Like the multitudes of young performers who hit NYC every year, 16-year old LIZA MINNELLI actually did pay her dues, if only for a short time and despite her parent's fame and wealth, when she arrived in New York on her own in 1962. Not long after her arrival, however (and only after a few reported nights sleeping on a park bench, when her savings ran out), she was cast in the off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward. The musical opened at Stage 73 on April 2nd, 1963, and earned her the THEATER WORLD/DANNIELL BLLOM AWARD. The NY Daily News stated the show was "worth seeing if only to remember back someday to having witnessed a Broadway star in her professional debut." A single of her show-stopping ballad "You Are For Loving" actually sold a half-million copies (helped no doubt by her appearances on the TV variety circuit, including "Ed Sullivan," and even "The Judy Garland Show," where she crooned her new record), which in turn helped Best Foot run for seven months and 244 performances, closing on October 13th, 1963 (shortly after Liza left the show to return to Los Angeles.)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment