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BARBARA L. FREDRICKSENThe many hit show tunes of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb are the focus of a dinner theater show.
HUDSON - The musical team of John Kander and Fred Ebb have been called the masters of the heart-grabbing Broadway showstopper. Their And All That Jazz, Cabaret and New York, New York do have a way of bagging long applause and standing ovations.
Those and two dozen other Kander and Ebb creations are the heart and soul of the song and dance musical The World Goes 'Round, opening tonight at the Show Palace Dinner Theatre.
"This is one of those things that I wish people knew is so incredible," said John Vincent Leggio, who is directing and choreographing the show. "It's not a typical cheesy revue. There's so much depth and width, heart and emotion - all those things. It's very moving at times, very funny at others."
There's no story line as such, but the songs are grouped into segments to make little stories or vignettes, Leggio said.
The show's songs also include Mister Cellophane, How Lucky Can You Get, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Maybe This Time, Money, Money and, of course, And the World Goes 'Round.
"The songs are taken out of the context of the shows and made into new stories," Leggio said. "You can take And All That Jazz, for instance, and make it more, make it something different. There are segments about relationships. Some are surprises - but I don't want to ruin the show by telling."
Despite the popularity of Kander and Ebb tunes, The World Goes 'Round isn't done all that often in regional theaters, probably because it's difficult to find superior singers who can also dance and act. The Show Palace has recruited performers from New York, Ohio, Missouri and Florida to do the challenging numbers. Resident music director Stan Collins will lead a five-piece on-stage orchestra.
Two former Show Palace stars, Katie Kerwin (Annie in Annie Get Your Gun) and Meredith Inglesby (Eliza in My Fair Lady), have prominent roles in the production. They'll be joined by Show Palace veteran Joel Kipper (Rocky in Damn Yankees) and Show Palace newcomers Jonathan Harrison (Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center) and Carmen Keels (Sarah in Ragtime at Broadway Palm West in Mesa, Ariz.).
Ms. Inglesby also has appeared on the television shows Law and Order SVU, Guiding Light and One Life to Live and performed at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. Kipper just finished a stint as Mungojerrie and Skimbleshanks in Cats at the Cumberland County Playhouse in Tennessee. Ms. Kerwin had lead roles in A Chorus Line, Pippin, Oklahoma! and Into the Woods when she worked in New York and New Jersey.
Set designer Tom Hansen has created a glittering glamour set in shades of cool ice and aqua for this show.
The World Goes 'Round has gotten rave reviews everywhere it has played and broke summer box office records at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota in 1994, according to actor John Jacobson.
AT A GLANCEWHAT: The World Goes 'Round
WHERE: Show Palace Dinner Theatre, 16128 U.S. 19, Hudson
WHEN: Today through Sept. 28. Shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays and 1:30 p.m. some Saturdays (call for dates). Doors open two hours before each show for buffet and full cash bar.
TICKETS: Dinner and show, $38.50; show only, $27.24, all plus tax and tip. Call (727) 863-7949 or toll-free 1-888-655-7469.