When David Thompson conceived and wrote, “And the World Goes ’Round — The Music of Kander and Ebb” in 1991, the challenge was apparent. How to distill 26 years of material from two of Broadway’s most celebrated creatives into a single show? The Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning duo of John Kander and Fred Ebb, known for standards from “Cabaret,” “Kiss of the Spiderwoman” and “Chicago,” offered a nearly bottomless musical catalog. But Thompson emphasized that the goal was not simply to stage a setlist of greatest hits. “Our goal was to balance the standards like ‘Cabaret,’ ‘Maybe This Time,’ and the theme from ‘New York, New York’ with other material perhaps not as well known.”
The original show ran for over a year in New York, garnering awards and kudos. For Thompson and his team, though, the biggest compliment came after they had reworked the Broadway standard, “Cabaret,” in rehearsal. In 1991, Kander and Ebb were still active in musical theater, and were given access to the full development process of Thompson’s musical. On the day the new version of “Cabaret” debuted, the pair sat silently for a long, uncomfortable stretch. Finally, Ebb let out a laugh and said, “Well, you made the old turkey gobble again.” Kander and Ebb continued to create music together for another 15 years after that, while the musical, “And the World Goes ’Round,” continued to be staged across the country.
The most recent version by Key West’s Red Barn Theatre understands the nuance of what could otherwise feel like a standard revue. The arrangement sets the tone, flowing from silly to sublime, creating emotional heft for the characters along the way. Though non-linear, the curation of songs allows the audience to connect to the actors on stage, feeling their longing, desire and, in one case, over-caffeinated mania. The subtle tweaks made by director Joy Hawkins make the play feel both contemporary (as one male character sings a torch song for the man he can’t forget) and local (with humorous nods to Wisteria Island and Conch baseball).
Co-director, choreographer and cast member Lauren Thompson breathes life into the material, moving the actors through their paces with whimsy and refinement. She references the instantly recognizable classic choreography of Bob Fosse, but blends it with her own modern take. Of the experience, Lauren Thompson said, “This creative process has been what every actor dreams of. It’s challenging, it’s meaty, there’s heart. You dive deeper, you connect with yourself and those that you share the room with.”
In revues, though, no one element can carry the whole. Direction and choreography depend on the music itself. Thankfully, the classic songbook is in strong hands with Claire Caplan, Arthur Crocker, Lauren Thompson and Jeremy Zoma, under the musical direction of Michael Fauss, a Broadway orchestrator and musical director. Each voice contributes exactly the element it should, at the moment it is required. Each singer is at turns playful and heartfelt, always resonant and right on pitch — no small feat with nearly nonstop movement. Overall, the cast and crew succeeds in breathing life into a classic. Perhaps the best compliment that can be paid to everyone at Red Barn is, “gobble, gobble.”
The show runs through March 21. For tickets, visit redbarntheatre.com or call the box office at 305-296-9911. All curtains are at 7:30 p.m.
