My face still hurts less than 24 hours after seeing The World Goes 'Round, the acclaimed revue built around the music of John Kander and Fred Ebb.
Why does my face hurt?
Never before in all my years of seeing musicals and playing the songs from the Great American Songbook that emerged from many of those musicals have I smiled so much, even tearing up at times to the point that I couldn't tell whether it was laughter born of the joy knowing the future of such music is assured, or whether I was mourning the passing of a time now seemingly threatened by the rapid erosion of so many of the cultural and political values I have cherished throughout my life.
I would like to think it is the former, and I will concentrate on the joy here. In full disclosure, I was not prepared to write a review of this show, failing to bring my trusted notebook and pen. I expected a superb student performance. Instead, I found myself watching a production that, in every important respect, matched the professionalism of many musicals Ann and I have seen on Broadway and locally.
So, here is my reaction to this production. Attention must be paid!
This is the culmination of Palm Beach Dramaworks' summer Academy, an intensive training program that offers aspiring young actors and stage managers the rare opportunity to work under professional conditions. Guided by the company's Director of Education and Community Engagement, Gary Cadwallader, the students rehearse in the same theater, with many of the same artistic standards and production values that distinguish Palm Beach Dramaworks' regular season. The result is far more than a school production; it is an opportunity for exceptionally talented young performers to test themselves in an environment where excellence is expected.
Pictured clockwise from bottom, Tristan Dominquez, Kayla
Brown, Max Leighton, Danica Slavin, Bella Catania, Photo by Jason Nuttle
Cadwallader not only selected The World Goes 'Round, but directed it as well, and his directorial hand is evident throughout. Rather than telling a single story, the revue, conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson, seamlessly weaves together nearly two dozen songs by Kander and Ebb—from familiar classics such as Cabaret, Chicago, and New York, New York to lesser-known gems—creating a showcase of the remarkable range, wit, humor, and emotional depth of one of Broadway's greatest songwriting partnerships.
When it opened Off-Broadway in March 1991, Ellis was the director and Stroman the choreographer. Her original choreography is faithfully reproduced here by Cadwallader, making such amusing numbers as the ode to “Sara Lee” baked goods and the delightful "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup" thoroughly inventive and memorable.
Assistant director Elizabeth Dimon, another Palm Beach Dramaworks veteran, also deserves recognition. An accomplished actress and singer herself, she clearly helped these young performers understand that acting a song is every bit as important as singing it. Brian O'Keefe's costumes added immeasurably to the fun, particularly in the number "Class," the delicious duet that appeared in the stage version of Chicago but was inexplicably omitted from the film. That number reduced my smile to tears of laughter.
Roger Arnold's sound and projection designs were seamlessly integrated into the production, while Genny Wynn's lighting consistently drew the eye exactly where it belonged. Kudos, too, to musical director Lisa Stephens, who played the keyboard along with a five-piece orchestra. These are among the professionals whose talents helped elevate this production while giving the young performers the support they deserved.
Having played the scores from many Broadway musicals on the piano myself, I couldn't help but recognize similar sensibilities in the music and lyrics that occasionally recalled Stephen Sondheim's contribution to the Broadway musical and even Jacques Brel's to the French chanson. There are songs throughout the Kander and Ebb canon that sometimes channel the spirit of those masters. As far as songwriting teams are concerned, Kander and Ebb deserve to be remembered in the same breath as Rodgers and Hammerstein. As a revue, The World Goes 'Round stands comfortably alongside Side by Side by Sondheim and Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, both of which, not too coincidentally, Palm Beach Dramaworks produced in its salad days before occupying the Don and Ann Brown Theatre.
Here I am raving about the content and professionalism of the production, but let's hear it for the student performers: Kayla Brown, Bella Catania, Tristan Dominquez, Max Leighton (all from Dreyfoos School of the Arts), and Danica Slavin (Cardinal Newman High School). What remarkable talent, discipline, and dedication. I only hope I am around long enough to follow their professional careers. It is impossible to single out the individual virtues of each performance because they functioned so beautifully as an ensemble. Their impressive vitae, along with the complete song list, can be found in the photographs from program below.
If there is a criticism to be made, some might argue that the program is too long. I found myself thinking just the opposite. There are enough wonderful Kander and Ebb songs left untouched that one could easily imagine The World Goes 'Round, Part II.
Thank you, Palm Beach Dramaworks and the young members of The Academy, for bringing tears of joy—and hope for the future.
