In the mid-90s to early 2000s, I remember seeing a CCM studio production The World Goes ‘Round, the Kander and Ebb musical review. (John Kander and Fred Ebb are best known for shows like Chicago and Cabaret).
I was in my salad days learning about theater. I did not know much about the musicals these songs came from (I’ve seen many of them since), but do remember being truly delighted by this evening of theater.
Since CCM is reviving The World Goes ‘Round in the Cohen Family Studio Theater I was able to revisit the show. It is still a delightful piece and this production is a great version of this musical review.
Solid Direction
The success of this production rests with director (and choreographer) John Walden, Artist in Residence for Musical Theatre Dance.
In the program notes, Walden talks about his approach to making this review work—the performers are acting the songs they are singing. They do this because Walden creates an overarching narrative for the review. He writes about this narrative, saying:
“Nine CCM Musical Theatre graduates return for their tenth-class reunion to put on a gala celebrating the contributions of Kander and Ebb. Though excited to return to the Cohen Family Studio Theatre, they must navigate through the feelings of being back at their alma mater, the varied relationships they have and/or had with each classmate and the anxieties associated with success and failure.”
Nine Performers
To introduce this concept, the nine CCM Musical Theatre performers–Grace Capeless, Monique Churchill, Josh Devine, Hannah Ervin, Nick Gundrum, Jordyn Jones, Sydney Short, Declan Smith, Way Wagoner–all come onto stage with rolling suitcases and carry-on luggage and proceed to greet each other as though they have not seen each other for years.
This approach invites the audience into the action and makes us more receptive to the acting that the performers are doing within the songs. For instance, Declan Smith’s rendition of “Marry Me” needs both his own acting out of the song lyrics, as well as Grace Capeless reacting to every line of Smith’s song (she never sings or says a word throughout the whole song). Remove Capeless from the song and the entire song would fall flat. Both performers work together to produce something more powerful and memorable than if they were performing solo.
This production has many of those small moments of human connection and I could be writing all day about each and every one of them. Instead, I’ll focus on only two more moments because they are representative of much of this review.
So Many Great Numbers
In the number “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup” from the Kander and Ebb musical 70, Girls, 70, Nick Gundrum leads off the song by deliberately giving each cast member a cardboard coffee cup. The reactions between Gundrum and the cast counters the complaint of the song in that “the trouble with the world today is plain to see/ Is everything is hurry up.” By being deliberate with their interactions with the coffee cups, Gundrum is able to establish bonding and acts as an antidote to the woes described in the piece.
Similarly, in the number “Class” from the Kander and Ebb musical Chicago, Monique Churchill and Hannah Ervin deliver a standout performance both singing and acting out the Chicago song lamenting the lapse of manners within 1920s Chicago. The singing was top notch (Churchill comes into that song directly from doing an equally strong rendition of “All That Jazz”), but what sells this number was the coarseness of their acting as a counterpoint to what they are saying. It was delightful.
Clever Scenic Design
Besides strong direction and singer/actors, the stage and set pieces also contribute to the overall success of the show. The stage is bare, save for a row of painted posters from old Kander and Ebb shows and a rotating proscenium arch. The arch could be the tenth member of the cast, since Scenic Designer Joseph Schmitt creates a piece that interacts with the actors in the show.
One side of this arch echoes the brickwork and lighting in the Cohen Family Studio Theatre. When actors turn it around, the backside reveals the backstage of a theatre, complete with an old Kader and Ebb theater poster, broom, and electrical box.
The only downside to this wonderful arch was that for one song in Act One, the arch faces sideways and becomes a wall to show the distance between the two singers. That move obliterates the view of front row audience members sitting right in front of the arch. Warning: if you want to sit front row center, you might see a lot of red bricks during that number.
My only other quibble about the production was that the music sometimes overshadowed the vocal performances of the singers, especially if they were singing softly. The sound level of the orchestra could be fine-tuned a bit more.
Theatre History Moment
The success of the 1991 production of The World Goes ‘Round on Broadway, as Conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, David Thompson, led to a U.S. Tour–which originated here in Cincinnati a year later.
In speaking with a fellow theater lover Greg Mathein, who was also attending the CCM performance, he mentioned the Cincinnati connection to the U.S. Tour. He also said he became the first one to see the touring show, since he was the only person attending their dress rehearsal the night before the show opened at the Taft Theatre.
I love that type of Cincinnati history.
(Fun fact: Jim Walton, a CCM musical theatre graduate, is part of the original Off-Broadway cast of The World Goes ‘Round.)
Conclusion
In closing, The World Goes ‘Round is a wonderful example of what CCM does best—produce compelling shows that are a delight to the eyes and ears.
I am also remiss in not mentioning the dancing, which was also top notch and well worth attending the show.
Sadly, there are only four performances of this production and all of them are Sold Out. Maybe CCM one day will extend the runs of these studio shows, since they really showcase the best of what their students are capable of achieving. You can try to contact the box office or show up for any cancellations.
For information on upcoming Spring CCM musicals and more, click here https://www.ccm.uc.edu/onstage.html
