Tony and Oscar award-winning gay icon will sing in two concerts with California's MenAlive choir
Liza Minnelli sings two concerts with Orange County's premiere gay men's chorus, MenAlive, on Dec. 13 and 14.
Liza Minnelli sings two concerts with Orange County's premiere gay men's chorus, MenAlive, Dec. 13 and 14 at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Hall. The legendary performer is the winner of four Tony Awards, an Oscar, a special "Legends" Grammy, two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy. We talked with Minnelli, who has earned the mantle Queen of Broadway over her lifelong career, about her upcoming concerts with the choir at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
The Orange County Register: Have you ever sung with a gay men's choir before?
Liza Minnelli: No, this is the first time. But they sing great! They're wonderful. I like the way they sound, their blend and sense of harmony and pitch.
Register: What will you sing?
Minnelli: I'll be singing a version of "Jingle Bells" that my godmother Kay Thompson did. It's terrific and kind of out there. It's been around for a while but it's not that well known. I'll also do some stuff of my last album ("Confessions," 2010) and a couple of surprises. I'm not going to tell you everything! The truth is I don't know right now.
Register: You're 66 and have survived some serious health issues. How do you keep on top of your game?
Minnelli: I think the trick is warming up well and knowing how to warm up. I had a very good teacher, a coach. I didn't need her until after I had encephalitis (in 2000). I had to re-train my voice to sing after that. I also had to learn how to walk and talk again. But I was determined. I'm a Minnelli.
Register: Do you have a favorite song?
Minnelli: I know so many songs. (My preferences) change. I really love (Kander and Ebb's) "The World Goes 'Round," that philosophy and how it changes from desperation to a kind of acceptance.
Register: You're known as one of the best song interpreters of your generation. What's your secret?
Minnelli: I want to move people – hopefully for the better. Sometimes people come in who have sadness. Maybe one great lyric by a wonderful composer can help them just a little. I think you always have to sing to that one person. Actually, you have to make each person think you're singing just for them.
Liza Minnelli: A life in show business
•Born March 12, 1946 in Hollywood to Vincent Minnelli and Judy Garland.
•At 3, Minnelli landed her first movie role in the final scene of the 1949 musical, "In the Good Old Summertime," starring Garland and Van Johnson.
•Her first adult professional role was in an Off-Broadway revival of the musical "Best Foot Forward" in 1963. She received the Theatre World Award.
•Performed with her mother at the London Palladium in 1964.
•Won a leading actress Tony Award in 1965 for "Flora the Red Menace." At 19 she was the youngest performer to win the prize.
•Her first album "Liza! Liza!" was released in 1964. It was quickly followed by "It Amazes Me" (1965) and "There Is a Time" (1966).
•In 1969 she received an Oscar nomination for her first film role, Pookie, in Alan J. Pakula's "The Sterile Cuckoo."
•Achieved international fame and won an Oscar playing Sally Bowles in Bob Fosse's film version of the Kander and Ebb musical "Cabaret" in 1972.
•Minnelli appeared in "New York, New York" with Robert De Niro in 1977, a film that gave the performer a famous signature song of the same name.
•Her co-starring role in "Arthur" with Dudley Moore in 1981 marked the end of the active part of Minnelli's film career.
•Minnelli returned to Broadway in 1997, replacing Julie Andrews in the title role in the musical "Victor/Victoria."
•In the last decade Minnelli has made appearances in several TV shows, including "Arrested Development," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and "Drop Dead Diva."
Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@ocregister.com
The Orange County Register: Have you ever sung with a gay men's choir before?
Liza Minnelli: No, this is the first time. But they sing great! They're wonderful. I like the way they sound, their blend and sense of harmony and pitch.
Register: What will you sing?
Minnelli: I'll be singing a version of "Jingle Bells" that my godmother Kay Thompson did. It's terrific and kind of out there. It's been around for a while but it's not that well known. I'll also do some stuff of my last album ("Confessions," 2010) and a couple of surprises. I'm not going to tell you everything! The truth is I don't know right now.
Register: You're 66 and have survived some serious health issues. How do you keep on top of your game?
Minnelli: I think the trick is warming up well and knowing how to warm up. I had a very good teacher, a coach. I didn't need her until after I had encephalitis (in 2000). I had to re-train my voice to sing after that. I also had to learn how to walk and talk again. But I was determined. I'm a Minnelli.
Register: Do you have a favorite song?
Minnelli: I know so many songs. (My preferences) change. I really love (Kander and Ebb's) "The World Goes 'Round," that philosophy and how it changes from desperation to a kind of acceptance.
Register: You're known as one of the best song interpreters of your generation. What's your secret?
Minnelli: I want to move people – hopefully for the better. Sometimes people come in who have sadness. Maybe one great lyric by a wonderful composer can help them just a little. I think you always have to sing to that one person. Actually, you have to make each person think you're singing just for them.
Liza Minnelli: A life in show business
•Born March 12, 1946 in Hollywood to Vincent Minnelli and Judy Garland.
•At 3, Minnelli landed her first movie role in the final scene of the 1949 musical, "In the Good Old Summertime," starring Garland and Van Johnson.
•Her first adult professional role was in an Off-Broadway revival of the musical "Best Foot Forward" in 1963. She received the Theatre World Award.
•Performed with her mother at the London Palladium in 1964.
•Won a leading actress Tony Award in 1965 for "Flora the Red Menace." At 19 she was the youngest performer to win the prize.
•Her first album "Liza! Liza!" was released in 1964. It was quickly followed by "It Amazes Me" (1965) and "There Is a Time" (1966).
•In 1969 she received an Oscar nomination for her first film role, Pookie, in Alan J. Pakula's "The Sterile Cuckoo."
•Achieved international fame and won an Oscar playing Sally Bowles in Bob Fosse's film version of the Kander and Ebb musical "Cabaret" in 1972.
•Minnelli appeared in "New York, New York" with Robert De Niro in 1977, a film that gave the performer a famous signature song of the same name.
•Her co-starring role in "Arthur" with Dudley Moore in 1981 marked the end of the active part of Minnelli's film career.
•Minnelli returned to Broadway in 1997, replacing Julie Andrews in the title role in the musical "Victor/Victoria."
•In the last decade Minnelli has made appearances in several TV shows, including "Arrested Development," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and "Drop Dead Diva."
Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@ocregister.com
PHOTO COURTESY © SONY MUSIC ARCHIVES
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