Ranking Kander & Ebb Scores

[Steel Pier Fan]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 7:54am

I'm sick and bored so I'm going to start this thread.

Best: Cabaret because it's fun
Steel Pier because it's nice ( I listen to it when I read)

Worst: I don't like Zobra.

[chickfila]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 8:58am

I think Cabaret and Chicago are their best.

All have merit, but my least favorites are Steel Pier and Curtains (I know, not a total Kander & Ebb score).

[chickfila]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 8:58am

I think Cabaret and Chicago are their best.

All have merit, but my least favorites are Steel Pier and Curtains (I know, not a total Kander & Ebb score).

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 9:02am

My two favorites are 70, Girls, 70 and Flora, the Red Menace.

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 9:02am

Updated On: 6/10/11 at 09:02 AM

[chewy5000]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 9:45am

Steel Pier is definitely their worst score.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 10:14am

I love bits and pieces of most of them.

Cabaret, Chicago and The Act are probably my top picks.

I'd put Scottsboro (sorry all) and The Rink (again, sorry) at the bottom.

[dreaming]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 10:37am

My personal favorite will always be Cabaret, with Chicago at second and I do love Scottsboro Boys.

[mallardo]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 11:41am

I don't know about Steel Pier as a show, I never saw it, but for me it's one of their most glorious scores - I play it all the time.

On the negative side, Woman of the Year is pretty far down the list.

[egghumor]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 12:42pm

I haven't heard THE VISIT or OVER AND OVER (or whatever it's called now), but I'm very familiar with all the other K&E scores. As I love the majority of them, I have to agree with chickfila and mallardo and rank STEEL PIER, WOMAN OF THE YEAR, and CURTAINS in the bottom three.

All the others I love for various reasons.

Updated On: 6/10/11 at 12:42 PM

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 1:28pm

My personal favorite is Cabaret and my least favorite is Chicago. I think Cabaret may be one of their best scores, but I'm pretty sure Chicago isn't one of their worst. I just don't like it.

[undercoveractor]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 1:35pm

I am a HUGE fan of the very underrated WOMAN OF THE YEAR score! 'It Isn't Working' is such a fantastic production number, and the ballads are gorgeous. The title song is electric, and 'Grass is Always Greener' is a marvelous novelty number that has the unmistakable K&E stamp on it.
Hard as I try, I cannot rank their scores because all of them have so many things to recommend. There is a reason why these men have gained the respect and status that they have...it is because they wrote genuinely fantastic music for the theater. And with most art, the scattered flaws are what I think make them all the more fascinating, moving, and human.

And just to throw this out there....SCOTTSBORO BOYS remains my absolute favorite thing I saw all season...and I saw and loved a LOT of stuff. This was a remarkable year for theater in NY.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 1:44pm

The best: The Rink, Spider Woman, Cabaret and Chicago.

The worst: Scottsboro Boys and Curtains.

[twinbelters]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 3:53pm

High ranking: The Rink, Chicago, and Cabaret

Low ranking: The Happy Time, The Act, and Curtains

[sondheimfan2]

Posted: 6/10/11 at 6:54pm

I am a HUGE fan of the very underrated WOMAN OF THE YEAR score! 'It Isn't Working' is such a fantastic production number, and the ballads are gorgeous. The title song is electric, and 'Grass is Always Greener' is a marvelous novelty number that has the unmistakable K&E stamp on it.

Undercover - You beat me to it! Totally agree with you! Love WOMAN OF THE YEAR.

Don't forget..."Sometimes a Day Goes By" - a lovely song.

Posted: 6/10/11 at 6:58pm

Cabaret and Kiss may be my faves--Chicago would be up there too, but I feel like I've heard it too much at the moment. I do love Zorba though--anyone who ranks it as worst must have heard the Anthony Quinn version and not the original :P