Come Hear the Music Play
Muhlenberg Theatre & Dance presents 'Sing Happy!,' a celebration of the music of Kander & Ebb, Nov. 3-5By: Sarah Wedeking ’24 Friday, October 27, 2023 03:38 PM
Start spreadin’ the news! Sing Happy! A Kander & Ebb Project debuts Nov. 3-5 on Muhlenberg College’s Empie Theatre stage, celebrating the songwriting duo of John Kander and Fred Ebb. Kander & Ebb are the Tony Award-winning composers of Cabaret, Chicago, and many other influential musical theatre shows, as well as their most famous song, “New York, New York.”
“We’re celebrating a 40-plus year partnership,” says theatre faculty member James Stabp, who directs the show. “Kander & Ebb’s music and lyrics are daring — they force the audience to really think.”
Sing Happy! is a revue-style musical — the songs in the project are performed as small vignettes. “I wanted to explore more of the themes and lyrics, the ins and outs, in a way that feels more intimate than a fully staged musical,” Stabp says. More than 20 songs are featured in Sing Happy! performed in a mix of ensemble numbers, duets, and solos.
“We’re looking to tell a story of life's struggles and celebrations,” says choreographer Amelie Parzcany ’25.
Stabp says the ensemble stays on stage the whole time — as does a six-piece band, accompanying this ensemble under the leadership of musical director and faculty member Vincent Trovato. “I’m really excited about the band,” Trovato says. “We have marvelous musicians.”
Starting in the 1960s, Kander & Ebb’s partnership produced an extensive string of Broadway hits, including numerous musical numbers that have become standards. But their most famous song, “New York, New York,” wasn’t even from a musical. It was the title theme from the 1977 Martin Scorsese film of the same name, and it was originally sung by Liza Minelli. Frank Sinatra made the song a blockbuster a few years later.
Stabp and Trovato say they hope to a fresh take on Kander and Ebb’s songs. Stabp's vignettes recontextualize the music and lyrics; Trovato has worked to rearrange and remix familiar melodies in innovative ways.
“People know Cabaret & Chicago,” Stabp says. “But we don't always hear their lush, romantic melodies and orchestrations.” Stabp says that audiences will definitely recognize a lot of the songs in Sing Happy!, but he plans to share some of their lesser-known songs as well.
“I keep finding this heartbeat of hopes and dreams, love and loss within their work,” he says. “We want to share the human condition through song.”
Performances of “Sing Happy! A Kander & Ebb Project'' are Nov 3-5, 2023: Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Performances are in the Empie Theater, in the Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College. Tickets are $15. Tickets are available online at muhlenberg.edu/seeashow or by phone at 484-664-3333.
About the Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance Department
Muhlenberg offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in theatre and dance. The Princeton Review ranked Muhlenberg’s theatre program in the top twelve in the nation for eight years in a row, and Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theatre and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States. Muhlenberg is one of only eight colleges to be listed in Fiske for both theatre and dance.
About Muhlenberg College
Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate programs. With an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences; selected preprofessional programs, including accounting, business, education and public health; and progressive workforce-focused post-baccalaureate certificates and master’s degrees. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, approximately 90 miles west of New York City, Muhlenberg is a member of the Centennial Conference, competing in 23 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
