 16.
“I’m a big Kander and Ebb fan,” said Stephanie Faatz Murry, director of “The World Goes ‘Round” at Canterbury Theatre.
“I was a musical theater major in my youth and most of my professional experience has been doing musical theater so I’ve always loved their music and the influence they’ve made not only on musical theater history but also American pop culture.
“I don’t think a lot of people realized that songs like ‘New York, New York’ by Frank Sinatra were Kander and Ebb. It was such a big radio hit. I wanted to dive deeper into their lives and their contributions to musical theater history.”
Conceived by Susan Stroman, David Thompson and Scott Ellis, “The World Goes ‘Round” features music by Kander and lyrics by Ebb.
“The show chronicles five actors who play various roles throughout. There’s a little bit of something for everyone. There’s love. There’s friendship. There’s issues dealing with status and different walks of life so it covers a broad gamut of comedy and various moving talking pieces,” Murry said.
“It is a typical revue so there is no book or linear story line connecting it. The creators of the show do a really nice job of transitioning from piece to piece and logically linking these pieces together. I think the team that conceived the production did a really nice job with that.”
Kander and Ebb won Tony Awards for best original score for the original Broadway productions of “Cabaret,” “Woman of the Year” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and a Grammy Award for best musical show album for the Broadway revival of “Chicago.”
They also won Emmy Awards for outstanding achievement in music, lyrics and special material for “Liza with a Z” and outstanding individual achievement in music and lyrics for “Liza Minelli Live From Radio City Music Hall.”
“People will be pleasantly surprised that they know a lot more of the pieces than they expect,” said Murry, who was introduced to community theater by her middle school and high school private voice instructor, Cheryl Toyama, in New York.
“Kander and Ebb are ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Chicago’ so there’s all the classics from those shows like ‘All That Jazz,’ ‘Mr. Cellophane,’ the song ‘Cabaret,’ ‘Money Makes the World Go Round’ and ‘Maybe This Time.’
“There’s so many numbers that I like. At the moment one of my favorites is ‘A Quiet Thing’ from ‘Flora the Red Menace.’ It’s one of their lesser-known shows but the song is actually pretty popular on the cabaret circuit.”
Murry is making her directorial debut with Canterbury Summer Theatre after first connecting with artistic director Ray Scott Crawford at the 2018 Arkansas State Festival for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival where he brought “A Texas Romance” and she brought “Sense and Sensibility.”
“It’s a huge lesson in efficiency because summer stock across the country is so fast. You’re doing a production sometimes in seven to 14 days, striking it and setting up a new one the next day,” said Murry, who is assistant professor of theater arts at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas.
“It’s a lesson in how we can create the quality of art we want but also in the time line we need. It forces you to make a decision and stick to it so you can open on schedule.”
“The World Goes ‘Round” marks the first time Murry is working with actors Mitchell Bauer; Kate Drury, who also choreographs the show; Mai Hartwich; Massimo Manfredini and Kendall Shamus.
“I like the collaborative process, the fact that you are not an island. You have a team of artists creating this work together. The designer, actors, production team and everyone is bringing their own vision to the table to help create something that is unique to the group of artists that’s in the room,” Murry said.
‘The World Goes ‘Round’
When: July 6-16
Where: Canterbury Theatre, 807 Franklin St., Michigan City
Tickets: $20 single; $18 age 62 and older; $10 student and veteran
Information: 219-874-4269; canterburytheatre.org
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
