The World Goes ‘Round
The World Goes ‘Round
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson
Directed and Choreographed by Mayme Paul
With Lauren Abel, Nick Drivas, Hayley Scott, Jenny Totcky and Benjamin Walton
Theatre UCF, Orlando FL</strong>
It’s the middle of summer, and no time for a heavy drama. That makes this lighthearted musical review of Kander and Ebb songs a nice sorbet; it’s got all the sweetness and light of summer without the heavy drag of your winter coat, assuming you owned such a thing here in Central Florida. An ensemble cast sings all these songs; the artist roster rotates as there are several nonconsecutive runs spread out through August. With over thirty tunes you’re sure to hear a few you love but note the first act runs well over an hour. The set feature concentric rings of color changing LEDs; it reminded me of the old “Time Tunnel” TV show. “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup” bemoans the rapidity of modern life. Mr. Drivas leads us on the great junk food number “Sara Lee” and later chases a follow spot for a touching “Mr. Cellophane.” There’s a preponderance of slow introspective numbers here: “My Coloring Book,” “I Don’t Remember You”, and “Colored Lights” slow us down while “Ring Them Bells” and “The Rink” and “Pain” bring us back up. While everyone was solidly on key and off book there was a low energy to this production; I heard these are underclass men and woman and the more senior students were off doing summer stock in the Berkshires. But my only real complaint was the very odd arrangement of “Cabaret”; it was a modem jazz based arrangement that just felt weird. But with plenty of other songs to groove to, this is a “workable” issue. And the auditorium is fully air conditioned!
For more information on Theatre UCF visit http://www.theatre.ucf.edu
