Kander and Ebb's All About Us

[esparza 333]

Posted: 3/15/09 at 3:48pm

Eartha Kitt in the Westport Production of All About Us.


In 2007 the Westport Country Playhouse did a broadway bound production of Kander and Ebb's All About Us. Joseph Stein had written the book. This was around the time Curtains was in previews. It was based on Thorton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth. It told the story of the Antrobus family and how they survived disasters and dramatic changes of biblical proportions narrated by Sabina.

It was previously called Skin of Our Teeth and first Over and Over. It first premiered at the Signature Theatre in Virginia in 1999. Stein had said that the Virginia production was "badly mishandled". He felt many characters were added for no reason. A lot of work has been done on the script. Though there were many changes, the three main characters stayed intact. They made it more contemporary. It had a 2002 reading directed by Gabriel Barre at the Manhattan Theatre Club. This was when it's title changed from Over and Over to Skin of our Teeth. Another Reading was then presented in 2003. Next there was a workshop in 2005 featuring Karen Ziemba.

The Westport production was once agin directed by Gabriel Barre and starred Cady Huffman as Sabina and Shuler Hensley, Yvette Freeman, Carlos Alban, and Samantha Futerman as the family. Eartha Kitt played fortune teller Esmerelda and was reportedly a scene-stealer. Theatre Mania had reported that Kander was determined to bring every musical he and Fred Ebb did to the stage and the Great White Way.

My question is does anybody know anything about whether they are going to develop this further? Also did anyone see it in Westport? If you did please describe it. It would really be wonderful to get every Kander and Ebb musical to the stage. It makes me sad though that Eartha Kitt would not be involved if it was continued. That would have been something I would have loved to see. I did a thread search and nothing came up. But if you do know something please share.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 3/15/09 at 4:25pm

I also realized that Dorothy Loudon, Mario Cantone, and David Garrison also starred in the 1999 Virginia Production. Bebe Neuwirth was scheduled to play Sabina but was replaced by Sherie Renee Scott. Bernadette Peters also played Sabina in the first reading. Does anybody know if Loudon's character of the Virgin Mary was later cut. This might be one of the characters Stein was referring too.

[nmartin]

Posted: 3/15/09 at 4:55pm

I don't have the answers to any of your questions, but I love that picture.
"Rain is coming. A deluge is coming. Something terrible will fall from the sky."

[esparza 333]

Posted: 3/15/09 at 5:03pm

I know I absolutely adore that picture.It is one of the examples of how Kitt commanded every stage she was on.