The World Goes Round, a holiday songfest featuring the music of John Kander and Fred Ebb, continues at Rubicon Theatre Company at the Laurel, Ventura's newest professional theatre company, through Sun. Dec. 24. Directed by Bonnie Hellman, the revue's five-person Equity company includes Danny Bolero, Michael G. Hawkins, Linda Kerns, Kelli Maguire and Cindy Robinson. Producing for the Rubicon are artistic directors James O'Neil and Karyl Lynn Burns.

Kander (composer) and Ebb (lyricist) first combined their efforts as songwriters on the hit single "My Coloring Book," followed by "I Don't Care Much," sung by Barbra Streisand. Their Broadway collaboration began in 1965 with Flora, The Red Menace, starring Liza Minnelli. They followed this in 1966 with Cabaret. Their other Broadway shows include Zorba, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Steel Pier.

Hellman directed both Burns and O'Neil in My Fair Lady at the Garvin Theatre in Santa Barbara. She made her directorial debut in 1983 with the award-winning West Coast premiere of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. As an actress she has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in regional and stock theatre.

Rubicon Theatre Company at the Laurel is located at 1006 E. Main St. For tickets and information call (805) 667-2900.

— By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent