John Kander at Lincoln Center

Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

Last night I joined a group of 50 Mary Martin and Paul Lynde lookalikes to sit at the feet (literally) of
John Kander and chat to him about his dealings with Fred Ebb, Hal Prince, Liza Minelli, Joel Grey and everyone else you've ever heard of. The facilitator, a giggling fan, lost the plot, leaving the incisive audience to skewer Mr. Kander, correcting his facts, reminding him of details and telling him where he had gone wrong. He seemed to enjoy this enormously. He said that Liza Minelli, at the height of her stardom, saved "Chicago" in its first run when Gwen Verdon went off sick. She learned the part in a week, played it for two months, and amazed the audiences who could not believe their ears when the stage manager announced the sub each night, because it was never advertised.