My Musical Theater Voyage of Discovery; The Kander and Ebb Files -- Cabaret and Chicago
I think it is probably hard for anyone in the world to NOT know the musical CABARET – it’s so famous. The images from the movie are iconic, you know? And then, there is that song; everyone knows the song Cabaret. It must be wonderful to create something that everyone in the world knows, right?
I think I was 13 years old when my dad took me to see the movie Cabaret. I didn’t understand most of it, but I was mesmerized. I listened to that soundtrack for most of my life because of that movie date my dad and I had. Imagine my surprise, then, the first time I listened to the OBC? All those songs that had been cut! Sally Bowles had an English accent! It was a completely different entity, a completely different experience. It was marvelous. What a fantastic show.
I’ve seen more Cabarets than just about any other musical (Gypsy and Forum are neck and neck for a three way tie) and I don’t mind. I love it that much. The revival production actually had me hyper-ventilating the first time I saw it; that ending? Have mercy.
Suffice it to say, all the major versions of Cabaret are in my Ipod. Natch, the movie soundtrack is in my Liza Minnelli section. The OBC is in my Ipod, though I must admit it has been expurgated to make room for other music. I left in Lenya, Jill Haworth and Bert Convey, trimming out Joel Grey because his numbers are exactly the same here as they are in the film. The West End cast album has a similar story – I kept all of Judi Dench’s track (duh) and all of Lila Kedrova’s tracks (oh my gosh, I love her so much – she has been a favourite of mine since childhood) but I cut the songs by Cliff and Emcee because I’d rather hear Bert Convey on the OBC and Joel Grey on the soundtrack. The revival cast album (which is vastly different from the others) is the cast album that is complete within my Ipod. That has been my favourite production of the show and it is the one I listen to when I want to full story from start to finish. There is also the little matter of my friend Alan Cumming, who gives a genius performance here, and my angel in heaven, Natasha Richardson, who I never met but who I loved very much and was so proud and honoured to see in this show – the only time I saw her live. Dammit. There is also a studio cast recording that is worth getting a copy of. I don’t really like ALL of it but here is what I DO like.. LOVE, in fact. Judi Dench plays Fraulein Schneider to Fred Ebb’s Herr Schulta. Rieeeght? Maria Friedman not only plays Sally, at the end of the cd, she does the numbers written for the movie. And rounding out the principal cast is Gregg Edelman, one of the best leading men on the Broadway stage and one of the kindest and friendliest men you could ever meet.
There are certain days when I am in a real Cabaret mood and I will play each recording, back to back, enjoying and comparing what I hear there. You should try it sometime. It’s fun. It is especially fun to check out What Would You Do by Lenya, Dench and Kedrova, back to back. THAT is some acting man! Let me tell you…
I can remember the first time I heard the OBC of CHICAGO. I was 12 or 13 and living in Portugal with my family and our next door neighbour would let me come over and listen to her Hi-Fi. She had all these great cast albums and vocalists and, in any given day, I could go from Robert Goulet to Claudine Longet, from Pippin to Chicago. I spent a fair amount of time over there, playing record albums; and I became obsessed by Chicago. I only know, about it, what I read on the inside of the record jacket (and those scandalous photos! Women onstage in bikinis!) but I knew that I had to own that record, so on summer vacation, back in the states, I found a copy and I’ve been playing it ever since. I was captivated by Chita Rivera’s belting voice and Gwen Verdon’ squeaky monologue about everybody saying no, no no; and the songs! I never heard songs like this. All That Jazz became the song I drove my mom crazy with, playing it over and over on the record player until she was pulling her hair out. Damn. That Chita Rivera could sing. I didn’t know who she was. I hadn’t found West Side Story yet; but I would find out about HER, wouldn’t I?
I saw some community theater productions of the play when I was living in Dallas/Ft Worth as a young man. I never saw the definitive production of the show – but I liked what I saw and continued to listen to my OBC and to research the show. It wasn’t until the Encores! Series did their concert version that I really got it. And, boy, did I get it. We were in the last row at the top of the theater and I was exhilarated by every single stylish move, by every song sung, every sentence spoke, every blink of Annie Reinking’s brilliant baby blues (which I really COULD see from all the way up there!). I was SO in love with Chicago – more than ever before. Therefore, I was delirious to learn that this production would be coming to Broadway. I couldn’t WAIT.
Somewhere in between Chicago closing at Encores and opening on Broadway, I met and worked with Annie Reinking (hello! Thill!) for The Sweater Book; and during the shoot, I was asked to do a new headshot for her. I have been told by her close friend and longtime publicist that the headshot I did of her is her favourite she has ever had (hello! Thrill!). I was a young kid and I was still pretty new in town and the Annie Reinking headshot was going to be my first headshot in a Broadway Playbill. The night Chicago started performances at the Richard Rodgers Theater, I waited around the theater for an hour so I could second act the show. When the intermission came, I walked back in with the rest of the smokers, found an empty seat and prayed nobody would tell me “you’re in my seat”. I snatched up a Playbill and opened it and there it was – my first Playbill headshot. Hello. Thrill.
I was in Los Angeles working on The Sweater Book when the cast album for the revival of Chicago came out. I was on a budget but I spent something like sixteen bucks to buy that cd at some expensive candy ass record store on Sunset Boulevard and I played it in my Car for the rest of the trip.
The Hot Honey Rag, by the way, is probably my favourite piece of instrumental music ever written.
In my Ipod, Chicago is represented thus:
OBC complete recording
Revival cast: Ann Reinking, Marcia Lewis, Joel Grey tracks. Bebe Neuwirth tracks: All That Jazz, I Can’t Do It Alone reprisal and I Know a Girl (I mean no disrespect to Miss Neuwirth – I happen to love watching her and she was Da BOMB in this show – but I like to listen to Chita’s versions).
West End cast: -- Ute Lemper’s tracks (not a fan of Ruthie Henshall)
Film soundtrack: from start to finish. All the people who want to talk about Rene Zellwegger not being right for this gig can kiss my tan, waxed ass. I love this movie – every freakin’ frame of it; and she deserved the Oscar for it, even if it did go to my treasured Nicole Kidman, who also deserved the Oscar – I wish there had been a tie that year.
I am also thrilled to own an audio bootleg of a live performance of Chicago starring Chita Rivera and that chick, Liza Minnelli, when she covered for Gwen Verdon.
I think you could say I am IN TO Chicago.
I love that these two musicals gave Kander and Ebb Oscar winning best pictures. It validates my appreciation of their artistry.
I think I was 13 years old when my dad took me to see the movie Cabaret. I didn’t understand most of it, but I was mesmerized. I listened to that soundtrack for most of my life because of that movie date my dad and I had. Imagine my surprise, then, the first time I listened to the OBC? All those songs that had been cut! Sally Bowles had an English accent! It was a completely different entity, a completely different experience. It was marvelous. What a fantastic show.
I’ve seen more Cabarets than just about any other musical (Gypsy and Forum are neck and neck for a three way tie) and I don’t mind. I love it that much. The revival production actually had me hyper-ventilating the first time I saw it; that ending? Have mercy.
Suffice it to say, all the major versions of Cabaret are in my Ipod. Natch, the movie soundtrack is in my Liza Minnelli section. The OBC is in my Ipod, though I must admit it has been expurgated to make room for other music. I left in Lenya, Jill Haworth and Bert Convey, trimming out Joel Grey because his numbers are exactly the same here as they are in the film. The West End cast album has a similar story – I kept all of Judi Dench’s track (duh) and all of Lila Kedrova’s tracks (oh my gosh, I love her so much – she has been a favourite of mine since childhood) but I cut the songs by Cliff and Emcee because I’d rather hear Bert Convey on the OBC and Joel Grey on the soundtrack. The revival cast album (which is vastly different from the others) is the cast album that is complete within my Ipod. That has been my favourite production of the show and it is the one I listen to when I want to full story from start to finish. There is also the little matter of my friend Alan Cumming, who gives a genius performance here, and my angel in heaven, Natasha Richardson, who I never met but who I loved very much and was so proud and honoured to see in this show – the only time I saw her live. Dammit. There is also a studio cast recording that is worth getting a copy of. I don’t really like ALL of it but here is what I DO like.. LOVE, in fact. Judi Dench plays Fraulein Schneider to Fred Ebb’s Herr Schulta. Rieeeght? Maria Friedman not only plays Sally, at the end of the cd, she does the numbers written for the movie. And rounding out the principal cast is Gregg Edelman, one of the best leading men on the Broadway stage and one of the kindest and friendliest men you could ever meet.
There are certain days when I am in a real Cabaret mood and I will play each recording, back to back, enjoying and comparing what I hear there. You should try it sometime. It’s fun. It is especially fun to check out What Would You Do by Lenya, Dench and Kedrova, back to back. THAT is some acting man! Let me tell you…
I can remember the first time I heard the OBC of CHICAGO. I was 12 or 13 and living in Portugal with my family and our next door neighbour would let me come over and listen to her Hi-Fi. She had all these great cast albums and vocalists and, in any given day, I could go from Robert Goulet to Claudine Longet, from Pippin to Chicago. I spent a fair amount of time over there, playing record albums; and I became obsessed by Chicago. I only know, about it, what I read on the inside of the record jacket (and those scandalous photos! Women onstage in bikinis!) but I knew that I had to own that record, so on summer vacation, back in the states, I found a copy and I’ve been playing it ever since. I was captivated by Chita Rivera’s belting voice and Gwen Verdon’ squeaky monologue about everybody saying no, no no; and the songs! I never heard songs like this. All That Jazz became the song I drove my mom crazy with, playing it over and over on the record player until she was pulling her hair out. Damn. That Chita Rivera could sing. I didn’t know who she was. I hadn’t found West Side Story yet; but I would find out about HER, wouldn’t I?
I saw some community theater productions of the play when I was living in Dallas/Ft Worth as a young man. I never saw the definitive production of the show – but I liked what I saw and continued to listen to my OBC and to research the show. It wasn’t until the Encores! Series did their concert version that I really got it. And, boy, did I get it. We were in the last row at the top of the theater and I was exhilarated by every single stylish move, by every song sung, every sentence spoke, every blink of Annie Reinking’s brilliant baby blues (which I really COULD see from all the way up there!). I was SO in love with Chicago – more than ever before. Therefore, I was delirious to learn that this production would be coming to Broadway. I couldn’t WAIT.
Somewhere in between Chicago closing at Encores and opening on Broadway, I met and worked with Annie Reinking (hello! Thill!) for The Sweater Book; and during the shoot, I was asked to do a new headshot for her. I have been told by her close friend and longtime publicist that the headshot I did of her is her favourite she has ever had (hello! Thrill!). I was a young kid and I was still pretty new in town and the Annie Reinking headshot was going to be my first headshot in a Broadway Playbill. The night Chicago started performances at the Richard Rodgers Theater, I waited around the theater for an hour so I could second act the show. When the intermission came, I walked back in with the rest of the smokers, found an empty seat and prayed nobody would tell me “you’re in my seat”. I snatched up a Playbill and opened it and there it was – my first Playbill headshot. Hello. Thrill.
I was in Los Angeles working on The Sweater Book when the cast album for the revival of Chicago came out. I was on a budget but I spent something like sixteen bucks to buy that cd at some expensive candy ass record store on Sunset Boulevard and I played it in my Car for the rest of the trip.
The Hot Honey Rag, by the way, is probably my favourite piece of instrumental music ever written.
In my Ipod, Chicago is represented thus:
OBC complete recording
Revival cast: Ann Reinking, Marcia Lewis, Joel Grey tracks. Bebe Neuwirth tracks: All That Jazz, I Can’t Do It Alone reprisal and I Know a Girl (I mean no disrespect to Miss Neuwirth – I happen to love watching her and she was Da BOMB in this show – but I like to listen to Chita’s versions).
West End cast: -- Ute Lemper’s tracks (not a fan of Ruthie Henshall)
Film soundtrack: from start to finish. All the people who want to talk about Rene Zellwegger not being right for this gig can kiss my tan, waxed ass. I love this movie – every freakin’ frame of it; and she deserved the Oscar for it, even if it did go to my treasured Nicole Kidman, who also deserved the Oscar – I wish there had been a tie that year.
I am also thrilled to own an audio bootleg of a live performance of Chicago starring Chita Rivera and that chick, Liza Minnelli, when she covered for Gwen Verdon.
I think you could say I am IN TO Chicago.
I love that these two musicals gave Kander and Ebb Oscar winning best pictures. It validates my appreciation of their artistry.
posted by StephenMosher at 7:36 AM
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