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The New York Pops: “Life is a Cabaret: The Songs of Kander and Ebb”
Tony Yazbeck Steven Reineke Caissie Levy photo by Richard Termine
by Deirdre Donovan and Jeanne Lieberman
The temperatures dipped below the freezing mark on March 10th. But that didn’t stop New Yorkers from crowding into Carnegie Hall to listen to the New York Pops kick off their 2017 season with terrific gems from the John Kander and Fred Ebb canon. In a two-hour program entitled “Life is a Cabaret: The Songs of Kander and Ebb,” fans of the musical duo were treated to a late-winter confection.
Under the enthusiastic baton of Steven Reineke, and accompanied by Broadway talents Caissie Levy (Les Miserables) and Tony Yazbeck (Finding Neverland, On The Tow), 21 songs came to life and wafted through the air at the Isaac Stern Auditorium.
Some were more familiar than others. But all carried the stamp of the musical team who carved a deep niche in the history of American musical theatre and film. Where others tripped the light fantastic Kander and Ebb dug deep into the underbelly of society; as Trump ranted about the “carnage” of Chicago crime, they celebrated it, and in Cabaret their unsentimental, clear eyed expose of pre-war Berlin packed a wallop. The extreme of this approach was evidenced in The Scottsboro Boys in which they took one of U.S. history’s most notorious miscarriages of justice, convicting a group of black boys in the deep south of rape of a white woman, and turned it into a minstrel show as the supreme irony. It didn’t do well but it was brave. And the team often ventured inside the prison cell as the locale for some of their best songs in Kiss of the Spider Woman along with Chicago and Scottsboro Boys (The film versions of Cabaret and Chicago raised the movie musical to new heights – La La Land? Really?)
The program fittingly began with a Suite from Chicago (1975), opening with its signature wah-wah-wah vamp from the Overture. These notes teasingly stretched into fuller chord progressions as the orchestra continued through the Overture and progressed into the syncopated rhythms of three more Chicago tunes: “All That Jazz,” “Me and My Baby,” and “Mr. Cellophane.” No matter how you choose to describe the songs of Kander and Ebb—devilish, sexy, blue-sy, foxy, crusty—the opening montage captured their cheeky quality.
The next number acquainted us with Kander and Ebb’s first collaboration for the Broadway stage, the buoyant “Sing Happy” from Flora the Red Menace (1965). Although this Broadway musical never became the darling of the critics, it did introduce the then-unknown Liza Minnelli as a promising talent. Minnelli played the titular role of Flora and demonstrated that she had a persona of her own and wasn’t standing in her illustrious parents’ shadow.
The program then shifted into the darker sounds of Cabaret (1966). Reineke, who also served as the event’s narrator, told the audience that Cabaret was Kander and Ebb’s first bonafide mega-hit on the Great White Way. That said, Levy and Yazbeck gave fresh definition to some of its best-known songs—“Mein Herr,” “Money, Money,” rounded out by the eponymous ballad “Cabaret.” Levy performed “Mein Herr” solo with a razor-sharp edge and later joined Tony Yazbeck for “Money, Money.” The latter song, with its tongue-twisting repetitions of the word “money” injected humor—and a pinch of reality—into the program. The most arresting of the three, however, was “Cabaret.” Performed as a duet by Levy and Yazbeck, it was aptly bone-chilling—and delivered the sinister mood and atmosphere of jazz-age Berlin.
Following these well-known hits came a lesser-known song, “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup” from 70, Girls, 70 (1971). Although this tune might not be placed in Kander and Ebb’s top drawer, many in the audience perked up during this number that has caffeine-drenched lyrics and a sure kick. Some audience members, in fact, might recall hearing this tune when it was last performed on a New York stage in City Center’s Encores! series. Encores! resurrected 70, Girls, 70 in a concert version in 2006, shaking the dust off the Old Girl and making it sing again.
Reineke double-backed to Chicago for the last leg of Act 1, cajoling the orchestra into a sassy rendering of “Hot Honey Rag,” “Roxie,” “Razzle Dazzle,” and “All I Care About.” Yazbek treated the house to a dynamic exhibition of his tap dancing skill, reminding us all he is a triple threat onstage. For the final number of Act 1, Levy belted out “Ring Them Bells” from the television concert Liza with a Z (1972). It served as a strong exclamation mark for everything that preceded and also proved to be worthy as a stand-alone song.
If Act 1 was awash with favorites from the Great American Songbook, so was Act 2. However, Reineke seemed more intent in the second-half of the program of presenting a broader sampling of Kander and Ebb’s canon. Reineke began with the popular tune “Gimme Love” from Kiss of the Spider Woman (1992) and then segued into “How Lucky Can You Get” from the film Funny Lady (1975). Reineke changed gears again, briskly hop scotching through selections from seven musicals: Women of the Year (1981), The Act (1978), The Rink (1984), Steel Pier (1997), The Scottsboro Boys (2010), The Visit (2015), and New York, New York (1977). Not all the songs played during this section could be called mega-hits (Remember “Colored Lights” from The Rink?), but each gave the program more musical texture and authenticity.
Reineke wrapped up the program with the song “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret. Although Levy pulled out all the stops as she belted out this number, it was the encore (and the Empire State’s anthem song) “New York, New York” that turned out to be the capstone to the performance.
While the show was delightful, it wasn’t flawless. At times the orchestra drowned out some of the lyrics and, on a few occasions, got ahead of itself. These quibbles are only quibbles, however. Truth be told, this concert was top drawer Kander and Ebb, and handsomely interpreted by vocalists Levy and Yazbeck.
The silver frosting, however, was when Reineke introduced John Kander himself midway through the show. Kander, who is celebrating his 90th Birthday on March 18th, was seated in the balcony and acknowledged the audience with a wave of his hand. The audience collectively sang “Happy Birthday” to the legend, if not in complete harmony, with gusto. The program was suitably dedicated to his musical partner Fred Ebb, who passed away over a decade ago, on September 11, 2004.
What else is there to say? It was a terrific evening at the landmark venue. Kander and Ebb music-lovers (and who isn’t?) got to listen to a generous slice of their oeuvre in a world-class setting with first-rate artists delivering the musical goods. Good news! John Kander’s new musical is called Kid Victory; Book and Lyrics by Greg Pierce, is ending its run at the Vineyard theater, 108 East 15th street, March 17th.
March 10th. One performance only. At Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, 152 West 57th Street at 7th Avenue. For more information on the New York Pops, visit www. https://www.carnegiehall or phone 212-247- 7800. Running Time: 2 hours with intermission.
Friday, April 21, 2017 at 8:00pm Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage You've Got a Friend: A Celebration of Singers and Songwriters Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor 
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