 Kander and Ebb Contributions to the American Musical Theatre

“The Visit” The Verdict: Read Reviews of Kander and Ebb's The Visit on Broadway By Playbill Staff (23 Apr 2015)The Visit Playbill Staff Chita RiveraChita Rivera returns to Broadway in her first original role in more than two decades as the star of Kander and Ebb's The Visit, which officially opened on Broadway April 23 at the Lyceum Theatre.The Visit Based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 1956 play, The Visit has a score by Tony Award-winning Cabaret, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman collaborators John Kander (music) and the late Fred Ebb (lyrics). The musical features a book by Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Master Class, It's Only a Play). John KanderFred EbbTerrence McNally A cast album will be release June 26.

CABARET

FRED EBB For four decades, Ebb collaborated exclusively with composer John Kander on musicals notable for their often startling originality, each score having a unique sound and style. Superb musical dramatists, they were among the last theatre composers whose songs could stand on their own while being fully integrated into the shows they were written for. Their first Broadway show was Flora The Red Menace (1964), a moderate success that helped launch the career of Liza Minnelli, who would be closely linked with many of Kander and Ebb's hit songs.Flora The Red Menace

Flora The Red Menace (1964) The first Broadway show for Kander and Ebb was Flora The Red Menace (1964), a moderate success that helped launch the career of Liza Minnelli, who would be closely linked with many of Kander and Ebb's hit songs. Flora The Red Menace

Cabaret (1966) The moderate success of Flora led to the triumph of Cabaret (1966), a landmark musical drama that featured Joel Grey as the leering Emcee. It received eight Tony Awards, including honors for Best Composer and Lyricist (the Best Score category did not exist that year), as well as Best Musical. The original production racked up 1,166 performances, and enjoyed successful runs in London and elsewhere.Cabaret

More successes followed Kander and Ebb's Broadway scores include The Happy Time (1968), Zorba (1968), The Act (1978), Chicago (1975), Woman of the Year (1981), The Rink (1984), the Tony- winning Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993), and Steel Pier (1997). They also created original scores for the films Funny Lady (1975) and New York, New York (1977). Their songs were showcased in the popular off-Broadway revue And The World Goes 'Round.Chicago

Experiments and revivals Kander & Ebb worked on musical versions of The Visit and The Skin of Our Teeth.The 1997 revival of Chicago is the longest running revival in Broadway history, and the 1998 revival of Cabaret outran its original production. After years of illness, Ebb died of heart failure in 2004, with sources placing his age at anywhere from 71 to 76. His remains were interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.Chicago revival of Cabaret Fred Ebb

John Kander Born 1927 (Kansas City, MO) Kander started his theatrical career as the rehearsal pianist for Gypsy (1959). After working with James and William Goldman on the unsuccessful A Family Affair (1962), Kander began a collaboration with lyricist Fred Ebb that has lasted more than thirty five years. Their first show was Flora The Red Menace (1964), a moderate success that helped launch the career of a star who would be closely linked with many of Kander and Ebb's hit songs Liza Minnelli. PLAYBILL ranks Kander and Ebb’s Top Ten Songs…

Chicago film (2002) The film version of Chicago (2002) became the first musical in thirty five years to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.Chicago

LEGACY Kander & Ebb's four decade collaboration ended with Ebb's death in 2004,three more of their works eventually reached Broadway -- Curtains (2007), The Scottsboro Boys (2010) and The Visit (2015).

The World Goes Round Curtains

Scottsboro Boys (2011)

Through the years