"The World Goes Round," Landor Theatre

Robert McWhir's staging of the Kander and Ebb song showcase "The World Goes Round", with musical direction by Heather Weir (currently playing at the Landor Theatre until February 10), displays an uneven mix of superb musical renditions and some near misses. Most of the songs are delivered with a high degree of accomplishment and the staging is generally full of energy and sophistication, perfectly balancing the layers of poignant emotion, cutting wit and Broadway bravado that pervades Kander and Ebb's musical theatre work. But some numbers miss the mark, let down by awkward, almost substandard, vocals - and the staging of "All That Jazz" not only fails to conjure up anything that remotely resembles the choreographic arcs of the Fosse original but is also lacking in the sensuality that the number begs for. Ebb's lyric calls for them to "let their stockings down" and the nylon seems reluctant to slip from the garters.

But there are some wonderful moments too, notably two classic comic numbers performed by Susan Rasaay and Caroline Newman.  "Class" (the Velma-Mama Morton song so sadly cut from the "Chicago" movie), sung here by two char-ladies with mops and scarf-clad heads, and the hilarious "The Grass Is Always Greener" (a song that wowed Broadway audiences when sung by Lauren Bacall and Marylin Cooper  in "Woman Of the year") both find all the punch-lines with perfection.

Among the cast, Susan Rasaay gives a stand-out performance. She finds the right delicacy of emotion in "Isn't It Better?", raises the roof with "Ring Them Bells" and uses her wide range of vocal and dramatic ability to deliver a breathtaking performance of "Coloured Lights".

The show was conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman and David Thompson as an off-Broadway showcase of the talents of Kander and Ebb, combining many of their standards with some lesser-known material. And the songs remain the stars of the show - from the haunting heartbreak of "My Colouring Book" (the first song they ever wrote) through the humour of "Mr. Cellophane" and the sheer melodic and lyrical beauty of "A Quiet Thing" to knock-out numbers such as "New York, New York". Along the way there are re-arrangements of songs (including innovative harmonies for the legendary title song from "Cabaret") and combinations of songs, such as the clever pitching of  "I Don't Remember You" from "The Happy Time" in counter-point with "Sometimes A Day Goes By" from "Woman Of the Year".

Overall the production in the Landor presents these great songs in what is a very pleasant evening. So - "don't sit alone in your room". Head for Clapham and "come to the Cabaret".