The audience enters the church basement that is the Pacific Theatre to find a stage adorned with costumes that represent the four decade musical “marriage” and just a dozen shows of John Kander and Fred Ebb.

The World Goes ‘Round is a musical overview of 28 show tunes from their hugely popular Broadway musicals Cabaret, Chicago and New York, New York plus some ridiculously obscure songs from near-misses and forgettable flops such as Flora, the Red Menace, The Rink and 70, Girls, 70.

The real magic of this revue is the alchemy of Kander and Ebb's songs and of course, the dancing. Melissa Young and Shane Snow (who also directs and plays clarinet with the on-stage band) put together flawless choreography that brings to mind the artistry of the late Bob Fosse.

It’s a very capable cast of Sarah Gay, Alison MacDonald, Jennifer Neumann, Jeremy Crittenden and Timothy Gledhill who deliver with exuberant charm the heart and humour of the show. They offer solid staging to the less well known tunes and breathe new life into classic numbers like “New York, New York” (in five languages) and “Money, Money” (from Cabaret).

It’s the women though, who shine brightest with each bringing their own individual talent to the production. Sarah Gay has a lyric mezzo-soprano voice and she uses it well in setting the tone for the show with the title song and later with the bittersweet "My Coloring Book."

North Shore resident Jennifer Neumann whom I last saw playing the role of Marjorie in the Arts Club presentation of Gypsy last year, displays a remarkable sense of movement around the stage. She dances her way through "Arthur in the Afternoon," a tongue-in-cheek paean to daytime dalliances and positively sizzles in fishnets on "All That Jazz."

Alison MacDonald may lack Gay’s vocal prowess and Neumann’s stage agility, but she conveys a natural penchant for comedy. On "Class," which was inexplicably left out of the film version of "Chicago," she performs a female duet with Sarah Gay. The pair draws the loudest laughs from the audience as they lament on the manners and morals of present-day society.

Many of the show’s highlight’s come from the ensemble moments. As with the caffeine infused "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup" from 70 Girls, 70; In which, the five cast members deplore the fast pace of the world, exemplified by the practice of serving coffee in a cardboard cup – Starbucks executives take note!

The production is not perfect. It suffers greatly from the choice of venue. The small stage limits the free form style on some numbers and the cast aren’t always aware of turning their backs to half of the audience.

I was personally disappointed that Kiss of the Spider Woman was neglected in favour of no less than four songs from what was perhaps Kander and Ebb's biggest flop. It’s unlikely that many in the audience would recall The Rink, a mostly forgotten musical about a dilapidated roller rink at a rundown seaside amusement park that hides behind the pretentious sociological theme of urban decay.

But finally, the cast, with the help of David Rogers on piano, Gordon Roberts on drums and Shane Snow on clarinet reminds us all that, “Life is a cabaret old chum... “

© 2008 John Jane