This week THEATER TALK spotlights the creators of the new original musical Kid Victory, currently at THE VINEYARD Theatre - librettist/lyricist Greg Pierce, composer/co-librettist John Kander, and one of the show's stars, Karen Ziemba. Also, in observance of the soon-to-begin-previews of the revival of HELLO DOLLY! with Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce (Fun Fact - Greg Pierce's uncle) at the Shubert Theatre, THEATER TALK presents an encore of a 2002 interview with Dolly's songwriter, Jerry Herman.
Kid Victory tells the unconventional story of a teenage boy's frightening disappearance, his horrific ordeal during his absence and his difficult re-entry into his family and community 11 months later. That said, composer Kander tells co-hosts Michael Riedel of the New York Post and Susan Haskins that he had the "time of my life" making the show, clearly relishing his collaboration with Pierce, with whom he previously wrote The Landing. He also is overjoyed to be working again with Ziemba, whom he first met in 1991 doing the Off-Broadway Kander & Ebb revue, And the World Goes 'Round, and with whom he has worked frequently in the 26 years since. Jerry Herman, with characteristic enthusiasm, tells Riedel and Haskins of his songwriting gift, his debt to songwriter/publisher Frank Loesser and his own mother, and his life changing first meeting with producer David Merrick - where he received a copy of "Matchmaker, Draft #1," librettist Michael Stewart's earliest adaptation of the Thornton Wilder play that was to become Hello, Dolly! He then stayed up all-night reading it, and wrote 4 songs (still in the show) in just 4 days to land the job as composer/lyricist for the 1964 smash hit.Videos