John Kander, Fred Ebb - The Rink (1984 Original Broadway Cast)

Best known as a star vehicle for Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, The Rink was a minor success for the team of John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago). Long unavailable on CD, the original 1984 cast recording has been rereleased by JAY in an excellent remastering (though with the odd plot it's unfortunate the package includes no lyrics or synopsis). Terrence McNally's story follows a mother (Rivera, who won her first Tony for the role) who has sold the family roller rink to developers, triggering a series of flashbacks for her and her daughter (Minnelli). There are a number of good men's songs, capably handled through multiple roles by, among others, Jason Alexander, Scott Holmes, and Ronn Carroll, including "Blue Crystal," the ballad "Marry Me," and the Dolly-esque welcome number "After All These Years." But the true firepower belongs to the stars: Minnelli's "Colored Lights" and "All the Children in a Row," Rivera's "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer" and "We Can Make It," and the duo's "The Apple Doesn't Fall," a model of Broadway diva swagger. --David Horiuchi Amazon.com

Best Kander & Ebb Musical Ever

This show is AMAZING! Kander & Ebb music (their best) with a book by Terrence McNally! What more could you want... oh, how about Liza & Chita, Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame singing the beautiful "Marry Me" and so on. This show is AMAZING... I can not stress this enough!!! 2 Female leads, 5 men who play everyone in their lives, including old women! BUY IT, PRODUCE IT, MAKE A MOVIE OUT OF IT... DO SOMETHING!!! November 11, 2006

Surprisingly Good!

While Chita Rivera & Liza Minnelli are clearly Broadway superstars, the 1984 musical which teamed them together, "The Rink", has been largely forgotten. Why? Who knows. Maybe it just got overshadowed by that season's other hits, "La Cage aux Folles" and "Sunday In The Park With George". The production, however, was nominated for several Tony Awards, including a Best Actress win for Ms. Rivera.

Kander/Ebb's score may not rise to the level of their other classics ("Chicago", "Cabaret", "Kiss Of The Spider Woman"), but the score is still quite good and contains several marvelous songs.

Best Tracks:

Colored Lights [probably the score's most well-known song]
Chief Cook And Bottle Washer
We Can Make It
The Apple Doesn't Fall [great Rivera/Minnelli duet!]
Marry Me [sung by pre-"Seinfeld" Jason Alexander]

The recording has been recently remastered, sounds terrific and gets better with each listening. August 18, 2005

Liza and Chita - TOGETHER!

THE RINK is a fantastic musical from the pen of John Kander and Fred Ebb, starring two of the best triple-threats in the business, Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli, as feuding mother and daughter Anna and Angel. Rivera and Minnelli are always at their best with Kander-Ebb material (Rivera in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN and CHICAGO; Minnelli in FLORA THE RED MENACE, CABARET and THE ACT). THE RINK was a splendid showcase for these 2 formidable divas. Chita and Liza had (briefly) co-starred when Minnelli filled in for a sick Gwen Verdon during the run of the original CHICAGO.

The story concerns freewheeling hippy Angel (Minnelli) who returns to the family nest after leaving as a teenager. Her weary-yet vital mother Anna (Rivera) has been running her husband's rollerskate rink by herself ever since he walked out on her when Angel was a little girl. Now the time has come that Anna can sell up and start living her own life...imagine her shock when her daughter shows up broke and looking for a reunion!

Touching and bittersweet, THE RINK also features a pre 'Seinfeld' Jason Alexander in a great role as Anna's wannabe-suitor Lenny, singing the heartfelt "Marry Me". Other standout numbers include "Colored Lights", Anna's riotous "Chief Cook and Bottle-Washer", "The Apple Doesn't Fall" and the cataclysmic "Mrs A." where Angel confronts her mother's indiscretions.

THE RINK was a mild success when it opened on Broadway, buoyed by the star-power of Rivera and Minnelli. The show folded a few weeks after Minnelli's departure (being replaced by Stockard Channing of GREASE fame). The London production featured A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC's Diane Langton but it quickly shuttered. A sadly underrated musical featuring a strong and memorable score. Highly-recommended. June 8, 2004

Another Kander and Ebb show that went sadly unappreciated

The 1993/94 Broadway season was one of the best of the past 25 years. Among the shows: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (Tony Award Winner); SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Critics Circle & Pulitzer Prize winner); BABY; THE TAP DANCE KID; DOONSBURY and THE RINK.

THE RINK was a top notch effort from Kander & Ebb and bookwriter Terrence McNally. The book deserves special priase for being several notches above standard musical theatre fare. The characters are clearly defined. They are not, however, terribly likable and this put audiences off. As the warring mother and daughter Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli both offered no-holds-barred performances. The cast album preserves a bit of the dialogue but the performances come through so strongly in the songs that the dialogue and synopsis are not really essential.

This is a great theatre score...songs loaded with character and plot detailas but also entertaining songs. It's no wonder Kander and Ebb remain so proud of this show, even though it ran 6 months. Perhaps someday THE RINK wll be revived and audiences will discover it.

A London production was mounted in 1988 and yielded a cast album too. It doesn't have the star power of the original but does offer a little more of the score. February 28, 2004

I still get chills !

I was fortunate enough to see this play several times in 1984. Even then, at the age of 12, chills ran down my spine as I listened to this story tell itself with music.

Kander & Ebb are as creative as ever and Chita & Liza are so talented and powerful. You couldn't ask for a better combination. For those who don't know it already, Jason Alexander has a fabulous voice also.

I wore out my record and my tape, but I was able to get the CD about a year ago.

Every time I listen to The Rink, I can see the play in mind from beginning to end, just like it was yesterday, and I still get chills. November 13, 2001

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