Joe appearing in "THE WORLD GOES ROUND" When music publisher Tommy Valando paired composer John Kander with lyricist Fred Ebb in 1963, could he ever have known his decision would lead to a partnership spanning four decades, which would produce hit songs for the stage, screen and popular radio? The pairing was somewhat of an unlikely one – as David Thompson, co-creator of The World Goes 'Round, described them, Kander and Ebb are about "as different from one another as they can possibly be." Kander, originally from Kansas City, prefers country living and the opera, while Ebb, a true New Yorker, is a fan of city life and a good game of tennis. But despite their personal differences, Kander and Ebb make quite a team in the recording studio. Though Valando likely did not know it at the time, 1963 was to be only the start of Kander and Ebb's collaboration, which has become one of the longest in American musical theatre history. In celebration of that partnership, The World Goes 'Round is a musical revue that combines the up-beat, jazzy and sweetly sentimental tunes and the sometimes wise-cracking, sometimes poignant lyrics that have long characterized the team's work. Kander and Ebb wrote songs thick with irony, such as "How Lucky Can You Get," sultry numbers like "All That Jazz," and fun, frolicking, rolling romps like "The Rink" – all blended here to create a unique musical. Drawn from this extensive cache of songs produced by Kander and Ebb during the 26 years prior to the launch of The World Goes 'Round, the pieces selected for the revue include both familiar favorites from hit shows, and lesser known works that audiences may be surprised to learn were penned by this creative team. One such song was the pair's first collaborative effort, "My Coloring Book." When the song proved to be a hit, the two quickly turned to a loftier undertaking; namely, writing a Broadway musical. Flora, The Red Menace debuted at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway in May 1965, with Liza Minnelli in the title role. Since Flora, Kander and Ebb musicals such as Cabaret and Chicago have become staples of the Broadway stage. Kander and Ebb also collaborated on The Happy Time; Zorba; 70, Girls, 70; The Act; Woman of the Year; The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman, plus movie scores for "Cabaret," "Funny Lady" and "New York, New York" in the years leading up to The World Goes 'Round. It was just after they finished staging a revival of Flora in 1989 that Thompson, Scott Ellis and Susan Stroman began their own collaboration to bring together a revue of Kander and Ebb's best work. The result was a musical that celebrates life, and all of the glories, indignities, hopes and quiet dreams that go with it. Though not held together by a singular central plot line, each piece in The World Goes 'Round nevertheless tells a story, be it one of love or loss, joyous occasions, or even the cause of the evils that plague the planet today (attributed here to "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup") In bringing together the music featured in The World Goes 'Round, Thompson, Ellis and Stroman's foremost objective was to combine tunes known to even the casual musical theatre fan, such as the title song to "Cabaret," "All That Jazz" or the "Theme from 'New York, New York," with songs that perhaps aren't heard often enough, like "Sometimes a Day Goes By," and "I Don't Remember You." Also included are songs that are personal favorites of the song-writing duo – "A Quiet Thing" for composer John Kander, and "The World Goes 'Round" for Fred Ebb. The World Goes 'Round opened off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre on March 5, 1991, with a cast of five and a new take on many of the show's standards – the international version of "New York, New York" was a particular hit. As Ebb put it, the creative team behind the musical revue was able to "make the old turkey gobble again," and now, 12 years later, the show is still crowing strong, making its Sacramento debut here this week at Music Circus.