Kander and Ebb- Page 2

[Smaxie]

Posted: 2/15/09 at 11:38pm

Wasn't Golden Gate also a working title for Flower Drum Song?

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 2/15/09 at 11:53pm

The book COLORED LIGHTS - a collections of discussions by Kander and Ebb with a chapter devoted to each show is fascinating.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 1:38am

"I think they started taping Tony Award Shows in 1966."

Actually, earlier ones were televised locally in New York and some of them exist but it wasn't until 1967 that the shows started to include performances from nominated shows and were televised nationally.

"Zorba is by far their most underated show IMHO. Despite a great Debbie Shapiro Gravitte in the revival I have no interest or love for it--I hate how they softened and sentimentalized. The original Hal Prince production (which had an ok run but ultimately flopped--though it recouped in its second tour with Chita Rivera) for me is in many ways a missing link between the first Hal Prince concept musical, with designs by Boris Aronson, and the one after Zorba with Aronson--and Sondheim; Company."

Zorba didn't recoup till later. As late as the publication of Contradictions, at the end of 1974, it still hadn't recouped according to the book's table of the financial performance of Prince's shows. And in his chapter on it, Prince writes that it hadn't yet paid off but he hoped it would eventually. I think the Quinn production is what did lead it to pay off.

"The only real clip of the original cast is http://www.bluegobo.com/production.php?var=10187&mode=P&vid=0 but for some reason they have Herschel singing the opening song in a bouzouki style, not the divine (at least on CD) Lorraine Serabian as the Leader."

The complete opening number was done on the 1969 Tonys.

[jv92]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 11:50am

"The book COLORED LIGHTS - a collections of discussions by Kander and Ebb with a chapter devoted to each show is fascinating."

Oddly enough, some major works are given only half a chapter.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 12:28pm

Zorba didn't recoup till later. As late as the publication of Contradictions, at the end of 1974, it still hadn't recouped according to the book's table of the financial performance of Prince's shows. And in his chapter on it, Prince writes that it hadn't yet paid off but he hoped it would eventually. I think the Quinn production is what did lead it to pay off.


No, it was before the revival. I seem to recall reading a report in Variety that the Prince office had announced that ZORBA had finally moved into the black, thanks mainly to licensed productions in Europe. This announcement came with a story that Prince was to get a percentage of the profits from MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG for his help in "structuring" the show. (The article went on to say "Sondheim would get 5 % of the gate and no profit participation causing a friend of mine to crack "He's smart. He knows there won't be any profits from this show!")

I have never seen a production of FLORA THE RED MENACE and maybe I need to listen again but the score never grabbed me the way CABARET did. I do like several songs from THE HAPPY TIME and enjoy the OBCR of ZORBA. (Saw the Quinn production...it was stunningly mediocre.)

I've never seen 70, GIRLS, 70 but have seen CHICAGO, THE ACT, WOMAN OF THE YEAR, THE RINK, AND THE WOLD GOES 'ROUND, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOIMAN and STEEL PIER.

Maybe because I saw it with the original cast I have always loved the cast album of WOMAN OF THE YEAR. (Maybe DRG could reissue that one!)

SPIDER WOMAN holds a special place in my heart because I was at the opening night inn Toronto (prior to the show going to London and ultimately New York) and interviewed Kander & Ebb (as well as Hal Prince.) They were two very soft-spoken but articulate guys who would often finish each other's sentences. We talked at some length about THE RINK (since I was featuring that score on my radio program) and they were both very proud of that show.

STEEL PIER was a special show. A lot of BWW members write it off, but most of them admit they never saw it. (Not many people did: It ran 3 months including previews!) The staging (by Susan Stroman and Scott Ellis) was inventive, the leads were terrific and the score ranks among K&E's best. The book is awkward in its exposition, and spends a lot of time trying -unsuccessfully - to flesh out the characters of the other marathon dancers, but it deserves a second chance.

I didn't get to see CURTAINS, but despite several listens I have not responded to the cast album with much enthusiasm. Maybe this is one you have to see to appreciate.

I do appreciate all that the team gave us, and even if it was late in arriving I was very glad for them when CHICAGO was finally given its due on stage (with the revival) and on screen.

[willrogers2008]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 3:12pm

Are there (in the book) scene outlines of all the unproduced K&E shows ? What a treasure !

[jv92]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 5:39pm

Golden Gate, St. Teresa and Wait for Me World, three unfinished and unproduced Kander and Ebb works are outlined in full. Excerpts from Kanders' manuscripts of S. Teresa are included as well.
There's also a great deal of information of the pre-Kander Fred Ebb (and Paul Klein) musical, Morning Sun.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 5:45pm

There appears to be a wealth of K/E shows never seen.

The theater gods should see that they see the light of day.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 6:05pm

If we are officailly counting Zorba as a flop, then that is probably my favorite. And I do agree that the revival had a watered down script which really takes away a lot of the punch, darkness and beauty. I saw a wonderful production with Jeff McCarthy, Beth Fowler, Emily Skinner, and Crista Moore (to name a few!) at the York Theater Company's Mufti production. However I just want to make a case for Robert Westenberg in the revival. He's excellent overall peeking when him, Debbie Gravitte and Taro Meyer sing the best recorded version of one of my favorites, "Why Can't I Speak/That's a Beginning." The score holds many gems and my favorite Kander & Ebb song might just be "Only Love."

Happy Time and The Rink are excellent as well. Would love to see revivals of them. I wouldn't mind a revival of Kiss of the Spider Woman either...
Updated On: 2/16/09 at 06:05 PM

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 8:15pm

"No, it was before the revival. I seem to recall reading a report in Variety that the Prince office had announced that ZORBA had finally moved into the black, thanks mainly to licensed productions in Europe."

Thanks for the additional info, frontrowcentre2. Prince did predict in Contradictions that European productions (he mentioned that the show was very popular there) would put it into the black eventually. It may be that the original investors ended up making a decent (though not huge) profit thanks to the Quinn revival since it had paid off before that production.

[willrogers2008]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 10:36pm

I wish this book would tell us more about the genesis of THE VISIT.I was expecting more of KANDER and EBB'S COLORED LIGHTS.

Posted: 2/17/09 at 12:09am

Nobodyhome I swear in a book on Hal Prince (that conveniently I don't have here) they said Zorba recouped by the time of its second tour (the first bus and truck one) though just barely. Hrmm. Either way it shoulda been a big success--I get why it wasn't--the casting of the leads made people expect another Fiddler and this was a very different, less "happy" show, the darkness in general as I mentioned, and it probably came too soon on the heels of Zorba the movie even though it was quite a different creature.

But maybe it wa Europe I was thinking of--Prince did mention it was surprisingly successful in Northern Europe (Norway, etc) where thye seemed to like the darkness.

So the full oepnign was done on the 69 Tonys? Can anyone help track that down? i'd love to see (about Tony clips being filmed I always thought it was stunningly bad luck that they didn't perform numbers from Sondheim's first three major Tony nomianted shows the years they were nominated--Company, Follies and Night Music)

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 2:20am

"Nobodyhome I swear in a book on Hal Prince (that conveniently I don't have here) they said Zorba recouped by the time of its second tour (the first bus and truck one) though just barely."

Well, I don't think it says that in either the Ilson book or the Hirsch book, at least not in the first editions. If it does, I'm not seeing it. I haven't bothered to get the later editions.

Yes, the opening number was done complete on the 1969 Tonys. I'm sorry that I can't currently provide you with a copy.

Posted: 2/17/09 at 3:04am

Where's Brody Fosse when you need him (at leat I think it was him who uploaded the Tonys performance of Turkey Lurkey from that same episode.