JANUARY 17, 2008
Minnelli's passion ignites show
There are a lot of things that can be forgiven at a concert. Late starts are a given. Crowds pushing to reach the the stage is just part of the spectacle. Even the guy singing out of tune next to you has become a part of the concert experiences.
The one thing that can’t be forgiven is when an artists has no passion for the performance. It is easy to tell from the first note that this is just another stop on a long tour for the performer.
That was not the case Wednesday night at the Table Mountain Casino. Pop icon and favorite Liza Minnelli performed before a full house. Say what you want about her marriages and abuse problems but Minnelli turned in a performance that came straight from her heart.
Mixed in with the expected performances of “Cabaret” and “New York, New York” was a tribute to Kay Thompson. Despite Thompson’s many accomplishments as a musician and writer, she is not one of the better known names in show business. But Thompson was Minnelli’s godmother. And that’s why the 61-year-old performer now devotes about 40 minutes of her show to Thompson.
Backed by four male singers/dancers, Minnelli bounced across the stage like a 20-year-old. Minnelli belted out the cabaret tunes with a force that had to have rattled some of the facility’s slot machine.
If is usually not necessary to discuss how a performer looks. A singer can be the size of Jabba the Hutt and as long as the show has passion it doesn’t matter. But, as Minnelli pointed out herself, she looks like half the person she used to be.
“That Jenny Craig is a wonderful person,” Minnelli said as the reason for her weight loss.
The heartfelt performance combined with the new look got at least one member of the audience excited. A man, who let’s just say has been cashing social security checks for a long time, rushed the stage. It took him three songs to get there but once he did, he was moving to the performance by Minnelli.
He had good reason. It is as if the addition of the tribute to Thompson has ignited a fire under Minnelli. Wednesday’s show was a treat because of the passion Minnelli brought to the stage.
In the middle of the show, Minnelli tells a story of how her mother, Judy Garland, and Kay Thompson sat in the back of a small theater and watched her debut performance when she was 13. The women filled a powder puff with tears of joy. Minnelli still has that keepsake. You have to think somewhere Wednesday night Minnelli’s mom and godmother filled another powder puff with tears of joy.
Posted by
Rick Bentley
Minnelli's passion ignites show
There are a lot of things that can be forgiven at a concert. Late starts are a given. Crowds pushing to reach the the stage is just part of the spectacle. Even the guy singing out of tune next to you has become a part of the concert experiences.
The one thing that can’t be forgiven is when an artists has no passion for the performance. It is easy to tell from the first note that this is just another stop on a long tour for the performer.
That was not the case Wednesday night at the Table Mountain Casino. Pop icon and favorite Liza Minnelli performed before a full house. Say what you want about her marriages and abuse problems but Minnelli turned in a performance that came straight from her heart.
Mixed in with the expected performances of “Cabaret” and “New York, New York” was a tribute to Kay Thompson. Despite Thompson’s many accomplishments as a musician and writer, she is not one of the better known names in show business. But Thompson was Minnelli’s godmother. And that’s why the 61-year-old performer now devotes about 40 minutes of her show to Thompson.
Backed by four male singers/dancers, Minnelli bounced across the stage like a 20-year-old. Minnelli belted out the cabaret tunes with a force that had to have rattled some of the facility’s slot machine.
If is usually not necessary to discuss how a performer looks. A singer can be the size of Jabba the Hutt and as long as the show has passion it doesn’t matter. But, as Minnelli pointed out herself, she looks like half the person she used to be.
“That Jenny Craig is a wonderful person,” Minnelli said as the reason for her weight loss.
The heartfelt performance combined with the new look got at least one member of the audience excited. A man, who let’s just say has been cashing social security checks for a long time, rushed the stage. It took him three songs to get there but once he did, he was moving to the performance by Minnelli.
He had good reason. It is as if the addition of the tribute to Thompson has ignited a fire under Minnelli. Wednesday’s show was a treat because of the passion Minnelli brought to the stage.
In the middle of the show, Minnelli tells a story of how her mother, Judy Garland, and Kay Thompson sat in the back of a small theater and watched her debut performance when she was 13. The women filled a powder puff with tears of joy. Minnelli still has that keepsake. You have to think somewhere Wednesday night Minnelli’s mom and godmother filled another powder puff with tears of joy.
Posted by
Rick Bentley
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