We spent yesterday evening at Congregation Har Shalom  in Potomac for its annual caberet program. This year’s focus was the music of Kander and Ebb. That means Caberet, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Flora the Red Menace and more. Thirty numbers sung by twelve wonderful singers, and a remarkable five piece band.

All the voices were professional quality, including, of course, and especially Michelle Hessel. Michelle sang several pieces from Flora the Red Menace. You know Flora?

Flora premiered in 1965, starring 19 year old Liza Minnelli making her Broadway debut for which she won a Tony. The play opened pre-Broadway in New Haven and I, a fan of Liza’s mother Judy Garland, was there on opening night at the Schubert (I think) Theater.

The plotline is setvin New York City in the middke of the Depression in the 1930s. Young Flora (as I recall) is trying to figure out how to make a living, while a young man Flora meets tries to figure out how to make her a Communist.

My reaction was that the show was destined to be another Oklahoma or South Pacific, but had I known the term, I would have said that Liza was a DEI hire, and would not be cast again in such a major role. Another of my successful predictions.

What you get from last night’s program, in addition to appreciation of the talent in the room, is appreciation of the extraordinary talent of John Kander and Fred Ebb.

As to the photo at the top of this post, it’s my copy of the Caberet cast album, signed by Ebb, as well as Joel Grey and Jack Gifford. I would like to ask both Kander and Lotte Lenya to sign it as well, but understand they are no longer signing anything.

Otherwise, this is a period of transition for me. My resignation as long term president of the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington took effect last Thursday, although I remain a board member and have a number of transition chores to accomplish over the next week or so.

Out with the old

And this evening, barring an unexpected revolt, I will become president of the Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies, of which I have been vice president for the past five or six years. This is going to keep me quite busy.

In with the new:

In fact, between now and this evening, I have a number of chores ahead of me. I better get busy.