Judy Garland's hyper-talented daughter, 66, has suffered more than her share of travails over the years, the result of being in the spotlight practically since birth and, well, being Judy Garland's daughter: Four divorces, a boatload of personal demons, a bout of viral encephalitis in 2000 that nearly killed her.
KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Broadway legend sings Christmas concert with MenAlive at Segerstrom Center.
By PAUL HODGINS / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
By PAUL HODGINS / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
America loves its survivors, and there are few survivors more celebrated or worshipped than Liza Minnelli.
Judy Garland's hyper-talented daughter, 66, has suffered more than her share of travails over the years, the result of being in the spotlight practically since birth and, well, being Judy Garland's daughter: Four divorces, a boatload of personal demons, a bout of viral encephalitis in 2000 that nearly killed her. Anyone who has seen Minnelli perform (and she does so rarely in these parts) would probably agree with New York Times critic Ben Brantley: "Her every stage appearance is perceived as a victory of show-business stamina over psychic frailty. She asks for love so nakedly and earnestly, it seems downright vicious not to respond."
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Judy Garland's hyper-talented daughter, 66, has suffered more than her share of travails over the years, the result of being in the spotlight practically since birth and, well, being Judy Garland's daughter: Four divorces, a boatload of personal demons, a bout of viral encephalitis in 2000 that nearly killed her. Anyone who has seen Minnelli perform (and she does so rarely in these parts) would probably agree with New York Times critic Ben Brantley: "Her every stage appearance is perceived as a victory of show-business stamina over psychic frailty. She asks for love so nakedly and earnestly, it seems downright vicious not to respond."
Minnelli's appearance on Thursday with MenAlive, Orange County's gay men's chorus, in the group's Winter Spectacular concert at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Hall, was classic Liza in every respect: a mixture of the expected, the unexpected and the downright eccentric.
Of course, we were treated to the theme song from "Cabaret," the Kander and Ebb musical that transformed Minnelli from Broadway star to pop-culture icon when Bob Fosse's movie version opened in 1972. Minnelli no longer owns Sally Bowles' sinuous, chair-straddling moves, but the spirit and sauciness of the song are presented intact.
Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb were Minnelli's touchstones and she was their muse for many years. At this stage in her long career, some of their songs are almost painfully poignant.
"But the World Goes 'Round" is probably the best example. It's hard to hear her deliver these lines without getting just a little teary: "Sometimes your dreams get broken in pieces/But that doesn't matter at all/Take it from me, there's still going to be/A summer, a winter, a spring and a fall."
Minnelli's voice was always a triumph of delivery over technique, and these days that's especially true. Suffering from a cold, she struggled with some of the high notes, even making light of the limitation. Rather than trying to hide or skate over her shortcomings, she celebrates them as the scars of living a tumultuous life.
With Minnelli, as with so many great Broadway stars, technical excellence is beside the point; in fact, it's the rough edges of imperfection that create the drama. And manufacturing a character and a mood are central to the success of every Broadway song. They were made to help tell a story, and Minnelli has always excelled at that.
The best such moment was her performance of "My Best Friend" from "Chicago."
On the surface, it's a light tune filled with false bravado, and I've seen it played that way. But Minnelli painted a detailed and nuanced picture of the scene for us, putting the song in chilling context.
Roxie has just been told she could hang for the murder she has committed, and the song is her way of talking herself back from the edge of the cliff. We were treated to a scene complete with two characters, introductory dialogue and the song, and for a minute or two we were transported completely into Roxie's desperate and delusional world. Minnelli's interpretation reveals the essence of her immense talent – a galaxy of complementary skills that work in synergy, making her one of the most powerful musical-theater stars you'll ever see.
Moments like that could make you forgive Minnelli's many weaknesses of technique and quirks of affect. But even at her best, she's not a relaxing performer, always interrupting herself, full of busy tics and asides, improvising in oddball ways that can even throw off her seasoned band, which is led by her longtime pianist, the low-key but sublimely talented Billy Stritch.
Minnelli's appearance was the second half of MenAlive's Winter Spectacular concert, and the 130-member men's choir provided some light accompaniment. Clearly, many of them were awestruck by the opportunity to stand on the same stage as Broadway royalty, but they didn't let such butterfly-inducing proximity undermine their professionalism.
The first half of the concert featured some holiday-season standards, a few comic numbers and some tastefully rendered classics. The evening began with "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" from "Elf." A septet of soloists fronted the choir in a number that showcased some real talent (this was the case with many numbers in the first half, although sadly the featured performers aren't singled out in the program).
The choir was well-rehearsed, carefully balanced and thoroughly choreographed on other numbers as well, some of them Christmas-y, others not so much: Steve Allen's "Cool Yule," "When You Believe" from "The Prince of Egypt," "Brotherhood of Man" from "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Many of the songs were artfully arranged by the choir's assistant conductor and accompanist, Bob Gunn.
MenAlive artistic director Rich Cook led the evening with a steady baton. Silver-haired and avuncular, he epitomizes the group's cool élan. And Cook seemed thoroughly charmed by the Queen of Broadway, even as she upstaged him and his chorus. Other than Liza, who could pull that off?
Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@ocregister.com
Of course, we were treated to the theme song from "Cabaret," the Kander and Ebb musical that transformed Minnelli from Broadway star to pop-culture icon when Bob Fosse's movie version opened in 1972. Minnelli no longer owns Sally Bowles' sinuous, chair-straddling moves, but the spirit and sauciness of the song are presented intact.
Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb were Minnelli's touchstones and she was their muse for many years. At this stage in her long career, some of their songs are almost painfully poignant.
"But the World Goes 'Round" is probably the best example. It's hard to hear her deliver these lines without getting just a little teary: "Sometimes your dreams get broken in pieces/But that doesn't matter at all/Take it from me, there's still going to be/A summer, a winter, a spring and a fall."
Minnelli's voice was always a triumph of delivery over technique, and these days that's especially true. Suffering from a cold, she struggled with some of the high notes, even making light of the limitation. Rather than trying to hide or skate over her shortcomings, she celebrates them as the scars of living a tumultuous life.
With Minnelli, as with so many great Broadway stars, technical excellence is beside the point; in fact, it's the rough edges of imperfection that create the drama. And manufacturing a character and a mood are central to the success of every Broadway song. They were made to help tell a story, and Minnelli has always excelled at that.
The best such moment was her performance of "My Best Friend" from "Chicago."
On the surface, it's a light tune filled with false bravado, and I've seen it played that way. But Minnelli painted a detailed and nuanced picture of the scene for us, putting the song in chilling context.
Roxie has just been told she could hang for the murder she has committed, and the song is her way of talking herself back from the edge of the cliff. We were treated to a scene complete with two characters, introductory dialogue and the song, and for a minute or two we were transported completely into Roxie's desperate and delusional world. Minnelli's interpretation reveals the essence of her immense talent – a galaxy of complementary skills that work in synergy, making her one of the most powerful musical-theater stars you'll ever see.
Moments like that could make you forgive Minnelli's many weaknesses of technique and quirks of affect. But even at her best, she's not a relaxing performer, always interrupting herself, full of busy tics and asides, improvising in oddball ways that can even throw off her seasoned band, which is led by her longtime pianist, the low-key but sublimely talented Billy Stritch.
Minnelli's appearance was the second half of MenAlive's Winter Spectacular concert, and the 130-member men's choir provided some light accompaniment. Clearly, many of them were awestruck by the opportunity to stand on the same stage as Broadway royalty, but they didn't let such butterfly-inducing proximity undermine their professionalism.
The first half of the concert featured some holiday-season standards, a few comic numbers and some tastefully rendered classics. The evening began with "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" from "Elf." A septet of soloists fronted the choir in a number that showcased some real talent (this was the case with many numbers in the first half, although sadly the featured performers aren't singled out in the program).
The choir was well-rehearsed, carefully balanced and thoroughly choreographed on other numbers as well, some of them Christmas-y, others not so much: Steve Allen's "Cool Yule," "When You Believe" from "The Prince of Egypt," "Brotherhood of Man" from "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Many of the songs were artfully arranged by the choir's assistant conductor and accompanist, Bob Gunn.
MenAlive artistic director Rich Cook led the evening with a steady baton. Silver-haired and avuncular, he epitomizes the group's cool élan. And Cook seemed thoroughly charmed by the Queen of Broadway, even as she upstaged him and his chorus. Other than Liza, who could pull that off?
Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@ocregister.com
America loves its survivors, and there are few survivors more celebrated or worshipped than Liza Minnelli.
Minnelli's appearance was the second half of MenAlive's Winter Spectacular concert, and the 130-member men's choir provided some light accompaniment. Clearly, many of them were awestruck by the opportunity to stand on the same stage as Broadway royalty, but they didn't let such butterfly-inducing proximity undermine their professionalism.
Liza Minnelli performs with MenAlive at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa
The choir was well-rehearsed, carefully balanced and thoroughly choreographed on other numbers as well, some of them Christmas-y, others not so much: Steve Allen's “Cool Yule,” “When You Believe” from “The Prince of Egypt,” “Brotherhood of Man” from “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
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Anyone who has seen Minnelli perform (and she does so rarely in these parts) would probably agree with New York Times critic Ben Brantley: “Her every stage appearance is perceived as a victory of show-business stamina over psychic frailty. She asks for love so nakedly and earnestly, it seems downright vicious not to respond.”
Props and costumes are an important part of the evening.
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