Broadway Cabaret Festival at The Town Hall, NYC
"Life Is A Cabaret: A Tribute To Kander And Ebb"
October 21, 2005

Apparently, last Friday night, fifteen hundred people took Fred Ebb's words to "Cabaret" to heart: "What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play!" - and they did. The opening concert of The Town Hall's Broadway Cabaret Festival was a salute to the songwriting partnership of John Kander and the late Fred Ebb. The pair's songs are very much in the air in "New York, New York." Carol Channing was in town the same night, including their number "Razzle Dazzle" in her act and of course the show it comes from, Chicago, has been playing for years in its revival production just down the street. 70, Girls, 70 is due for a special Encores! production and Chita Rivera's show opening shortly has some Kander & Ebb as well.

In the briskly paced concert, there was little talk by singers, but bits of historical perspective by host Scott Siegel were sprinkled throughout. The span of Kander & Ebb's career was covered from an early special material number (the ode to "Sara Lee" cakes sung and strutted by Sharon McNight) to the much later heartfelt ballad "Sometimes a Day Goes By" from Woman of the Year sung and played by Billy Stritch. With Jeffrey Saver as musical director, a parade of theater and cabaret singers (pictured below with their songs noted) made New York City's landmark Town Hall ring with songs of the successful team.

--- by Rob Lester
Photos by Maryann Lopinto


Jennifer Simard performed Kander & Ebb's first hit, "My Coloring Book"	Jarrod Cafaro sang the falsetto Mary Sunshine song "A Little Bit Of Good" (Chicago)

Belle Callaway, a recent Chicago leading lady performed two from that score: "Roxie" and "When You're Good to Mama."	Michael Winther had the ballad, "First You Dream" (Steel Pier)

Nancy Anderson, a veteran of several Town Hall Broadway By The Year concerts recalled "I Don't Remember You" (The Happy Time)	Asking the musical question, "Isn't This Better?" from the film Funny Lady is Scott Coulter

With the original choreography, Rachelle Rak performed "Where You Are " (Kiss of the Spider Woman) and "Mein Herr" (from the film version of Cabaret)	Jim Caruso combined "Second Chance" from Steel Pier with the title tune from the film Steppin' Out and "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup" (70, Girls, 70), with additional lyrics he wrote with Fred Ebb and Johnny Rodgers.

Brent Barrett presented three songs from his Kander & Ebb CD: "Life Is" (Zorba), "Seeing Things" (The Happy Time) and "The Skin of Our Teeth" (Over and Over)	Bryan Batt proposed "Marry Me" (The Rink)

From the first Kander & Ebb score, Flora the Red Menace, Cheyenne Jackson sang "A Quiet Thing", and later, the title song from Kiss of the Spider Woman

Rachel York's numbers were "Maybe This Time" and "The World Goes 'Round" (introduced in the film New York, New York)	Michael Winther (left) at the curtain call with host-producer Scott Siegel. Everyone joined in on "Cabaret" at the end.