It’s hot. You’re not up for Shakespeare. How about some hilarious hi-jinks and the best songs Kander and Ebb ever wrote? New Rep’s delightful musical revue of songs from Cabaret, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago and more is called THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND and it’s running through July 31st.
Director/choreographer Ilyse Robbins gets maximum comic effect from songs like the fabulously naughty “Arthur in the Afternoon.” Dynamo Shannon Lee Jones proffers a girl’s best “secret to happiness” while the dashing De’Lon Grant reveals some outrageous, muscular musical timing. Jones then knocks “All That Jazz” out of the ballpark and Grant shows his vulnerable side with the Spider Woman’s “Kiss.”
Speaking of comic gold, chanteuse Aimee Doherty reveals her considerably talented funny bone in the ensemble romp, “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup” and “Class” with Leigh Barrett. Then she turns the tables on “How Lucky can You Get.” Barrett can do it all and she breaks your heart big time in “Colored Lights” and again in “My Coloring Book.”
David Costa, too, can bring a tear to your eye in his sad sack “Mr. Cellophane,” then get lots of laughs with his delicious “Sara Lee.”…not to mention the laughter Robbins gets from the staging. Her clever choreography and Todd Gordon’s musical direction make this revue much more than mere cabaret. It’s the best of both worlds: You can see your favorite numbers from lots of Kander and Ebb shows and all in one magical evening.
