Colored Lights: Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration, and All That Jazz

by John Kander, Fred Ebb, Greg Lawrence

The autobiography, in dialogue, of the composer and lyricist of Chicago and Cabaret as well as a wise and witty memoir of forty years of American musicals.

Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb are the longest-running composer-lyricist team in Broadway history, having first joined forces in 1962. The creators of such groundbreaking musicals as Chicago , Cabaret , and Kiss of the Spider Woman , Kander and Ebb have helped to push American musical theater in a more daring direction, both musically and dramatically. Their impact on individual performers has been great as well, starting with the handpicked star of their first an untested nineteen-year-old named Liza Minnelli (who writes of this experience in her introduction).

Colored Lights covers the major shows of Kander and Ebb's partnership, from Flora, The Red Menace (starring a then-unknown Liza) to The Visit , due to open on Broadway in 2004. The pages and musicals in between reveal what has made theirs such a long-lived musical partnership--and one so valued by the artists they have worked with. In recounting the genesis and controversies of Cabaret , reflecting on the superstar mentality of such artist as Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, and recalling their work with Bob Fosse on Chicago (as well as their views on the blockbuster 2002 film), John Kander and Fred Ebb provide a history not only of their own lives but also of the American musical theater of the late twentieth century.

Genres: Music, Theatre, Memoir, Musicals, Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2003

Reviews

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jay Gatsby insists that you can repeat the past, and John Kander and Fred Ebb would be likely to agree. Though the nuts and bolts of their writing style evolved over the years, they remained rooted in the pre-rock sounds of jazz and sweeping romanticism. This book is less of a biography than a master class on fifty years of creative process, taught as a conversation between the two inherently lovable characters of Kander and Ebb. As a writer myself, this is invaluable.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essentially a very long interview with John Kander and Fred Ebb, reading their back and forth with each other is especially charming. Really excellent break down for anyone wanting to know more about their creative process.

[Caleb Hoyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so entertaining for musical theater lovers. It's laid out as a transcript, making it a total breeze to read, and it really lets the voices of these two giants come through. They feel like an old married couple, finishing each others sentences, with distinct but complementary personalities and a rich catalogue of shared memories. If you're not familiar with their work then I can't imagine it would be very interesting, but if you are it's a quick, fun, and fascinating read.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as fascinating and lively as I hoped it would be (I love Kander and Ebb), but it's still worth the time if you're into musical theater and/or Kander and Ebb shows. It's pretty cool to read their reminiscences of all the shows they did together. The conversational interview format (most of the book is transcribed conversations between the two of them) makes it very engaging.

[Joe Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining and very juicy book length conversation between lyricist Fred Ebb and composer John Kander whose credits include ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Chicago.’ Greg Lawrence moderated the conversation which takes us from the two artist’s early days - Kander worked on a number of flops including ‘A Family Affair’ and Ebb contributed to the short-lived NBC satirical revue ‘That Was the Week That Was’ - before they were teamed up by director George Abbott and then-producer Harold Prince to do the songs for ‘Flora, the Red Menace.’ The show was a flop but it launched Liza Minnelli’s career when she won the Tony (the performer also had much of her concert material written by Ebb from that point on).
Despite the failure of ‘Flora’ Prince hired the duo for his next show, ‘Cabaret,’ and the rest is Broadway history.
The two men are remarkably frank about their bad times, including a very troubled collaboration with Bob Fosse on the original production of ‘Chicago.’ The two men were stung by Fosse’s portrayal of them as disloyal in his thinly fictionalalized account of the creation of ‘Chicago’ in his acclaimed film ‘All That Jazz.’ They deny Fosse’s charge in the film that when he had a heart attack during ‘Chicago’ rehearsals they tried to get Harold Prince to replace him. (Fosse recovered and returned to the show six months after his heart attack).
The book is a must read for any Broadway musical fan.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Their story is entertaining enough, but this is kind of a sloppy approach to biography. Apparently they sat down with a ghost writer and just kind of talked about things, which were mostly transcribed. It does give you an insight into the way the two men interact with each other, but it also means that the narrative meanders. I enjoyed it, but it shouldn't be the final word on these careers.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting set of interviews with John Kander and the late Fred Ebb about their lives and careers. If anyone has questions about their careers and works I would consult this book first. Very candid but not sensationalistic. Nice job by their co-writer Greg Lawrence. Recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice conversation between the guys behind some of my favorite musicals. Full of fun facts and trivia I never realized (like they were the ones that wrote the song New York, New York)

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shear delight! I would read a million hours worth of transcripts between Kander and Ebb - that easy chemistry/banter is gold. Yes, there wasn't much there re: the actual shows themselves, but I was so taken with these two that I didn't mind. Also, they came across as genuinely such nice people/collaborators - great examples of how you can not be assholes and still make beautiful art (the story about Kander protecting Ebb from Fosse during "Chicago" especially got me)!

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good anecdotes, but pretty disappointing after reading Sondheim's collection of lyrics and stories about the theater.

[Michael Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liza Minelli is a mess!

I began reading this book after seeing a concert on PBS of Kandler & Ebb songs and f finished just after seeing the new blueray version of Cabaret. I liked it.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly satisfying amount of candidness wrapped in a winning format: straight-up interview. I appreciated the interruptions by Liza and Hal Prince that provided a different perspective on things but I must admit this book is not for the uninitiated.