On March 11, in honor of John Kander’s and Liza Minnelli’s upcoming 95th and 76th birthdays this month, the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive of the New York Public Library for the Peforming Arts at Lincoln Center will present the institution’s 1974 interview with Minnelli, Kander, and Fred Ebb, as part of its ongoing series “The Creative Process.” In this rare gem, which has never been presented outside the walls of the library, the three musical theater icons discuss the development of their unusual and successful collaboration, beginning with their first stage collaboration: the 1965 musical Flora, the Red Menace (rehearsal photo at left by Friedman-Abeles), which marked Minnelli’s Broadway debut at age 19 and the first show with a score by Kander and Ebb. Below is a 1965 clip of Minnelli performing “Sing Happy” on The Ed Sullivan Show.
The three artists would subsequently work together on the film adaptation of Cabaret, the 1972 TV concert Liza with a Z, and the Broadway musicals The Act and The Rink. Produced by the Theatre on Film and Tape, the interview was recorded at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center months before Minnelli replaced the ailing Gwen Verdon in the original production of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago. The program, which begins at 5:30 p.m. ET, will be captioned. To register for the free stream, visit Eventbrite. A link will be emailed two days before the event and again on the day of the program.