It's Springtime for ....Kander and Ebb

Reading through the announcement of casting for much of the Kander and Ebb celebration that will be kicking off shortly at the Signature Theatre in Virginia, I started thinking about there other shows, and how, during the next few months, one could catch not only the shows that are playing at this acclaimed Virginia theatre, but also in New York and elsewhere in the country.

Consider this: you could start off in New York and see two of the famed duo's shows. There's the long-running revival of Chicago at the Ambassador and Curtains (with contributions from Rupert Holmes) at the Al Hirschfeld. Also this later month, you'll be able to see a concert incarnation of Flora, the Red Menace at the Duplex Theater – a show produced by Opening Doors Theatre Company that's going to run February 24 & 25, and March 2 & 3.

Now, that pulls us pretty close to the start of the celebration at the Signature which gets underway on March 11 with the first performance of Kiss of the Spider Woman, which will continue through April 20. The show's going to star Natasha Diaz as Aurora, the Spider Woman of the title, and Hunter Foster and Will Chase as the cellmates who both fall under her spell. While "Kiss" is running, the theater will start up a second Kander and Ebb collaboration, The Happy Time, their 1968 work about a worldly photographer and the influence that he holds over his young nephew. When the show first played Broadway, it starred Robert Goulet. For the Signature revival, that role will be played by Michael Minarik. Also in the company – George Dvorsky and David Margulies. The production will run April 1 through June 1.

The final entry in the Signature celebration will be the team's long-in-development musicalization of Durrenmatt's The Visit, a show that was produced several seasons back at the Goodman in Chicago. In Virginia, the stars will be Chita Rivera and George Hearn, and the production's scheduled to run May 13 through June 22.

In addition to these productions, you'll be able to catch a couple of special shows at the Signature during its celebration. Karen Akers will perform her cabaret tribute to the team from March 11 through March 16. And then, June 4-7, graduates from the theater's Musical Theater Institute will perform a revue of Kander and Ebb hits in "Kander and Ebb Overtures."

Now, just while Signature is presenting "Happy Time," you'll need to hop out to Minnesota to catch a production of Cabaret that will be playing at the Ordway Center in St. Paul (running May 2-18).

Finally, and just because this will take some planning …there's going to be a production of 70, Girls, 70 playing in August. It's in Gosford Australia. It will run August 1 through 22 at the Laycock Street Theatre.

Meanwhile, you'll want to keep in mind the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts's multi-media exhibit "Songwriters and the Tony Awards." Cabaret will be one of the show highlighted in this tribute that will be on display from February 26 through June 14.

Another tribute – this one to Ebb – will be taking place at the 92nd Street Y from February 23 – February 25 – "Life Is a Cabaret: A Tribute to Fred Ebb." Scheduled to appear: Brent Barrett, Judy Blazer, Diana Canova, Tyne Daly, and David Garrison.

Quick links:

Chicago: www.ChicagoTheMusical.com
Curtains: www.CurtainsTheMusical.com
Signature Theatre Company: www.Sig-Online.org
Opening Doors Theatre Company: www.ODTConline.org
Ordway Center: www.Ordway.org
Laycock Street Theatre: www.Laycock.com
New York Public Library: www.NYPL.org
92nd Street Y: www.92ndsty.org