Broadway classics come back ’round

What do you get when you combine roller skates, instruments and a whole lot of singing and… What do you get when you combine roller skates, instruments and a whole lot of singing and dancing? ‘The World Goes ‘Round,’ the latest show to hit Pittsburgh Public Theater. The song and dance revue was created in 1991 by famed Broadway music and lyric writers John Kander and Fred Ebb. The Tony, Grammy and Oscar-winning duo were in the business for over 40 years, writing songs for hit shows like ‘Chicago’ and ‘Cabaret.’ Conjured by director Scott Ellis, choreographer Susan Stroman and librettist David Thompson, ‘The World Goes ‘Round’ pays tribute to the finest work of Kander and Ebb. Audiences will be entertained with a night of the funny, the foreign and the familiar in songs like ‘All That Jazz’ and ‘New York, New York.’ Margie Romero, the communications manager at Pittsburgh Public Theater, explained why the show was an easy choice for the theater and cited Artistic Director Ted Pappas as the driving force behind bringing the show to Pittsburgh ‘mdash; Pappas saw and liked it. Tari Kelly, who returns for this show, had appeared in ‘Cabaret’ here and was a big success. ‘World Goes ‘Round,’ however, is a little different than the typical musical. ‘It’s all singing and dancing, no book or storyline. One song flows right into the next song. It’s nicely put together. People will be amazed at how many great songs there are. Even ones that were written years ago are still timely,’ laughed Romero, citing lyrics about losing all your money. Michael Rice, the show’s music director, will play the piano. Five other local musicians comprise the live band, playing a wide spread of instruments. Potential audience members should open their minds to the change of pace with ‘The World Goes ‘Round,’ said Romero. ‘Even if they don’t know if they’ll like it or not, it’s something that is an experience. All the performers have been on Broadway. They’re really the creme of the crop.’ The top of the line is a necessity for this kind of production, as the workload is no easy task for the cast and crew. ‘There are 23 songs total, and each of us is responsible for about 15. In a normal show you may have seven,’ said cast member Michele Ragusa. The actress just finished succeeding Megan Mullally as Elizabeth in the Broadway production of ‘Young Frankenstein,’ but said she had to build up her stamina to keep up with this show. ‘This was a bit of a shock to me,’ said Ragusa, ‘Coming off of ‘Young Frankenstein,’ where I would have a song in the beginning and then have a huge break. I’d go in the back and watch TV and knit.’ This is not quite the case with ‘World Goes ‘Round,’ where the performers constantly move around. Not only is the show a vocal and physical strain, but the performers are responsible for many other stunts to keep audiences engaged, Ragusa explained. ‘There’s roller skating, banjo playing and four of us have to sing in a foreign language. We have a couple of other tricks up our sleeve, but I won’t give it all away,’ said Ragusa. Part of what makes the show performable, explained Ragusa, is its lack of speaking parts. ‘Speaking actually fatigues you more since your voice isn’t supported. In this case, it’s just music,’ she said. The cast’s tight-knit dynamic also adds to the success of the show. ‘There are just five of us, so it’s a small cast. Everyone is wonderfully talented and really open to trying things. We’re really supportive of each other. We have to be, since it’s so exhausting,’ she said. Ragusa, who has been in show business for 20 years, came across the show through a number of contacts, including David Loud, the original musical director. Ragusa hesitated about the long list of requirements for the show, but when Loud was at her house for Thanksgiving dinner, her qualms were settled. ‘We were sitting at the dinner table and I said, ‘How much banjo?’ He asked if I was talking about ‘World Goes ‘Round?’ and I said, ‘How much banjo?’ He said, ‘Not much.” Before she knew it, Ragusa was part of the piece. ‘The show on its own is a lovely evening of music. There are songs that you’ll recognize and songs that you won’t,’ said Ragusa. ‘There were songs that I didn’t even know, but they’re all beautiful. There are great duets, great character numbers. It’s something the Pittsburgh community should definitely see.’ With near non-stop musical excitement, ‘The World Goes ‘Round,’ is sure to leave viewers spinning faster than a roller-skate wheel.