Musical mix

If you’re a fan of musical theater or just love to sing show tunes in the shower, then you might get a kick out of Good Luck Macbeth’s production of The World Goes ’Round.

The performance is basically a soundtrack of standards, and some lesser-known numbers, written by the songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb. Instead of telling a clear story, the piece is a revue consisting of an eclectic collection of loosely connected songs, ranging from passionate love songs to witty comic selections.

The songs come from a number of musicals that the team worked on together including New York, New York, Chicago, Cabaret, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, The Rink, and Woman of the Year. The World Goes ’Round was originally conceived by director Scott Ellis, choreographer Susan Stroman and librettist David Thomson and opened in March of 1991 off Broadway. It’s a fun, slightly campy—though dramatic at times—production that juxtaposes previous material from multiple sources to create new relationships.

GLM’s version is directed by Chad Sweet, who’s also one of five actors starring in the show. Musical director Bill Weiser conducts a live ensemble during the show. Placed to the side of the stage, his conducting became a large part of the performance. The other actors in the production are Adam Whitney, Marti Creveling, Lauren Carter and Diane Strand, with choreography by Rachel Lopez.

Because of the nature of the show, the actors are required to take on multiple characters and personalities, switching from upbeat group pieces to emotive solos. The set, props and costumes are minimal, with most of the numbers having brief pauses between them while some segue into each other. The whole piece is like one long medley—which means all of the actors are on the stage for the majority of the performance, and they aren’t just standing around, they’re singing and dancing.

A highlight is Whitney and Strand performing “Arthur in the Afternoon”—while Strand sings, Whitney pantomimes a macho guy with essentially no redeeming qualities. Three different songs from three different musicals come together in a medley—“Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Only Love,” and “Marry Me,” which incorporates tango. Another highlight was the performance of “The Rink,” in which the actors stand up to reveal skates on their feet and then finish the number with choreographed skating.

Unfortunately, the night I saw the performance, Strand fell at the end of the song and, because it is a humorous piece—the women are introduced roller derby style—it seemed to be an intentional pratfall, part of the show. But it turned out she broke her wrist. It was unclear how this would affect future performances. For the duration of that performance, Weiser sang her parts.

The props used in the show are clever and, because of the minimal style, become very important. The use of Sara Lee cake boxes as tiaras in “Sara Lee,” and crutches that turn into guns in “Pain” is well done. The production is full of little surprises that, while facile at times, serve the purpose of engaging the viewer.

The show finishes up strong with the theme from New York, New York—complete with a Swedish chef. Most of the actors have strong voices and do a wonderful job of switching from personality to personality (and singing in a different language for in the finale). Overall, it’s an energetic production that is entertaining and, if the tunes are familiar, will recall the larger bodies of work from which they come from—sort of like a musical theater mix tape.