On May 4, 2009, at the Gerald Schoenfedl Theatre, took place the Kander
and Ebb concert “Come to the Cabaret: A Celebration of Kander and Ebb”.
Directed by John Doyle it featured an all star cast: Chita Rivera, Raul Esparza, David Hyde Pierce,
Debra Monk, Tom Wopat, Karen Ziemba, Julia Murney and Terrence McNally.
At the time “Playbill On-line (Andrew Gans) thought that it was
appropriate to ask some of that evening's participants to recall memories about
working with the famed songwriting duo.“ So, it makes sense to share those
memories in this blog.
Chita Rivera: "John Kander and Fred Ebb. Where to begin. I am
so lucky to have such great lifetime friends as John Kander and Fred Ebb, and
even luckier to have had them write such wonderful roles for me. From ZORBA to
CHICAGO, THE RINK, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN and THE VISIT. . .We are all so
lucky to have their beautiful songs in our lives. I sometimes forget who they
are and that they belong to the world until I do something like go to Yankee
Stadium and hear 60,000 people singing 'New York, New York'! It blows me away,
and I feel this little thing inside me say, 'Oh my God…John and Freddy wrote
that, and they are my friends!' I would call them many times, and they would be
working but would say to me, 'Hey Cheet…listen to this,' and proceed to play
for me a brand-new song for the first time. They'd laugh because I cry at being
so privileged I miss Freddy terribly. John and Freddy have contributed their
talent, dedication and love to the musical theatre, which will survive long
after we've gone. In times to come, there will be productions of CABARET,
CHICAGO and all the others, as well as musak in outer space playing 'New York,
New York.' The world is a better place with your music in it. We honor you,
love you and keep you close to our hearts. Especially me."
David Hyde Pierce: "In CURTAINS I got to sing the first song Kander
wrote both music and lyrics to — 'Coffee Shop Nights.' (The first time I'd
heard the song, it was a demo recording of John singing and playing it, and no
one will ever do it better.) The first time I sang it, in rehearsal for the
workshop, Kander was trying to convey to our music director David Loud what the
accompaniment should feel like, and decided to play it himself to demonstrate.
So suddenly, there I was, singing Kander's beautiful song, with John himself at
the piano, and I thought, 'Somebody kill me now, because life doesn't get
better than this.'
Debra Monk: "I fell in love with John Kander and Fred Ebb during
STEEL PIER. They have been my teachers, mentors, friends and my biggest fans.
It has been unconditional love. They loved rehearsals, getting to know all the
kids, telling stories, giving advice, and of course working on the show. They
never stopped working. They certainly enjoyed their successes, but the real
thrill for them, was creating something new. I miss Freddy so much — to be in
the rehearsal room with him or be able to call and tell him a new dirty joke or
hear one from him…and he would have loved CURTAINS, and I'm so sorry he didn't
have that experience with us. Thank God John Kander is in my life. His
brilliant talent, quiet wisdom, dirty twinkle in the eye and absolute love for
the theatre continue to inspire me. Just saying 'Kander and Ebb' makes me
smile, not only because I love them, because of all of the wonderful music they
have given the world. I will never forget arriving in Venice, Italy, late one
spring evening, and they were playing 'New York, New York' as the water taxi
docked. John and Freddy have always been passionate about guiding and
encouraging new talent, and so being honored by The Acting Company is
perfect.
Terrence McNally: "I did three shows with John and Fred. Each was
wildly different from the others but all were equally challenging. They didn't
make a librettist's life any easier by their choice of subject matter: an old
woman hell-bent on revenge (THE VISIT), Marxism, homosexuality and torture
(KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN) or an impossibly toxic mother/daughter relationship
(THE RINK). What made collaborating on these 'difficult' shows so enjoyable was
their joy in tackling the problems at hand and the consummate professionalism
with which they solved them. As a tyro librettist, I was lucky to have such
mentors. Just about everything I know about writing for the musical theatre I
got from them. They are of the Grand Tradition and always will be. They were
audacious innovators, too. Is there a more brilliant opening number than
'Willkommen' or a more chilling milieu than Cabaret's? Who knew a musical could
take us there (and make us like it) before John and Fred? And with all
apologies to Ol' Blue Eyes himself and Liza, too, no one, but no one, ever sang
'New York, New York' better than Fred Ebb in a white suit at Radio City Music
Hall with John Kander on piano. It was definitive — just like their body of
work is."
Karen Ziemba: "Both John and Fred were instrumental in starting my
career. It happened 20 years ago — can you believe it? — with the original AND
THE WORLD GOES’ ROUND in Montclair, NJ, at Olympia Dukakis' Whole Theatre. The
production, with some cast changes, moved on to The Westside Theatre in NYC,
and I received my first Drama Desk Award for that performance. However, when
you're performing anything Kander and Ebb wrote, you have an 'edge' — their
songwriting is that good. I continued to collaborate with them along with
colleagues such as Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, David (Tommy) Thompson, Joe
Stein, Walter Bobbie and Annie Reinking on STEEL PIER, CURTAINS, THE SKIN OF
OUR TEETH and CHICAGO. I've sung in many tributes over the years for the pair,
and try never to miss the opportunity. My first impression of them is the most
vivid in my mind. It was my first audition for John and Fred and the creative
team of AND THE WORLD GOES’ ROUND. I knew them both by name and fame, but not
from ever meeting them personally. Well, I never remember being treated with
such respect in an audition before. I was treated as an equal, like they
actually were glad I showed up. John stood and came from around the table,
shook my hand, introduced himself, told me I sang beautifully and proceeded to
ask me to sing the song in a higher key. (He was checking for those soprano
notes.) Nonetheless, he was a gentleman and took the time to get results by
making me feel comfortable and appreciated. Go figure?! Anyway, I still hold
them in high regard, not only for their kindness and generosity to those in our
profession and those wanting to enter it, but for their amazing work as
songwriters. Fred was a gentle poet crossed with a stand-up comedian, and John
is still working on one of his and Fred's last collaborations, THE SCOTTSBORO
BOYS. John can still play the piano better than ever...and those
melodies...he's awesome!"
Photos by Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.
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