RED BARN BRINGS THE BRILLIANCE OF BROADWAY’S KANDER AND EBB TO THEIR STAGE

Every musical theater lover knows there’s a special magic woven into every Broadway musical, an alchemy of melodies and lyrics that worm their way into the mind and memory, where they take up residence forever.

Key West’s Red Barn Theatre will present an evening of the best of these alchemic confections by two of Broadway’s most celebrated musical wizards in “And The World Goes Round – The Music of Kander and Ebb.” The show runs February 24 through March 21. All curtains are at 7:30 pm.

Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb were one of Broadway’s most creative, versatile, and dynamic musical theater writing teams. Over their partnership of 40 years, they created over 15 of Broadway’s greatest classics, including “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Woman of the Year,” “Zorba,” and “New York, New York,” among many others. Many of their shows found their way onto the silver screen as well.

“And The World Goes Round” is a unique evening of the duo’s work – a clever collage of love songs, torch songs, and witty comic numbers cherry-picked from their top shows. But while it is a musical revue, the show – originally conceived by director Scott Ellis, choreographer Susan Stroman, and librettist David Thompson –is something far more unique. It accomplishes the feat of expressing the lives and emotions of characters through the music alone, without the need for a story line or character dialogue. The songs serve as a lens into the lives of the characters on stage, exploring love, heartbreak, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit, all through Kander and Ebb’s unique blend of wit and emotion.

The show stars four great Key West voices -- Lauren Thompson, Claire Caplan, Arthur Crocker, and Jeremy Zoma. A real extra plus for this show is having musical direction by New York’s Michael Fauss, a Broadway orchestrator and musical director for such shows as “Brigadoon,” and “Oliver!”. The show will be co-directed by Red Barn artistic director Joy Hawkins and Lauren Thompson, who also handles the bulk of the choreography.

“I love that we get to celebrate these men who are icons of Broadway,” said Hawkins. “They wrote such celebrated Broadway musicals, with intricate harmonies and fancy footwork. This is a terrific night of music, and a celebration of these men who served musical theatre so brilliantly. This will be one of our best musical offerings ever.”

The show ran for over a year in New York, garnering Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel awards for Outstanding Musical Revue. Broadway World called it “…stylish, sophisticated, and thoroughly satisfying…”. MD Theatre Guide said it is “…one of the most satisfying and enjoyable musical evenings I’ve ever experienced…”. The Marriott Theatre Review said it is “…an emotional thrill ride of amazing voices…”.

Tickets can be purchased at redbarntheatre.com or by calling the box office at 305-296-9911. The show is sponsored in part by Duval Street Media, the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, and the Monroe Country Tourist Development Council.