This year marks the 90th birthday of the composer of music for such megahits as “Cabaret” and “Chicago.” To celebrate that milestone, Chicago Cabaret Professionals is presenting All That Jazz: The Music of Kander and Ebb on March 13 at the Skokie Theatre as part of its Musical Mondays series.
“I really, really, really love Kander and Ebb,” said Jeff Dean, who directs the show dedicated to the celebrated composer and his lyricist partner Fred Ebb.
He noted that Kander wasn’t initially planning to write show tunes. “He set out to be a serious composer,” Dean said. That is reflected in the complexity of his music.
On the other hand, Dean said, “Fred Ebb’s lyrics have a simplicity. He can be as sentimental as the next person without being cloying. And he can be very intelligent without being polarizing.”
“The big thing that I like about their music is that they tell a story,” said musical director Pat Rusk. “A lot of their music is about interesting issues and interesting historical things. And their music is varied.”
Dean chose the songs for each of the eight cast members. He gave himself three numbers: “Life Is” from “Zorba,” “The Money Tree” from “The Act” and “Hit it, Lorraine” from “70, Girls,70.”
All of the cabaret artists in the cast seem to share Dean and Rusk’s enthusiasm for the work of the writing partners.
“I have been a longtime fan of Kander and Ebb,” said Cheryl Szucsits. “I did a revue of them back when I lived in Indiana with a group that I directed there. So I was surprised when I got my song assignments from Jeff that there were songs I hadn’t heard of — and I thought I knew all of Kander and Ebb.”
Szucsits will be singing “Yes” from “Liza with a Z,” “You, You, You” from “The Visit,” and a duet with student Brittany Barlin, “The Apple Doesn’t Fall Very Far from the Tree” from “The Rink.”
“They write lively music with so much personality,” said Scott Urban. “Singing is always about telling a story and their songs always tell a story.”
Urban will sing “Mr. Cellophane” from “Chicago,” a song that he sings fairly often. He noted that his late mentor, renowned pianist and singer Buddy Charles, encouraged him to do that number.
He’ll also sing a song with which he was unfamiliar, “Isn’t It Better?” from “Funny Lady.”
In addition, Urban will do a duet with Jan Slavin, “Do We?” from “70, Girls, 70.” “It’s a funny, lighthearted number,” Urban said, which leaves the audience questioning “if the two old people onstage are still romantically involved.”
Slavin describes the song a bit more graphically. “Everybody wants to know, do they actually ‘do it’ or not?” she said.
Slavin agreed to perform in this show because, “I wanted to sing some songs I could sink my teeth into and Kander and Ebb songs are great for a woman of a certain age,” she said. “I’ve got three really meaty songs and all of them are blissfully age-related.”
Slavin’s solos are “So What?” from “Cabaret,” “Plenty of Time” (not from a musical) and “What Kind of Man?” from “Curtains.”
The cast also includes Wydetta Carter, John Eskola, Scott Gryder and KT McCammond.
All That Jazz: The Music of Kander and Ebb
When: 7:30 p.m. March 13
Where: Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie
Tickets: $30
Information: (847) 677-7761; www.skokietheatre.org
