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Kander and Pierce have not one, not two, but three musicals in the works, the first being "The Landing," which makes its world premiere off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre this month. The new work is three thematically linked minimusicals -- "Andra," "The Brick" and "The Landing." It will be directed by Walter Bobbie and have a cast of four, including Pierce's uncle, David Hyde Pierce. The younger Pierce, who wrote the story and lyrics, says working with Kander was easy. "The second we got into the room and started talking about 'Andra,' the resumes disappeared completely," says Pierce. "I never felt intimidated. It's also because of who John is -- how incredibly generous and wonderful he is -- that I never felt intimidated and always felt free to speak up, too." Their collaboration has also created "Kid Victory," a musical for four women and five men, and a third work they are tight-lipped about. Kander says partnering with a new lyricist and writer has energized him. "It's the same but different. The spontaneous quality of working very closely with a collaborator is what I had for 40 years but what we're doing -- and his sensibility -- is so different from Fred's that I'm writing differently myself," he says. "That's like a present somebody gave me." Technology has changed since Kander and Ebb were writing, and Kander and Pierce rely on their iPhones to record snippets and text each other if they're not nearby. "You can just do it and a second later he's got it. It seems like cheating," says Kander, laughing. They've developed their own musical style, one that mixes full-length songs and ones that are just four lines long. They start with a character and then build a story, letting the music take them wherever it wants to. "He's really a brilliant lyricist, in a very different way than Freddy was," says Kander, turning to his companion with a smile. "I hope I live long enough so that people say, 'That's a real Kander and Pierce song.'" ___ Online:
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