![]() ![]() James Theatre is something of a hike through quicksand in snow shoes. Everyone sings, including the cleaning lady. Fortunately, the songs, which provide most of the entertainment value, are superior, performed to perfection, and well worth the applause they generate. Kander, who is still writing profusely at age 96-plus a few new songs with lyrics by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. It (questionably) claims to be “inspired” by Martin Scorsese’s 1977 movie with Liza Minnelli and Robert DeNiro, though it has nothing whatsoever to do with that film except the rousing title tune, made famous by both Liza and Frank Sinatra, and the equally show-stopping “But the World Goes Round.” Everything else forms a tidal wave of musical numbers plucked from 15 old scores partnered by Mr. So revivals and regional tours of old Kander and Ebb shows such as Cabaret, Woman of the Year, Zorba the Greek and Chicago (now the longest-running American musical in history) are welcome escapes from mediocrity. With the plethora of ugly new scores plaguing what’s become of the theater and third-rate jukebox musicals that appeal to kids and rock and roll enthusiasts who wouldn’t know a show tune with originality and imagination if it fell out of a karaoke bar and hit them in the center of the head, we don’t hear much to write home about any more. Any Broadway musical with a score by the ace songwriting team John Kander and Fred Ebb sounds like a good idea to me. ![]()
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