November 25, 2008 10:52 AM ET
Gary Graff, Detroit
Liza Minnelli can see her upcoming "Liza's at the Palace...." show, which starts a three-and-a-half week run Dec. 3 at Broadway's Palace Theatre, as having a longer stay on the Great White Way and maybe even hitting the road. But she isn't making any of those plans yet."Y'know, I really go one step at a time here," Minnelli tells Billboard.com. "I just want to get to the opening night and then we'll see what happens after that."The Palace production, which brings Minnelli to the venue where her mother, Judy Garland, staged a Tony Award-winning 19-week run in 1951, is filled with personal touchstones. The second act features a tribute to Minnelli's godmother, Kay Thompson, which the entertainer has been performing in her shows for the past year-and-a-half. A new first act combines her greatest hits with other favorites, including a recreation of Garland's "Palace Medley" that Minnelli says will be particularly nostalgic. "It's memories -- I went to every matinee," recalls Minnelli, who had the "Liza's at the Palace...." writers craft a special introduction to the segment for her show, telling the audience that, "Where you're sitting, I was sitting there when I saw this (show). I just remember that everybody was all excited. Everywhere I looked there was this buzz. I was not too sure of what I'd see, but I could tell that everyone felt lucky just to be there. It's very cool."Minnelli and producer Phil Ramone recently recorded a studio version of the show, which will be available at the Palace during the run and then will be released Feb. 3 on Hybrid Recordings. There are currently no plans to film the production, but Minnelli notes, "you never know, that could change in 12 minutes."Mostly, Minnelli says she's looking forward to finally getting the long-gestating show on the boards and seeing how it plays in front of a paying crowd."I come at it from every angle," she explains. "It's not only the performer's angle but the writer's angle -- 'What should it look like?' And if I was sitting in the audience, what would I like to see? The creative process of the whole thing is the most fascinating (part) to me. Unless I can really throw myself into it completely, I don't think it's worth doing."
Gary Graff, Detroit
Liza Minnelli can see her upcoming "Liza's at the Palace...." show, which starts a three-and-a-half week run Dec. 3 at Broadway's Palace Theatre, as having a longer stay on the Great White Way and maybe even hitting the road. But she isn't making any of those plans yet."Y'know, I really go one step at a time here," Minnelli tells Billboard.com. "I just want to get to the opening night and then we'll see what happens after that."The Palace production, which brings Minnelli to the venue where her mother, Judy Garland, staged a Tony Award-winning 19-week run in 1951, is filled with personal touchstones. The second act features a tribute to Minnelli's godmother, Kay Thompson, which the entertainer has been performing in her shows for the past year-and-a-half. A new first act combines her greatest hits with other favorites, including a recreation of Garland's "Palace Medley" that Minnelli says will be particularly nostalgic. "It's memories -- I went to every matinee," recalls Minnelli, who had the "Liza's at the Palace...." writers craft a special introduction to the segment for her show, telling the audience that, "Where you're sitting, I was sitting there when I saw this (show). I just remember that everybody was all excited. Everywhere I looked there was this buzz. I was not too sure of what I'd see, but I could tell that everyone felt lucky just to be there. It's very cool."Minnelli and producer Phil Ramone recently recorded a studio version of the show, which will be available at the Palace during the run and then will be released Feb. 3 on Hybrid Recordings. There are currently no plans to film the production, but Minnelli notes, "you never know, that could change in 12 minutes."Mostly, Minnelli says she's looking forward to finally getting the long-gestating show on the boards and seeing how it plays in front of a paying crowd."I come at it from every angle," she explains. "It's not only the performer's angle but the writer's angle -- 'What should it look like?' And if I was sitting in the audience, what would I like to see? The creative process of the whole thing is the most fascinating (part) to me. Unless I can really throw myself into it completely, I don't think it's worth doing."
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