rightKander and Ebb were a highly successful songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 - September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musicals, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies including their most famous song, the theme song from Martin Scorsese's ''New York, New York''. Recorded by many artists, "New York, New York" became a signature song for Frank Sinatra. The team also became associated with two actresses, Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, for whom they wrote a considerable amount of material for the stage, concerts and television.

History

John Kander and Fred Ebb were introduced by their mutual music publisher Tommy Valando in 1962. They first collaborated on an unproduced musical called ''Golden Gate'', which producer-director Harold Prince called "...basically a test to see if the collaboration was any good." They wrote ''Flora the Red Menace'', their first musical to be produced on Broadway, in 1965, in which Liza Minnelli made her Broadway debut. Another early collaboration was the industrial musical ''General Electric presents Go Fly a Kite'' written with Walter Marks for General Electric's 5th Electric Executives Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1966.

Kander's and Ebb's greatest acclaim came from the musical ''Cabaret'' (1966) and the 1972 film version. The musical, directed by frequent collaborator Harold Prince, was a major success, with a Broadway run of over 1,100 performances. It won a Tony Award as the season's best musical, and its original cast recording won a Grammy Award. The film, directed by Bob Fosse, won eight Academy Awards. The musical ''Chicago'' (1975) after an excellent initial run of 936 performances was revived on Broadway in 1996 to become an even greater hit. It has become the longest-running revival in Broadway history, and the 2002 film version was also a great success, including an Oscar nomination for the collaboration. Other Broadway successes included ''Woman Of The Year'' (1981), ''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1992), and, posthumously for Ebb, ''Curtains'' (2006).

Minnelli became strongly associated with Kander and Ebb, with Ebb producing Minnelli's Emmy-winning television special ''Liza with a Z''. They appreciated the actress's excellent musicianship and found her congenial to work with. Kander said, "One of the nice things about writing for Liza is that you don't have to write for Liza. She can do anything. You know that whatever you do write, she's going to deliver it exactly the way you intended it. It's really the same with Chita Rivera, the other woman in our lives."

Kander's and Ebb's fascination with the collaborative process began with their work on ''Cabaret'', where a long experimental period permitted actors such as Joel Grey to contribute ideas toward the creation of their characters. The creative team often met at Harold Prince's home to discuss ideas. These sessions are discussed in the Kander and Ebb biography, ''Colored Lights'', as 'what if' sessions.

In 1998, Kander and Ebb were recognized for their contributions to theatre and music with Kennedy Center Honors.

In 1994, they were granted honorary Doctorate degrees from Niagara University, in Lewiston, New York.

The final collabroation between the two was ''The Scottsboro Boys'', which played on Broadway for a short time in 2010. The book was written by David Thompson and choreographed and directed by Susan Stroman.

Musicals

''Flora, The Red Menace'' (1965)

''Cabaret'' (1966)

''Go Fly A Kite'' (1966), an industrial musical for General Electric

''The Happy Time'' (1968)

''Zorba'' (1968)

''70, Girls, 70'' (1971)

''Chicago'' (1975)

''2 by 5'' (1976)

''The Act'' (1978)

''Woman of the Year'' (1981)

''The Rink'' (1984)

''And The World Goes 'Round'' (1991)

''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1992)

''Steel Pier'' (1997)

''Fosse'' (1999)

''Over And Over'' aka ''All About Us'' (a.k.a. ''The Skin Of Our Teeth'') (1999)

''The Visit'' (2001)

''Liza's Back'' (Wrote the Title Song: 'Liza's Back') (2002)

''Curtains'' (2006)

''The Scottsboro Boys'' (2010)

Films

''Cabaret'' (1972)

''Funny Lady'' (1975)

''New York, New York'' (1977) (Four original songs, including the famous title song)

''Chicago'' (2002)

References

External links

Kennedy Center bio Fred Ebb

Kennedy Center bio John Kander

PBS biography

Category:American musical theatre lyricists Category:American lyricists Category:Songwriting teams Category:Grammy Award winners

no:Kander og Ebb pt:Kander e Ebb ru:Кандер и Эбб

name	Chita Rivera
birthname	Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero
birth date	January 23, 1933
birth place	Washington, D.C., U.S.
occupation	Actress, dancer, singer
spouse	Tony Mordente (m. 1957)
yearsactive	1952–present
website	http://www.chitarivera.com/ }}

Chita Rivera (born January 23, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award (December 2002). She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Early years

Rivera was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Katherine, a government clerk, and Pedro Julio Figueroa del Rivero, a clarinetist and saxophonist for the United States Navy Band. Her father was Puerto Rican and her mother was of Scottish and Italian descent. Rivera was seven years old when her mother was widowed and went to work for The Pentagon.

In 1944, Rivera's mother enrolled her in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet (now the Jones Haywood School of Dance). Later, when she was 15, a teacher from George Balanchine's School of American Ballet visited their studio and Rivera was one of two students picked to audition in New York City; she was accompanied to the audition by Doris Jones, one of the people who ran the Jones-Haywood School. Rivera's audition was successful and she was accepted into the school and given a scholarship.

Broadway

In 1952, Rivera accompanied a friend to the audition for a Broadway production of ''Call Me Madam'' and ended up winning the role herself. She followed this by landing roles in other Broadway productions such as ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''Can-Can''. In 1957, she was cast in the role which was destined to make her a Broadway star, the firebrand Anita in ''West Side Story''. (The role would bring fame and an Oscar to another Puerto Rican, Rita Moreno, in the 1961 film version). Rivera starred in a national tour of ''Can-Can'' and played the role of Nicky in the film adaptation of ''Sweet Charity'' with Shirley MacLaine.

On December 1, 1957, Rivera married dancer Tony Mordente. Her performance was so important for the success of the show that the London production of ''West Side Story'' was postponed until she gave birth to the couple's daughter Lisa. In 1963, Rivera was cast opposite Alfred Drake in ''Zenda''. The Broadway-bound musical closed on the road. In 1975 she appeared as Velma Kelly in the original cast of the musical ''Chicago''.

In 1984 she starred in the musical ''The Rink'' with Liza Minnelli and won her first Tony award for her role as Anna. In 1986, Rivera was in a severe accident when her car collided with a taxi on West 86th Street in Manhattan. Injuries sustained included the breaking of her left leg in twelve places, requiring eighteen screws and two braces to mend. After rehabilitation, Rivera continued to perform on stage. Miraculously revitalized, in 1988, she endeavored in a restaurant venture in partnership with the novelist, Daniel Simone. The eatery, located on 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenue, was named after her, 'Chita's'. It soon became a significant attraction for the after-theater crowds and remained open until 1994.

In addition to her ballet instructors, Rivera credited Leonard Bernstein and Gwen Verdon, with whom she starred in ''Chicago'', as being people from whom she learned a great deal.

Later years

She appeared in a filmed for the television version of the musical ''Pippin'' in 1981, as "Fastrada". In 1993, she received a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Aurora in the Tony-award winning musical Kiss of the Spider Woman written by Kander and Ebb.

Rivera starred in the Goodman Theatre production of the Kander and Ebb musical ''The Visit'' as "Claire Zachanassian" in 2001. In 2008 she appeared in a revised production of the musical at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, co-starring George Hearn.

In 2003, Rivera returned to Broadway in the 2003 revival of ''Nine'' as Liliane La Fleur, and received her eighth career Tony Award nomination (Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and fourth Drama Desk Award nomination (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical). Chita appeared with Antonio Banderas. She later appeared on the revival's cast album.

On television, Rivera was a guest on the Judy Garland show. She guest-starred along with Michele Lee in a February 2005 episode of ''Will & Grace'', and in December of that year, ''Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life'', a retrospective of her career, opened on Broadway. She received yet another Tony nomination for her self-portrayal. Though she was expected to reprise her role in a Signature Theatre staging of ''The Visit'' in Autumn 2007, that was later postponed to the following season. Instead, she performed at New York's Feinsten's At The Regency supper club in New York for two weeks. Signature Theatre's production of ''The Visit'' opened to rapturous reviews on May 13, 2008 and closed June 22, 2008.

Rivera had a cameo in the 2002 movie version of ''Chicago''. Rivera guest-starred on Disney Channel's ''Johnny and the Sprites'' as Queen of All Magical Beings. The episode debuted on March 15, 2008.

In November 2009, Rivera released a new album titled, "And Now I Swing" to rave reviews.

Theatre credits

''Mr. Wonderful'' .... Rita Romano

''West Side Story'' .... Anita

''Bye Bye Birdie'' .... Rosie Alvarez

''Bajour'' .... Anyanka

''Born Yesterday'' .... Billie Dawn

''The Rose Tattoo''

''Call Me Madam'' .... Principal Dancer

''Threepenny Opera'' .... Jenny

''Sweet Charity'' .... Charity Hope Valentine

''Kiss Me, Kate''

''Bring Back Birdie'' .... Rose Grant

''The Rink'' .... Anna

''Nine the Musical'' .... Liliane La Fleur

''Merlin: The Magical Musical'' .... The Queen

''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' .... Aurora

''The Visit'' .... Claire Zachanassian

''Chicago'' .... Velma Kelly

Film and television work (selected)

''Chicago'' (2002)

''Stonewall 25 - Voices of Pride and Protest'' (1994)

''Mayflower Madam'' (TV) (1987)

''That's Singing: The Best of Broadway'' (''Great Performances'', TV) (1985)

''Pippin'' (1981)

''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1978)

''Once Upon a Brothers Grimm'' (TV) (1977)

''The Marcus-Nelson Murders'' (''Kojack'', TV) (1973)

''Sweet Charity'' (1969)

''The Outer Limits'', (TV) Vol. 20: "The Bellero Shield" (1963)

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

References

External links

Chita Rivera official website

2003 Interview with Chita Rivera about ''West Side Story''.

TonyAwards.com Interviews with Chita Rivera

Category:1933 births Category:American dancers Category:American film actors Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American television actors Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:Tony Award winners

de:Chita Rivera es:Chita Rivera fr:Chita Rivera no:Chita Rivera ru:Ривера, Чита

name	John Cullum
birth date	March 02, 1930
birth place	Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
occupation	Actor
spouse	Emily Frankel (1959-present)
website	}}

John Cullum (born March 2, 1930) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including ''On the Twentieth Century'' (1978) and ''Shenandoah'' (1975), winning the Tony Awards for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for each. He earned his first Tony nomination as lead actor in a musical in 1966 for ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' in which he introduced the title song, and more recently received Tony nominations for ''Urinetown The Musical'' (2002) (best actor in a musical) and as best featured actor in a musical the revival of ''110 in the Shade'' (2007).

He portrayed tavern owner Holling Vincoeur on the television drama series ''Northern Exposure'' (6 seasons), earning an Emmy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. He was featured in fifteen episodes of the NBC television series ''ER'' as Mark Greene's father. He was the farmer in the landmark television drama "The Day After." He has made multiple guest appearances on ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as attorney, now judge, Barry Moredock, and appeared as Mike's father in two Thanksgiving episodes of ''The Middle''.

Biography

Cullum was born in Knoxville, Tennessee where he attended Knoxville High School and the University of Tennessee. He played there on the university's Southeastern Conference championship tennis team, and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta.

He has been married to Emily Frankel since 1959. They have one son, JD Cullum, who is also an actor.

Career

He made his Broadway debut as Sir Dinadan in Alan Jay Lerner's and Frederick Loewe's ''Camelot'' in 1960. He also understudied Richard Burton (King Arthur) and Roddy McDowell (Arthur's son Mordred), going on four times when Burton became ill and succeeding McDowell. He would go on to play Laertes opposite Burton's 1964 Broadway performance as Hamlet (and in the film version of the production) and in Burton's final Broadway appearance in Noel Coward's ''Private Lives'' in 1983.

In 1965, he was called in to replace Louis Jourdan during the Boston tryout of the musical ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.'' It was his first starring role on Broadway, netting him a Theatre World Award and his first Tony Award nomination. The original cast album received a Grammy Award (presented to lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Burton Lane).

He portrayed Edward Rutledge of South Carolina in the Broadway musical ''1776'', providing a dramatic highlight with his performance of "Molasses to Rum," a tirade against the hypocrisy of some Northerners over the slave trade ("They don't keep slaves, but they are willing to be considerable carriers of slaves to others. They're willing – for the shilling.") Cullum had been the third Rutledge on Broadway, but played the role the longest and repeated it for the 1972 film.

He is perhaps best known for premiering the role of Charlie Anderson in the musical ''Shenandoah,'' which began at Goodspeed Opera House, Connecticut in 1974. Cullum won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards when the show was produced on Broadway in 1975. He also played the role at Wolf Trap, Virginia, in June 1976, opened the national tour for 3 weeks in Fall 1977 in Chicago, and starred in the limited run Broadway revival in 1989.

He followed ''Shenandoah'' by playing the maniacal Broadway producer Oscar Jaffee in the 1978 musical ''On the Twentieth Century'', opposite Madeline Kahn and later Judy Kaye, earning his second Tony Award. He received his fourth Tony nomination in 2002 for originating the role of evil moneygrubber corporate president Caldwell B. Cladwell in ''Urinetown The Musical''. He earned his fifth Tony nomination in the 2007 revival of ''110 in the Shade'', playing H.C. Curry, father to Audra McDonald's Lizzie.

Recent Broadway appearances include the title role of William Shakespeare's seldom-performed ''Cymbeline,'' at Lincoln Center in 2007 and ''August: Osage County'', by Tracy Letts for the week of September 16, 2008 and then since November 11, 2008.

In addition to enjoying a long stage career, he is well known to television audiences for his regular role as Holling Vincoeur on the quirky CBS series ''Northern Exposure'', his extended appearances on the NBC medical drama ''ER'' as Mark Greene's father, and on ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as constitutional lawyer and later judge, Barry Moredock. Cullum has also appeared as Lucky Strike executive Lee Garner, Sr. on AMC's Mad Men.

John Cullum most recently appeared on Broadway in ''The Scottsboro Boys'' (2010), a musical by John Kander and the late Fred Ebb about a notorious miscarriage of justice in the American South in the 1930s. ''The Scottsboro Boys'' was directed by Susan Stroman.

John Cullum was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2007.

Work

Stage productions

''Camelot'' (1960)

''Infidel Caesar'' (1962)

''The Rehearsal'' (1963)

''Hamlet'' (1963)

''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' (1965)

''Man of La Mancha'' (1967)

''1776'' (ca. 1970)

''Vivat! Vivat Regina!'' (1972)

''Shenandoah'' (1975)

''The Trip Back Down'' (1977)

''On the Twentieth Century'' (1978)

''Deathtrap'' (1979)

''Private Lives'' (1983)

''Doubles'' (1985)

''The Boys in Autumn'' (1986)

''You Never Can Tell'' (1986)

''Shenandoah'' (revival) (1989)

''Aspects of Love'' (1990)

''Show Boat'' (1994)

''Urinetown'' (2001)

''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' (2006)

''110 in the Shade'' (2007)

''Cymbeline'' (2008)

''August: Osage County'' (2009)

''The Scottsboro Boys'' (2010)

Filmography

''All the Way Home'' (1963)

''Hamlet'' (1964)

''Hawaii'' (1966)

''They Call Me Trinity'' (1971)

''1776'' (1972)

''The Prodigal'' (1983)

''Marie'' (1985)

''Sweet Country'' (1986)

''The Secret Life of Algernon'' (1997)

''Ricochet River'' (1998)

''Held Up'' (1999)

''Inherit the Wind'' (1999)

''Blackwater Elegy'' (2003)

''The Notorious Bettie Page'' (2006)

''The Night Listener'' (2006)

''The Conspirator'' (2011)

Television

''The Edge of Night'' (1966–67)

''One Life to Live'' (1969)

''The Day After'' (1983)

''The Equalizer'' (1986)

''Buck James'' (1987)

''Quantum Leap'' - "To Catch A Falling Star" (1989)

''Northern Exposure'' (1990–95)

''To Have and To Hold'' (1998)

''ER'' (1997–2000)

''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2003–present)

''Mad Men'' (2007)

''The Middle'' (2009)

Awards and nominations

;Awards 1966 Theatre World Award - ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' 1975 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor, Musical - ''Shenandoah'' 1975 Outer Critics Circle Award, Best Performances - ''Shenandoah''

1975 Tony Award Best Actor in a Musical - ''Shenandoah''

1978 Tony Award Best Actor in a Musical - ''On the Twentieth Century''

1982 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for the one-man show ''Whistler''

1998 Founders Day Medal, University of Tennessee

2004 Clarence Brown Theatre Company (University of Tennessee), Lifetime Achievement Award 2007 Inductee American Theatre Hall of Fame

;Nominations

1966 Tony Award Best Actor in a Musical - ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever''

1993 Emmy Award Best Supporting Actor in a Drama - ''Northern Exposure''

2002 Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical - ''Urinetown''

2002 Tony Award Best Actor in a Musical - ''Urinetown''

2005 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play - ''Sin (A Cardinal Deposed)''

2008 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play - ''The Conscientious Objector''

References

External links

John Cullum fansite

Star File: John Cullum

Category:1930 births Category:American male singers Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Knoxville, Tennessee Category:Tony Award winners Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Actors from Tennessee Category:University of Tennessee alumni

fr:John Cullum pl:John Cullum

name	John Kander
background	non_performing_personnel
birth name	John Harold Kander
born	March 18, 1927Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
occupation	Composer
instrument	Piano
genre	Musical theatre, film, television
years active	1957–present
associated acts	Kander and Ebb }}

John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is the American composer of a number of musicals as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb.

Life and career

Kander was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bernice (née Aaron) and Harold S. Kander. Kander attended The Pembroke Country-Day School and Oberlin College before earning a Master's degree at Columbia University where he was a protégé of Douglas Moore and studied composition with Jack Beeson.

Kander began his Broadway career as substitute rehearsal pianist for ''West Side Story''. The stage manager for ''West Side Story'' then asked Kander to play the auditions for her next show, ''Gypsy''. During the auditions, Kander met the choreographer, Jerome Robbins, who suggested that Kander compose the dance music for the show in 1959. After that experience, he wrote dance arrangements for ''Irma la Douce'' in 1960.

His first produced musical was ''A Family Affair'', written with James and William Goldman. He met lyricist Fred Ebb in 1962 and began a songwriting collaboration that would last for more than four decades. Later that year rising star Barbra Streisand recorded two of the duo's songs, "My Coloring Book" and "I Don't Care Much." In 1965, Kander and Ebb landed their first show on Broadway, ''Flora the Red Menace'', produced by Hal Prince, directed by George Abbott, and with book by George Abbott and Robert Russell, in which Liza Minnelli made her initial Broadway appearance. Kander and Ebb have since been associated with writing material for both Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, and have produced ''special material'' for their appearances live and on television.

The musicals ''Cabaret'' and ''Chicago'' have been made into films; the film version of ''Chicago'' won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Picture.

Kander, along with Ebb, also wrote songs for Thornton Wilder's ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and it was set to premiere in London, but the rights were pulled by Wilder's nephew. He also says that Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, the writers of The Fantasticks, wrote a musical of Wilder's ''Our Town'' and it took them thirteen years to write, only to have the rights pulled as well by the nephew.

John Kander work

''Lyrics by Fred Ebb unless otherwise noted'' ;Stage musicals

''A Family Affair'' (1962) - lyrics by William Goldman

''Flora the Red Menace'' (1965)

''Cabaret'' (1966)

''Go Fly a Kite'' (1966) - music and lyrics also by Walter Marks

''The Happy Time'' (1968)

''Zorba'' (1968)

''70, Girls, 70'' (1971)

''Chicago'' (1976)

''The Act'' (1978)

''Woman of the Year'' (1981)

''The Rink'' (1984)

''Diamonds'' (1984) - two songs: ''Winter In New York'' and ''Diamonds Are Forever''

''And The World Goes 'Round'' (1991)

''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1992)

''Steel Pier'' (1997)

''Fosse'' (1999)

''Over and Over'' (1999) - working title: ''The Skin Of Our Teeth''

''The Visit'' (2001)

''Curtains'' (2006) - additional lyrics by Rupert Holmes

''All About Us'' (2007 revision of ''Over and Over'')

''The Scottsboro Boys'' (2010)

;Film The duo also contributed songs for the following movies:

''Cabaret'' (1972) - 3 songs

''Funny Lady'' (1975) - 6 songs

''Lucky Lady'' (1976) - 2 songs

''A Matter of Time'', aka ''Nina'' (1976) - 2 songs

''New York, New York'' (1977) - 4 songs

''French Postcards'' (1979) - 1 song

''Stepping Out'' (1991) - 1 song

''Chicago'' (2002) - 1 song

;Film scores

''Something for Everyone'' (1970)

''Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979)

''Still of the Night'' (1982)

''Blue Skies Again'' (1983)

''Places in the Heart'' (1984)

''An Early Frost'' (TV film, NBC, 1985)

''I Want to Go Home'' (1989)

''Billy Bathgate'' (1991)

''Breathing Lessons'' (TV film, CBS, 1994)

''The Boys Next Door'' (TV film, CBS, 1996)

;Television

''Liza!'' (1970)

''Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back'' (1973) (Frank Sinatra)

''Liza with a Z'' (1972)

''Gypsy In My Soul'' (1976) (Shirley Maclaine)

''Baryshnikov on Broadway'' (1980)

''Liza In London'' (1986)

''Sam Found Out, A Triple Play'' (1988)

''Liza Minnelli, Live From Radio City Music Hall'' (1992)

Awards

''Tony Award'' (1967, for ''Cabaret'')

''Tony Award'' (1981, for ''Woman Of The year'')

''Tony Award'' (1993, for ''Kiss Of The Spiderwoman'')

''Laurence Olivier Award'' (1998, for the London production of ''Chicago'')

''Emmy Award'' (1973, for ''Liza With A Z'')

''Emmy Award'' (1993, for ''Liza Minnelli Live! From Radio City Music Hall'')

''Grammy Award'' (1967, for ''Cabaret'', Original Cast Album)

''Grammy Award'' (1998, for ''Chicago'', Musical Show Album)

The team also received numerous nominations, which include five more Tony Awards, two Academy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.

In 1998, Kander and Ebb received the Kennedy Center Honors award for Lifetime Achievement.

References

External links

[ Kander biography, allmusic.com]

Category:1927 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kansas City, Missouri Category:American musical theatre composers Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Oberlin College alumni Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:LGBT musicians from the United States Category:LGBT composers

ar:جون كاندر cy:John Kander de:John Kander fr:John Kander ru:Кандер, Джон sv:John Kander

name	Fred Ebb
background	non_performing_personnel
born	April 08, 1928Manhattan, NY, U.S.
died	September 11, 2004New York, NY, U.S.
occupation	Lyricist
genre	Musical theatre, film, television
years active	1956–2004
associated acts	Kander and Ebb }}

Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera.

Background

Ebb was born in Manhattan to a Jewish family, the son of Anna Evelyn ( Gritz) and Harry Ebb. He worked during the early 1950s bronzing baby shoes, as a trucker's assistant, and was also employed in a department store credit office and at a hosiery company. Hhe graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, and also earned his Master’s Degree in English from Columbia University.

One of his early collaborators was Phil Springer, and a song they wrote together ("I Never Loved Him Anyhow") was recorded by Carmen McRae in 1956. Another song Ebb wrote with Springer was "Heartbroken" (1953), which was recorded by Judy Garland, the mother of his future protégée, Liza Minnelli. Other Springer-Ebb tunes include "Moonlight Gambler" and "Nevertheless I Never Lost the Blues". "Don't Forget", which he wrote with Norman Leyden, was recorded by singer Eddy Arnold in 1954.

On his first theatrical writing job, he co-wrote the lyrics for the musical revue ''Baker's Dozen'' in 1951. He wrote songs with Norman Martin for the revue ''Put It in Writing'' (1962). He also worked with composer Paul Klein from the early 1950s onward, contributing songs to the cabaret revue ''Isn't America Fun'' (1959) and the Broadway revue ''From A to Z'' (1960), directed by Christopher Hewett. With Klein, Ebb wrote his first book musical, ''Morning Sun''. Originally, Bob Fosse was attached as director. Fosse eventually withdrew from the project, and the show was unsuccessful.

Kander and Ebb

Music publisher Tommy Valando introduced Ebb to Kander in 1962. After a few songs such as "My Coloring Book," Kander and Ebb wrote a stage musical, ''Golden Gate'', that was never produced. However, the quality of the score convinced producer Harold Prince to hire them for their first professional production, the George Abbott-directed musical ''Flora the Red Menace'', based on Lester Atwell's novel ''Love is Just Around the Corner''. Although it won star Liza Minnelli a Tony Award, the show closed quickly.

Their second collaboration, ''Cabaret'', was considerably more successful, running for nearly three years. Directed by Prince and based on the John Van Druten play ''I Am a Camera'' (which, in turn, was based on the writing of Christopher Isherwood), the musical starred Jill Haworth as Sally Bowles, Lotte Lenya as Fraulein Schneider and Joel Grey as the emcee. It won eight of the 11 Tony Awards for which it was nominated, including Best Musical and Best Score. Adapted into a film by Bob Fosse, it won eight Academy Awards, though not Best Picture. It was revived twice, first in 1987 with Grey reprising his role and again in 1998 in a long-running revival, originally starring Alan Cumming as the emcee and Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles.

Their next few works were less successful: ''The Happy Time'', directed by Gower Champion and starring Robert Goulet, ran for less than a year. ''Zorba'', directed by Prince, also ran less than a year, though it was more successful in its 1983 revival; and 70, Girls, 70, which was originally intended as an off-Broadway production, closed after 35 performances.

In 1972, he wrote the television special, ''Liza with a Z''. In 1974, Kander, Ebb and Fosse, contributed to Liza (concert), a concert for Minnelli on Broadway. In 1975, the team wrote the score to ''Funny Lady'', the sequel to ''Funny Girl''. ''Chicago'' (1975) had mixed reviews but ran for more than two years. Starring Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach and Gwen Verdon in her last Broadway role, it suffered from a cynical attitude, which contrasted with the record-breaking popularity of ''A Chorus Line''. Though rumors of a film production directed again by Fosse were heard, the show did not seriously re-surface until 1996, when it was revived as part of the ''Encores!'' series. A huge hit, the minimalist production transferred to Broadway and is still running after more than 6,000 performances. A film version was eventually produced (in 2002) and won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Ebb himself wrote the book for Shirley MacLaine’s Broadway solo revue in 1976. The following year, Kander and Ebb worked with Minnelli and Martin Scorsese twice: first, in the film ''New York, New York'', which had them write what is perhaps their best-known song, the title track; and, again in ''The Act'', a musical about a fictional nightclub act. It ran for under ten months. After contributing a song to Phyllis Newman’s one-woman musical, ''The Madwoman of Central Park West'', the team wrote ''Woman of the Year'', which starred Lauren Bacall and won the team their second Tony Award for Best Score.

''The Rink'' (1984) teamed Kander and Ebb again with Minnelli and Rivera. The cast also included Jason Alexander and Rob Marshall. Following the closure of the show after six months, Kander and Ebb would not produce new material, save for a song in ''Hay Fever'' in 1985, for nine years. In 1991, the revue ''And The World Goes 'Round'' opened off-Broadway, which brought Karen Ziemba, Susan Stroman and Scott Ellis to the attention of the theatre community. The team’s musical adaptation of ''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' opened in 1993, starring Chita Rivera. Reunited with director Harold Prince, the show ran for more than two years and won them their third and last Tony Award for best score.

The team’s last original work to reach Broadway during Ebb's life opened in 1997. ''Steel Pier'' brought together Ziemba, Ellis and Stroman and though the show was nominated for 11 Tonys, it won none and closed after two months. It also featured Kristin Chenoweth. In 1997, Ebb reworked lyrics to Richard Rodgers' melody for the television production of ''Cinderella''. Two decades earlier, Ebb refused the opportunity to write the musical ''Rex'' with Rodgers.

The team also had two works produced outside New York. ''Over & Over'', an adaptation of the Thornton Wilder play ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', was performed at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in 1999 and has been revamped for a 2007 staging by the Westport Country Playhouse under the title ''All of Us''. ''The Visit'', starring Chita Rivera and John McMartin, was presented by the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, as well as the Signature in Arlington (with George Hearn replacing McMartin).

Death and legacy

Ebb died at 76 of a heart attack at his home in New York City.

At the time of his death, Ebb was working on a new musical with Kander, ''Curtains'': A Backstage Murder Mystery Musical Comedy. The project had already lost its book writer, Peter Stone, who died in 2003. The show's orchestrator, Michael Gibson, also died while the project was underway. Coincidentally, the show is about a series of deaths during the production of a Broadway musical. Kander continued working on the project with a new librettist Rupert Holmes, writing new lyrics when necessary. The musical had its world premiere at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles in July 2006, and ran on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre from March 2007 through June 2008.

At its 2007 ceremony, the Drama Desk honored Kander and (the late) Ebb with a special award for "42 years of excellence in advancing the art of the musical theater."

2010 saw the premiere, first off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre, and then on Broadway at the Lyceum, of ''The Scottsboro Boys'', a musical with lyrics by Ebb, music by Kander, and book by David Thompson.

Marvin Hamlisch said of Kander and Ebb, "All I can remember is that working with Fred Ebb was a lot of fun. You know, John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote as a team. So, most of the songs that were written when we usually worked with Liza were written by them. However, when it came to doing arrangements and working on the act and putting things together, I loved working with Fred Ebb. We had the best time. He and I were really good friends. It was just delightful. He was a very, very smart man. And he was very funny. And he was very caustic. I think he probably wrote for her better than anyone in the world could have written for her. He just understood her so well."

See also

Roseann Quinn

References

External links

Fred Ebb Foundation

Fred Ebb in the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Fred Ebb's Papers in the Music Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

''New York Review of Books'': Hilton Als' "Girls & Guns" (3/27/03)

Category:1928 births Category:2004 deaths Category:Jewish composers and songwriters Category:American musical theatre lyricists Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:LGBT musicians from the United States Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:New York University alumni Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:American Jews Category:People from New York City Category:LGBT writers from the United States Category:LGBT Jews

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