Review: BUMT's Sparkling and Sophisticated THE WORLD GOES 'ROUND Is Gone Too Soon

Sometimes, even imperceptibly and when you least expect it, you may find yourself in search of something that helps to take you away from the rigors of the real world, to transport you to a long-dreamed-of land of fantasy which exists in your heart of hearts. Perhaps that journey is spurred on by a passing thought, a barely realized memory of something lost long ago to the past, or you hear a snippet of a song, a melody that instantly makes your heart fill with emotion, and you are swept away...

Oftentimes, that happens to me when I hear a favorite showtune, a familiar song associated with musical theatre that transports me to someplace fanciful and utopian, transforming me into a better version of myself. More often than not - at least for the past couple of months - it happens when I hear a much-loved tune by John Kander and Fred Ebb. For the first several weeks of 2023, part of my morning ritual has included listening to a cast album from one of the inventive and imaginative musicals created by the enduring duo.

Imagine, if you will, my utter delight when Nancy Allen, Coordinator of Musical Theatre at Belmont University told me her cadre of amazingly talented students and faculty collaborators would be staging The World Goes 'Round - The Songs of Kander and Ebb, a musical revue that I have loved since its debut off-Broadway in 1991, this February.

Directed and choreographed by Casey Hebbel (herself not so far removed from her own time as one of the legions of incredibly talented and tremendously promising musical theatre students honing their craft and polishing their resumes in the BUMT program), The World Goes 'Round serves as just the latest great big musical hit to come from Belmont's future Tony Award Winners-in-training. Featuring some of Kander and Ebb's most beloved compositions - Cabaret, Chicago, The Rink, Woman of the Year, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Flora, The Red Menace are among their stage musicals represented, along with songs from their film scores for Funny Lady and New York, New York (which finally gets the Broadway stage treatment fans have longed for since the late 1970s, in an adaptation directed by Susan Stroman later this spring) and one number ("Ring Them Bells") from their award-winning 1972 television special, Liza With a Z, starring Liza Minnelli - The World Goes 'Round offers an abundance of riches, filled with songs that promise the recollection of so many memories from back in the day; days when (well, not to put too fine a point on it, but...) I was the same age as Hebbel's astoundingly gifted cast of actors are now.

Catie Whittet is the perfect choice to open the proceedings with an exquisitely nuanced performance of "And The World Goes 'Round" from New York, New York. All eleven members of the cast bring "Yes" and "Coffee In A Cardboard Cup" (one of my very favorite Kander and Ebb songs) to life with panache and verve, thanks in large part to Hebbel's swell choreography for the latter number.

Grant Weathington's take on "The Happy Time" is warmly memorable, while Olivia Whitner's poignant performance of "Colored Lights" is breathtaking, and Sabrina Reed's startlingly heartfelt rendition of "My Coloring Book" delivers an emotional wallop.

Christian Sandoval's performance of "I Don't Remember You" from The Happy Time (which may be the one Kander and Ebb song guaranteed to always make me cry) was nothing short of stunning. Paired in a vignette with "Sometimes A Day Goes By" from Woman of the Year, given a pitch-perfect reading by Noah Henry.

The multi-talented and versatile Kendall Bryant, ideally cast as Velma Kelly to lead this revue's version of "All That Jazz" from Chicago, shines with the rest of the ensemble, while they lend a unique flavor to the much-loved tune. Nathan Ancheta takes on the role of Chicago's Amos Hart, lending a sense of freshness to the character's "Mr. Cellophane" that is completely unexpected.

Funny Lady's "How Lucky Can You Get?" is brought to brilliant life by Danielle Kuera and the men of the ensemble - the aforementioned Messrs. Weathington, Sandoval, Henry, Ancheta and Henry Beddoe (about whom more is to follow) - who give another favorite song of mine yet another near-perfect performance. Henry Beddoe (who someone should really get to work on casting as the Master of Ceremonies in a revival of Cabaret; he'd knock it out of the park) shows off some impressive comic timing and superb dancing skills in his performance of "Sara Lee," surrounded by Abby Murphy, Dani Kucera, Kendall Bryant and Sabrina Reed.

Act One is brought to a spectacular finish with "The Rink," from the show of the same name in which the ensemble (save for Ms. Whittet) performed on roller skates.

Abby Murphy is given her moment to really shine in the Act Two opener of "Ring Them Bells" that rivals Liza's turn on TV back in the last century, with an able assist from Dani, Henry, Kendall and Noah.

Sandoval gives a haunting performance of the title song from Kiss of the Spider Woman (there's another show that's ripe for a revival), followed by Reed's "Only Love" from Zorba, that is paired sweetly with Noah Henry's "Marry Me" from The Rink. One of the loveliest vignettes comes late in Act Two, with Ancheta's performance of "We Can Make It" from The Rink, Kucera's stunning "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret and Whittet's "Isn't This Better" from Funny Lady staged together in a particularly compelling and heartrending scene.

The show's finale, which features every cast member, includes "Money, Money" and a jazz-influenced and unexpectedly upbeat version of "Cabaret," leading to a stirring and prophetic rendition of "New York, New York."

Hebbel's production is stylish and sparkling, belying the cast's youthfulness to create an altogether wonderful musical revue that Nashville audiences expect from BUMT production. There is an effervescence in Hebbel's clever choreography (Laura Oldham McCann stages "All That Jazz" and cast member Kendall Bryant does double duty as choreographer/dance captain) that showcases her actors at their very best.

As musical director of the revue, the legendary Jo Lynn Burks (BUMT's resident music director and award-winning cabaret artist from New York City's celebrated and unequaled cabaret circuit -along with a litany of other starry credits on her resume), lends a sense of entertainment gravitas to the proceedings and, by so doing, helps the eleven students in the cast achieve the level of musical sophistication that allows them to soar. She and her musicians (Sam Merill on trumpet, Stuart Caron on bass, Robby Shankle on reeds and drummer Brad Williamson) performed the score with impressive precision and impeccable style.

Richard Davis and Bill Niebuhr's evocative lighting illuminated every moment with skill and artistry, and kudos to Sean Phelan for ideal audio design (bet you never expected to read that in a review by me).

Finally, I must share the heartbreaking news that The World Goes 'Round ran for just three performances last weekend and now its artistry is somewhere amid the creative ether of the universe. In a perfect world, it would run forever - or at least until the end of the semester - but for two hours on a lovely Sunday afternoon, everyone in the audience at Massey Auditorium was swept away. Wish you were there...

The World Goes 'Round. Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman and David Thompson. Directed and choreographed by Casey Hebbel. Music direction by Jo Lynn Burks. Stage managed by Tyne Dougherty. Presented by Belmont University Musical Theatre, at Massey Auditorium, Nashville. February 17-19. Running time: 2 hours (with one 15-minute intermission).

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