Fred Ebb

Alone among awards shows, the annual Kennedy Center Honors invariably salutes people who deserve it.This year's gala, taped Dec. 6 and airing tonight on WJZ, Channel 13 (9 p.m.-11 p.m.), continues the tradition of showcasing the best the American performing arts scene has to honor. And if some of the show's segments are a bit more spirited and memorable than others, at least everyone's heart is in the right place.The show opens with what proves to be its high point, a vibrant salute to the Broadway composer and lyricist team of John Kander and Fred Ebb that spans their entire career, from the star of their first show (Liza Minnelli)

It's unlikely that you'll see the Lincoln Memorial when the 63rd annual Tony Awards are broadcast tonight. Chances are, the Supreme Court will be nowhere in sight. But Washington is nonetheless going to Broadway's annual celebration of live theater in a big way. Three shows that were born or took shape in the nation's capital are contending for little golden statuettes. Next to Normal, which is nominated for best musical, and 33 Variations, which is up for best play, both were shaped at Arena Stage.

"If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere." "Life is a cabaret." When you hear these phrases, the music sounds in your head. That's one indication of how well songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb integrate music and lyrics. And, when they're writing for Broadway, as they have in such shows as "Chicago," "Cabaret" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman," they weave their songs so neatly into the fabric of the shows, they often seem inseparable. Nine years ago, however, Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman and David Thompson discovered new and witty contexts for Kander and Ebb's greatest hits, as well as some of their lesser-known gems.

In terms of entertainment icons, interviewing Liza Minnelli is like interviewing Frank Sinatra, only without the risk of getting punched. The singer-dancer-actress is one of the very few people to have won the grand slam of the Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards. Even Seabiscuit only had to win a Triple Crown. With her landmark 1972 TV concert, Liza With a Z, resurrected and restored for a Showtime run, and for DVD, Minnelli sits in an Upper East Side hotel being so down to earth she might as well be chatting in the bleachers at a softball game.

'Tiefland' will be staged in WashingtonThe Washington's Opera's production of Eugen d'Albert's "Tiefland" has to be counted among the nation's major operatic events this season. This tale of lust and power -- perhaps the only successful example in German opera of what was called "verismo" in Italian opera -- created a sensation at the beginning of the century. It was produced everywhere -- once even opening the Met's season -- and was a staple of the repertory for years. "Tiefland" now seems confined to Germany, and the Washington Opera's production, which will be conducted by Heinz Fricke, is the first in at least 80 years.

Three musical revues -- the 1991 Tony Award-winning "The Will Rogers Follies," "And the World Goes 'Round" and "Forever Plaid" -- will form the cornerstone of the 1992-1993 season at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre.The season, which could be described as a year in revue, will also include Tom Dulack's off-Broadway comedy "Breaking Legs," the only non-musical in the lineup so far, although three more shows have yet to be announced.Referring to the four offerings as "feel-gooders," Hope Quackenbush, managing director of the Mechanic, said yesterday, "I'm coming to the conclusion it's really not wrong to escape once in a while and have a good time.

Liza Minnelli loves Whitesnake. No, really: Judy Garland's diva daughter -- the triple-threat showbiz legend who has won an Emmy, an Oscar and myriad Tonys -- totally digs the hard, head-banging '80s band. She even has them on her iPod. "Honey, I'm a dancer -- I love rock!" says Minnelli with the verve and volume of a teenager demanding a heavy-metal encore. "I love Whitesnake! You bet!" A phone call with the one and only L-I-Z-A is like chatting with an exclamation point. She's a pip, a hoot, an honest-to-goodness name-in-lights star.

In terms of entertainment icons, interviewing Liza Minnelli is like interviewing Frank Sinatra, only without the risk of getting punched. The singer-dancer-actress is one of the very few people to have won the grand slam of the Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards. Even Seabiscuit only had to win a Triple Crown. With her landmark 1972 TV concert, Liza With a Z, resurrected and restored for a Showtime run, and for DVD, Minnelli sits in an Upper East Side hotel being so down to earth she might as well be chatting in the bleachers at a softball game.

Queen Latifah can get a Golden Globe nomination with one musical number tied behind her back. She had to, since one of her big musical numbers in Chicago, which opened Friday and earned her a best supporting actress nomination, was dumped. "Class" is one of the crowd-pleasing numbers in the Broadway show on which Chicago is based, and you can spot the moment when Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones are about to sing it, but then the movie cuts away from them. "We shot it, we shot it," assures Latifah, by phone.

With its humongous theme of the survival of the human race, Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth" might seem a tough play to turn into a musical.But "Over & Over," the adaptation by famed songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb ("Cabaret," "Chicago") and librettist Joseph Stein ("Fiddler on the Roof"), proves both jaunty and engaging.From its very conception, this world premiere musical at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va., has had a lot going for it. For starters, there's the overt artificiality of the source material.

Liza Minnelli loves Whitesnake. No, really: Judy Garland's diva daughter -- the triple-threat showbiz legend who has won an Emmy, an Oscar and myriad Tonys -- totally digs the hard, head-banging '80s band. She even has them on her iPod. "Honey, I'm a dancer -- I love rock!" says Minnelli with the verve and volume of a teenager demanding a heavy-metal encore. "I love Whitesnake! You bet!" A phone call with the one and only L-I-Z-A is like chatting with an exclamation point. She's a pip, a hoot, an honest-to-goodness name-in-lights star.

Queen Latifah can get a Golden Globe nomination with one musical number tied behind her back. She had to, since one of her big musical numbers in Chicago, which opened Friday and earned her a best supporting actress nomination, was dumped. "Class" is one of the crowd-pleasing numbers in the Broadway show on which Chicago is based, and you can spot the moment when Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones are about to sing it, but then the movie cuts away from them. "We shot it, we shot it," assures Latifah, by phone.

"The Rhythm Club" isn't just another opening, another show for Signature Theatre, the precocious theater company in Arlington, Va., that has gained a national profile in recent years. In February, "The Rhythm Club" will become the first production in the theater's 11-year history to transfer to Broadway. It's a bold move for the 136-seat theater, located in a former auto bumper repair shop in the Washington suburbs. But it's not surprising. By virtue of its solid productions and the relentless drive of artistic director and co-founder Eric Schaeffer, Signature has captured the attention of musical theater heavyweights over the years.

"If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere." "Life is a cabaret." When you hear these phrases, the music sounds in your head. That's one indication of how well songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb integrate music and lyrics. And, when they're writing for Broadway, as they have in such shows as "Chicago," "Cabaret" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman," they weave their songs so neatly into the fabric of the shows, they often seem inseparable. Nine years ago, however, Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman and David Thompson discovered new and witty contexts for Kander and Ebb's greatest hits, as well as some of their lesser-known gems.

Set in a sleazy Berlin nightclub between the two World Wars, "Cabaret" has always been a dark musical. But director Sam Mendes' interpretation is more than dark, it's dangerous - and thrilling. If director Harold Prince's original 1966 version hovered on the edge of explicit sexual, social and political commentary, Mendes' version, playing a two-week run at the Mechanic Theatre, dares to go over the edge, hanging on by its luridly polished fingernails. The result is, quite simply, sensational - in every meaning of the word.

With its humongous theme of the survival of the human race, Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth" might seem a tough play to turn into a musical.But "Over & Over," the adaptation by famed songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb ("Cabaret," "Chicago") and librettist Joseph Stein ("Fiddler on the Roof"), proves both jaunty and engaging.From its very conception, this world premiere musical at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va., has had a lot going for it. For starters, there's the overt artificiality of the source material.

"The Rhythm Club" isn't just another opening, another show for Signature Theatre, the precocious theater company in Arlington, Va., that has gained a national profile in recent years. In February, "The Rhythm Club" will become the first production in the theater's 11-year history to transfer to Broadway. It's a bold move for the 136-seat theater, located in a former auto bumper repair shop in the Washington suburbs. But it's not surprising. By virtue of its solid productions and the relentless drive of artistic director and co-founder Eric Schaeffer, Signature has captured the attention of musical theater heavyweights over the years.

Set in a sleazy Berlin nightclub between the two World Wars, "Cabaret" has always been a dark musical. But director Sam Mendes' interpretation is more than dark, it's dangerous - and thrilling. If director Harold Prince's original 1966 version hovered on the edge of explicit sexual, social and political commentary, Mendes' version, playing a two-week run at the Mechanic Theatre, dares to go over the edge, hanging on by its luridly polished fingernails. The result is, quite simply, sensational - in every meaning of the word.

Alone among awards shows, the annual Kennedy Center Honors invariably salutes people who deserve it.This year's gala, taped Dec. 6 and airing tonight on WJZ, Channel 13 (9 p.m.-11 p.m.), continues the tradition of showcasing the best the American performing arts scene has to honor. And if some of the show's segments are a bit more spirited and memorable than others, at least everyone's heart is in the right place.The show opens with what proves to be its high point, a vibrant salute to the Broadway composer and lyricist team of John Kander and Fred Ebb that spans their entire career, from the star of their first show (Liza Minnelli)

'Tiefland' will be staged in WashingtonThe Washington's Opera's production of Eugen d'Albert's "Tiefland" has to be counted among the nation's major operatic events this season. This tale of lust and power -- perhaps the only successful example in German opera of what was called "verismo" in Italian opera -- created a sensation at the beginning of the century. It was produced everywhere -- once even opening the Met's season -- and was a staple of the repertory for years. "Tiefland" now seems confined to Germany, and the Washington Opera's production, which will be conducted by Heinz Fricke, is the first in at least 80 years.