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Broadway Success Kander and Ebb's first theatrical collaboration, the "Golden Gate" never opened on Broadway. However, the score convinced Harold Prince, the producer from "A Family Affair" (1962), to hire the pair for his next production called "Flora, the Red Menace." The show opened at the Alvin Theatre in 1965. While it was not a hit, the experience solidified the team of Kander and Ebb. The show was the Broadway debut for the young Liza Minnelli, who would also work with Kander and Ebb again. Kander and Ebb worked with Harold Prince the following year on the production that brought the pair fame. On November 20, 1966 "Cabaret" opened at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for 1,166 performances. The story about a relationship between a German cabaret performer and an American writer in pre-Nazi Berlin was based on the book "Berlin Stories" by Christopher Isherwood and the play "I Am a Camera" by John Van Druten. The show won the 1966 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for best musical and Kander and Ebb won for best score. In 1972 "Cabaret" was adapted to film starring Liza Minnelli and won several Oscars. The play was revived at the Imperial Theatre in 1987 with some of the original cast returning to their same roles. It was revived again in 1998 when it won another Tony for best revival. After the success of "Cabaret" the partnership of Kander and Ebb was strengthened and they continued to work together on Broadway. In 1968 they wrote the music for "The Happy Time," produced at the Broadway Theatre, and for "Zorba," produced at the Imperial Theatre. In 1971 the team wrote music for "70, Girls, 70" at the Broadhurst Theatre. Their next big Broadway success came in 1975 with the help of Bob Fosse and "Chicago." This musical was based on a 1926 play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, a reporter for the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. It was a story about a chorus girl who murdered her husband and then used the ensuing trial to boost her show business career. The show opened on June 3, 1975 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 898 performances. It starred Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, and Jerry Orbach and included the popular songs "All That Jazz" and "Razzle Dazzle." While the musical was nominated for 11 Tony awards, it did not win any because of the overwhelming success of "A Chorus Line." However, the show was revived again in 1997 and won six Tony awards, including best revival, best choreography, and best direction. Kander and Ebb continued their collaboration with "The Act" in 1978. They received their second Tony award in 1981 for "Woman of the Year." That production won three other Tony awards, including one for actress Lauren Bacall. In 1984 the duo worked on "The Rink" for the Martin Beck Theatre, which starred Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera. While "The Rink" did not do well on Broadway, Kander considered it one of his favorite musicals because the songs were very emotional. Success returned to Kander and Ebb with "The Kiss of the Spider Woman," a play based on the novel EL BESO DE LA MUJER ARANA by Manuel Puig about two men in a Latin American prison. The show was produced in Toronto, Canada, in 1990 and then at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London in 1992. It made its Broadway debut on May 3, 1993 at the Broadhurst Theatre where it ran for 906 performances. Kander and Ebb won a Tony award for best musical score and actress Chita Rivera also won for her role. The show also won a New York Drama Critics award for best musical.
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