Sunday, March 31, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Smash Books Liza Minnelli for Season 2 Duet!
http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/73455281.html
For a very short 4 week limited engagement run in December of 2008 the legendary Liza Minnelli had a triumphant return to the Palace Theatre on Broadway in "Liza's At The Palace! The show, which was later taped won Miss Minnelli a 2009 Tony Award, making for one very triumphant return to Broadway indeed. Act 1 featured many Lliza favorites while Act 2 celebrated the life of Liza's Godmother, Kay Thompson. Supporting Liza in this very special show, were four incredibly talented performers. In fact this standard size 14" x 22" poster/windowcard has not only been signed by Liza and her four "men" but also the show's musical supervisor (and Liza's good friend) Billy Stritch as well as the show's Director/Choreographer, Ron Lewis and David Zippel who added additional material for the evening.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Liza Minnelli to Guest Star in SMASH's 'The Surprise Party' Episode, April 6
http://broadwayworld.com/article/Liza-Minnelli-to-Guest-Star-on-SMASHs-The-Surprise-Party-Episode-April-6-20130320
by BWW Desk
SMASH has just announced that Liza Minnelli will guest star as herself in the tenth episode of the NBC musical drama series on April 6. She will perform an original song, written by SMASH producers Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman, along with Christian Borle, who plays 'Tom'.
In the episode, Tom (Borle) plans a surprise for Ivy (Megan Hilty) in an attempt to find a balance between their work life and their friendship. Relations between Karen (Katharine McPhee), Jimmy (Jeremy Jordan), and Derek (Jack Davenport) explode just as "Hit List's" rehearsal process nears its close. While Richard (guest star Jamey Sheridan) asks Eileen (Anjelica Huston) to spend less time at work and more time with him, Julia (Debra Messing) finds herself also pulled away from "Bombshell" by an unlikely source. Leslie Odom, Jr., Krysta Rodriguez and Andy Mientus also star. Alongside Minnelli, Jamey Sheridan and Jesse L. Martin guest star.
From Universal Television in association with DreamWorks Television, SMASH stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg ("ER," "Schindler's List"). Executive producers also include Joshua Safran ("Gossip Girl"), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning "Chicago," "Hairspray"), Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey ("United States of Tara," "The Borgias"), Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can"), Jim Chory (NBC's "Heroes," "American Dreams") and Theresa Rebeck ("Mauritius," "NYPD Blue").
Minnelli is one of the rare entertainers who has earned an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award. She received an Oscar nomination for her performance in the film "The Sterile Cuckoo," and soon after won an Oscar as Best Actress for "Cabaret." Her other films include "Arthur," "The Muppets Take Manhattan," "Lady Luck" and "New York, New York." In 1972, Minnelli won an Emmy for her bravura performance in the television special "Liza with a 'Z': A Concert for Television." She appeared in several other television specials, including "Goldie and Liza Together," "An Evening with Liza Minnelli" and "Liza from London," among others.
On stage, Minnelli has won four Tonys for her work in "Flora the Red Menace" (becoming the youngest woman ever to win a leading actress award), "The Act" and a special Tony for "Liza at the Winter Garden" Minnelli starred in the show "Liza's at the Palace..." and won the Tony as Best Special Theatrical Event in 2009. She also earned a Golden Globe for Best Actress for "Cabaret" and another for her performance in the television movie "A Time to Live." Minnelli also was presented with a Grammy Legend Award. She continues to tour around the world, and appeared frequently on the TV series "Arrested Development."
Photo credit: Will Hart/NBC
Read more about Liza Minnelli to Guest Star in SMASH's 'The Surprise Party' Episode, April 6 by broadwayworld.com
by BWW Desk
SMASH has just announced that Liza Minnelli will guest star as herself in the tenth episode of the NBC musical drama series on April 6. She will perform an original song, written by SMASH producers Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman, along with Christian Borle, who plays 'Tom'.
In the episode, Tom (Borle) plans a surprise for Ivy (Megan Hilty) in an attempt to find a balance between their work life and their friendship. Relations between Karen (Katharine McPhee), Jimmy (Jeremy Jordan), and Derek (Jack Davenport) explode just as "Hit List's" rehearsal process nears its close. While Richard (guest star Jamey Sheridan) asks Eileen (Anjelica Huston) to spend less time at work and more time with him, Julia (Debra Messing) finds herself also pulled away from "Bombshell" by an unlikely source. Leslie Odom, Jr., Krysta Rodriguez and Andy Mientus also star. Alongside Minnelli, Jamey Sheridan and Jesse L. Martin guest star.
From Universal Television in association with DreamWorks Television, SMASH stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg ("ER," "Schindler's List"). Executive producers also include Joshua Safran ("Gossip Girl"), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning "Chicago," "Hairspray"), Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey ("United States of Tara," "The Borgias"), Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can"), Jim Chory (NBC's "Heroes," "American Dreams") and Theresa Rebeck ("Mauritius," "NYPD Blue").
Minnelli is one of the rare entertainers who has earned an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award. She received an Oscar nomination for her performance in the film "The Sterile Cuckoo," and soon after won an Oscar as Best Actress for "Cabaret." Her other films include "Arthur," "The Muppets Take Manhattan," "Lady Luck" and "New York, New York." In 1972, Minnelli won an Emmy for her bravura performance in the television special "Liza with a 'Z': A Concert for Television." She appeared in several other television specials, including "Goldie and Liza Together," "An Evening with Liza Minnelli" and "Liza from London," among others.
On stage, Minnelli has won four Tonys for her work in "Flora the Red Menace" (becoming the youngest woman ever to win a leading actress award), "The Act" and a special Tony for "Liza at the Winter Garden" Minnelli starred in the show "Liza's at the Palace..." and won the Tony as Best Special Theatrical Event in 2009. She also earned a Golden Globe for Best Actress for "Cabaret" and another for her performance in the television movie "A Time to Live." Minnelli also was presented with a Grammy Legend Award. She continues to tour around the world, and appeared frequently on the TV series "Arrested Development."
Photo credit: Will Hart/NBC
Read more about Liza Minnelli to Guest Star in SMASH's 'The Surprise Party' Episode, April 6 by broadwayworld.com
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Birthday Girl Liza Minnelli on Cabaret and Arrested Development’s Lucille Two & Alan Cummings!
http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/liza-minelli-arrested-development-cabaret-interview.html
By Jada Yuan
Why, happy birthday, Ms. Liza! Today marks the legendary Liza Minnelli's 67th birthday, and she's celebrating as only a creature of showbiz could, by performing at Town Hall tomorrow, March 13, and March 14, with none other than Alan Cumming. The Town Hall shows are a reprise of the duo's instant-classic show this summer at one of Fire Island's more exuberantly trashy nightclubs — a show that Cumming called "the gayest night in modern history"and that was such a smash they performed an encore show the very next night. Both Minnelli, who won an Oscar for playing Sally Bowles in the Bob Fosse 1972 film version of Cabaret, and Cumming, who won a Tony for playing the Emcee in the musical's 1998 Broadway revival, have bonded over that connection, and they'll be performing songs like "Nowadays" at Town Hall. This is a big year for the birthday girl, who's not only celebrating the 40th anniversary of Fosse's Cabaret, but is also reprising her role as Lucille Two on the most anticipated television event of the millennium, season four of Arrested Development. Last we'd seen of Lucille Two, she'd spurned both Gob and Buster and sold all of her shares of the Bluth company to Stan Sitwell. Minnelli is under contract not to say anything about season four, but she did talk about vertigo, being beloved by the gays, and performing in Williamsburg (even though she maybe thought it was Williamsburg, Virginia).
What’s the best part about turning 67?
Sixty-seven … I don’t know. You know, half the time, I feel like I’m 12. And the rest of the time, I feel like I’m 80. [Laughs.] So I guess I’m somewhere in between. No, I feel great. I’ve got my health, and that’s the most important thing.
Sixty-seven … I don’t know. You know, half the time, I feel like I’m 12. And the rest of the time, I feel like I’m 80. [Laughs.] So I guess I’m somewhere in between. No, I feel great. I’ve got my health, and that’s the most important thing.
What are you going to do to celebrate on your actual birthday?
I don’t know.
I don’t know.
Are you waiting for a surprise?
No, I just haven’t figured it out yet. I haven’t discussed it with anybody but you! [Laughs heartily.] I mean, I think it’s wonderful that I’ll be working with Alan [Cumming]. That’s really my birthday present.
No, I just haven’t figured it out yet. I haven’t discussed it with anybody but you! [Laughs heartily.] I mean, I think it’s wonderful that I’ll be working with Alan [Cumming]. That’s really my birthday present.
Your upcoming shows at Town Hall stem from a couple of now-legendary shows you and Alan Cumming performed together at the gay club the Ice Palace on Fire Island. How did those shows come about? That’s not your typical venue.
Here’s how it happened, it’s really simple: Alan calls up and says, "You want to do a show with me?" "Sure! Where?" "Fire Island." "Okay!" I mean, it’s that simple! [Laughs.]
Here’s how it happened, it’s really simple: Alan calls up and says, "You want to do a show with me?" "Sure! Where?" "Fire Island." "Okay!" I mean, it’s that simple! [Laughs.]
What did you know about Fire Island before you went there?
[Pause.] What do you mean?
[Pause.] What do you mean?
Like, had you been?
Oh yeah, but not for a long time! I haven’t been there since, like, the seventies.
Oh yeah, but not for a long time! I haven’t been there since, like, the seventies.
When I went to Fire Island this past summer, I got off the boat and there was a line of drag queens dancing to the theme of The Love Boat.
Oh! [Clears throat.] Yeah, that is vaguely startling. [Laughs.]
Oh! [Clears throat.] Yeah, that is vaguely startling. [Laughs.]
Was that your experience?
No, it was fun and wonderful and vaguely startling.
No, it was fun and wonderful and vaguely startling.
You mean just the sheer number of drag queens?
No, just the amount of attention I got!
No, just the amount of attention I got!
It was supposed to be a one-time-only experience, but then you ended up doing a second show. Was that always planned?
No, not at all. Not at all! It was just a weekend for fun. And I was with Alan, who I love.
No, not at all. Not at all! It was just a weekend for fun. And I was with Alan, who I love.
Are you going to do duets from Cabaret together for your Town Hall show?
Oh, yeah, sure, we have to! That’s what connected us. A Cabaret medley.
Oh, yeah, sure, we have to! That’s what connected us. A Cabaret medley.
My friend was at the Fire Island shows and he said that a lot of gay men were in tears because they were so excited to see you there.
Into what, dear?
Into what, dear?
In tears.
[Incredulously.] In tears?
[Incredulously.] In tears?
Crying because they were so thrilled they were in your presence.
My goodness, I had no idea! Well, that’s lovely. Thank you for telling me.
My goodness, I had no idea! Well, that’s lovely. Thank you for telling me.
Why do you think the gay community responds so strongly to you?
I don’t know. You know, the male gay community seems to be very into female singers. I think it could be the songs we sing. They’re more open with their feelings. And they have good taste! [Laughs.]
I don’t know. You know, the male gay community seems to be very into female singers. I think it could be the songs we sing. They’re more open with their feelings. And they have good taste! [Laughs.]
Good taste in songs or with men?
No, just because they like me! [Laughs.]
No, just because they like me! [Laughs.]
When you get recognized on the street, what do people come and talk to you about most often?
It’s so nice because people just come up and say, "Thank you for the years of pleasure that you’ve given me," and, "God, I’m so happy to meet you," and "I saw you here, there, wherever." I’ve been doing this a long time. [Laughs.]
It’s so nice because people just come up and say, "Thank you for the years of pleasure that you’ve given me," and, "God, I’m so happy to meet you," and "I saw you here, there, wherever." I’ve been doing this a long time. [Laughs.]
But do certain things come up more often than others? Are people still coming up to you for Arthur?
Oh, no. Because Cabaret just got rereleased, right? But it’s always been either about Arthur, Cabaret, or the TV show? Arrested Development.
Oh, no. Because Cabaret just got rereleased, right? But it’s always been either about Arthur, Cabaret, or the TV show? Arrested Development.
I mean, it’s thrilling for people who love that show that it's coming back.
Well, I hope so.
Well, I hope so.
Now, what’s going to happen with Lucille Two?
I am under contract not to tell you! Literally, they made me sign a piece of paper.
I am under contract not to tell you! Literally, they made me sign a piece of paper.
How did you work it with the vertigo? You’re just constantly falling over in that show.
I don’t know; I thought it was funny. You know who helped me a great deal with this? Sam Harris. He’s got a great sense of humor, and he’s absolutely brilliant. I was willing to do practically anything for a laugh.
I don’t know; I thought it was funny. You know who helped me a great deal with this? Sam Harris. He’s got a great sense of humor, and he’s absolutely brilliant. I was willing to do practically anything for a laugh.
Did you practice how you would fall over?
Oh, yeah! Absolutely. But you know that one where she comes out of the thing for, you know, her balance problem, and she runs to the man and she goes right over his back? Did you see that? Well, it happened naturally. I mean, I said to the guy, "It’s easier on the fall if we do it this way," and then we just walk back, my legs go up and down. He said, "You’re right." So we did it that way, my legs went up — a little further than I thought. I thought, Relax and keep going. And that’s how that happened. [Laughs.] And they screamed, you know ... the cameraman. It’s a wonderful atmosphere. Hold on one second, dear. [Pause.] Hi, sorry! No, I had to — my dog wanted to come on the bed.
Oh, yeah! Absolutely. But you know that one where she comes out of the thing for, you know, her balance problem, and she runs to the man and she goes right over his back? Did you see that? Well, it happened naturally. I mean, I said to the guy, "It’s easier on the fall if we do it this way," and then we just walk back, my legs go up and down. He said, "You’re right." So we did it that way, my legs went up — a little further than I thought. I thought, Relax and keep going. And that’s how that happened. [Laughs.] And they screamed, you know ... the cameraman. It’s a wonderful atmosphere. Hold on one second, dear. [Pause.] Hi, sorry! No, I had to — my dog wanted to come on the bed.
What’s your dog’s name?
Well, I have three of them: Emelina, Oscar, and Blaze.
Well, I have three of them: Emelina, Oscar, and Blaze.
And are they all the same kind of dog?
Yeah. They are beautiful — oh God, here they come again. Hold on, hold on. [Pause.] Okay, [answering question] schnauzers!
Yeah. They are beautiful — oh God, here they come again. Hold on, hold on. [Pause.] Okay, [answering question] schnauzers!
I read that Kristen Wiig is playing a young Lucille One.
Oh, you did? I know nothing about it! They don’t tell me anything about it.
Oh, you did? I know nothing about it! They don’t tell me anything about it.
We’re curious if there’s a young Lucille Two.
No. No. But then again, I don’t know.
No. No. But then again, I don’t know.
Who do you think would play a young Lucille Two?
Oh, I have no idea, honey!
Oh, I have no idea, honey!
What’s been exciting for you about the reissue of Cabaret? Does it look better in Blu-Ray?
I think what’s been exciting for everybody, including the audience and the cast, is how well it stands up. It’s a timeless piece. Somebody said to me, "You know, that could have been made yesterday or tomorrow." Because of Fosse.
I think what’s been exciting for everybody, including the audience and the cast, is how well it stands up. It’s a timeless piece. Somebody said to me, "You know, that could have been made yesterday or tomorrow." Because of Fosse.
Do you ever look at it and cringe at anything?
No, I don’t.
No, I don’t.
Or just thinking about being that young and doing that?
Ha! I feel like I did it yesterday. You don’t understand — I am ageless! Truly. There’s nothing — I never think about age. It’s the damndest thing. Except somebody said, "Oh, yeah, doing this right after your birthday. Now it’s a big deal." I didn’t know that’s what it was gonna be about.
Ha! I feel like I did it yesterday. You don’t understand — I am ageless! Truly. There’s nothing — I never think about age. It’s the damndest thing. Except somebody said, "Oh, yeah, doing this right after your birthday. Now it’s a big deal." I didn’t know that’s what it was gonna be about.
I meant, do you look back on that part and wish you’d had more experience?
No, it’s weird, but you forget certain things and it surprises you at how well it was done with Fosse, coming back to me. Just how brilliant he was. And how funny it was that they sent us to Germany to make a musical about the Nazis. Fosse didn’t have to check in that much with anybody. I’m sure if we had been in Hollywood and he had done some of the things that he thought of, they would have said, "No, no, you can’t do that." But we were so far away, they sent him a telegram saying, "We don’t know if this will really play," and he ripped it up in front of the cast and threw it over his shoulder. [Laughs.]
No, it’s weird, but you forget certain things and it surprises you at how well it was done with Fosse, coming back to me. Just how brilliant he was. And how funny it was that they sent us to Germany to make a musical about the Nazis. Fosse didn’t have to check in that much with anybody. I’m sure if we had been in Hollywood and he had done some of the things that he thought of, they would have said, "No, no, you can’t do that." But we were so far away, they sent him a telegram saying, "We don’t know if this will really play," and he ripped it up in front of the cast and threw it over his shoulder. [Laughs.]
No, that makes sense. Have you seen that there’s a prequel to Oz that’s coming right around now?
No, haven’t heard a thing.
No, haven’t heard a thing.
It’s Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful with James Franco and Mila Kunis.
Oh! Great! Whatever.
Oh! Great! Whatever.
Would you see it? Is it something that interests you?
Oh, I don’t think I’d run, but I mean, I’m sure if I thought it was interesting. So, where do you live?
Oh, I don’t think I’d run, but I mean, I’m sure if I thought it was interesting. So, where do you live?
I live in Williamsburg.
Oh, wow! That’s beautiful. I played there, ha!
Oh, wow! That’s beautiful. I played there, ha!
You did? Where? [Editor's note: I’m pretty sure she thought I was talking about Williamsburg, Virginia, but isn’t the thought of Liza playing at a club in hipster Williamsburg, Brooklyn, kind of amazing?]
Sure, I played Williamsburg. I can’t remember, darling, but you name it, I played there. That’s why I’m so excited about performing with Alan.
Sure, I played Williamsburg. I can’t remember, darling, but you name it, I played there. That’s why I’m so excited about performing with Alan.
Because of Williamsburg?
No, no, because of all the places that I’ve been and the people I’ve worked with, and now to be doing this with Alan just because we did one show together and it became so talked about that they asked us to do it on Broadway.
No, no, because of all the places that I’ve been and the people I’ve worked with, and now to be doing this with Alan just because we did one show together and it became so talked about that they asked us to do it on Broadway.
And what is changing from the Fire Island show to the one you’re gonna be doing at Town Hall?
Well, quite a lot. Because the Fire Island one was just sort of "Yeah, okay, well, I’ll just go up there with him and whatever." But this one is more planned because we’re both pros.
Well, quite a lot. Because the Fire Island one was just sort of "Yeah, okay, well, I’ll just go up there with him and whatever." But this one is more planned because we’re both pros.
Well, of course you are.
PR says interview is done.
Well, thank you, honey, it was so nice talking to you!
PR says interview is done.
Well, thank you, honey, it was so nice talking to you!
Thank you so much.
And say hello to Williamsburg for me.
And say hello to Williamsburg for me.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Liza Minnelli leaving her Show in Town Hall - NYC 13/02 .
Music Review
Let’s Be Friends and Showstoppers
Liza Minnelli and Alan Cumming on Wednesday at Town Hall in Manhattan. The two performed a set that included the Adele hit “Someone Like You.”
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
Published: March 14, 2013
A legend and her charming squire: that would describe Liza Minnelli and Alan Cumming on Wednesday evening at Town Hall in the first part of a two-evening celebration of Ms. Minnelli’s 67th birthday (last Tuesday).
“I’m 12,” Ms. Minnelli remarked at one point late in the show, then briefly lapsed into baby talk.
And in a way she is. Anyone who has followed Ms. Minnelli’s career is aware that from the moment she was born, she has lived inside a show-business bubble where time warps and reality bends. But life happens anyway, and in another sense Ms. Minnelli, who has endured all manner of personal travails, has lived at least nine lives and emerged with her spirit intact and her urge to perform undiminished. What else would she do?
The show had two musical directors (Lance Horne for Mr. Cumming and Billy Stritch for Ms. Minnelli) leading a pop-jazz ensemble.
Over the decades Ms. Minnelli has performed with a long list of younger friends and protégés, of whom Mr. Cumming, 48, is the latest and one of the most gracious and talented. The story of their meeting for the first time at a performance of “Cabaret,” after which she declared, “I want us to be friends for life,” captures the eruptive spontaneity of a performer who never holds back. And that primal impulse to give everything all at once is what kept the audience entranced for much of the concert.
If Ms. Minnelli’s voice is in shambles, she can infuse an electric excitement into a Bob Fosse shoulder shrug. Nowadays she relies on body language and acting to see her through. The strongest moment in her section of a show that opened with a long set by Mr. Cumming was a dramatically explosive rendition of Charles Aznavour’s proto-gay pride anthem, “What Makes a Man a Man.” In an era when transgender issues are a hot topic, it no longer sounds like a musty relic.
The link between Ms. Minnelli and Mr. Cumming is not only “Cabaret,” in which Mr. Cumming played the master of ceremonies in the 1998 Broadway revival, but also their shared vaudevillian expertise. Mr. Cumming knows how to slink across the stage while wearing an insinuating grin that conveys a blush-worthy concupiscence.
High points of his ballad-heavy set included a tender “Falling Slowly,” from “Once”; Adele’s “Someone Like You”; and a mash-up of Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello’s “I Still Have That Other Girl” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind.” A typical performance built from a near whisper into a feverish cry. In a hundred subtle ways, Mr. Cumming took care of his vulnerable, brassy “friend for life” with a courtly protectiveness and empathy.
The engagement concluded on Thursday.
A version of this review appeared in print on March 15, 2013, on page C12 of the New York edition with the headline: Let’s Be Friends And Showstoppers.
Portrait of Friendship! Tony-Winning Pals Liza Minnelli & Alan Cumming Get Set to Wow the Crowd at Town Hall
Photos By Broadway.com Staff March 14, 2013 - 12:17PM
What a night! Tony-winning pals Liza Minnelli and Alan Cumming took the stage at Town Hall on March 13 (the day after Liza's 67th birthday) for the first of two cabaret-style concerts, Liza & Alan and the crowd went wild. The stars swapped numbers from Cabaret—he sang “Mein Heir”; she sang “Wilkommen”—Liza belted out some of her beloved hits and Alan chose an eclectic mix of songs. Minnelli and Cumming first performed together in the summer of 2012 on Fire Island, and their act is definitely ready for the big time. Broadway.com’s Bruce Glikas captured a lovely portrait of the friends before their Town Hall debut. Bravo to an inspired pairing, and see you on Broadway soon, Alan, in Macbeth—and in your new Broadway.com video blog The Cumming Attraction.
Liza Minnelli, Alan Cumming turn friendship into hit show
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/14/entertainment-us-lizaminelli-idUSBRE92D07P20130314
Singer Liza Minnelli and actor Alan Cumming perform during their one night only performance in New York, March 13, 2013.
"Liza coming to Fire Island - can you imagine? It was like a papal visit," Cumming said, recalling the friends' two shows that spawned the sold out shows at Town Hall on Wednesday and Thursday.
"I think this is probably the first time that a show has transferred from Cherry Grove, Fire Island to Broadway," Cumming said, referring to the almost exclusively gay beach town where the friends appeared during a July heat wave, cooling down between sets in a walk-in refrigerator.
The concert served as a "Cabaret" reunion of sorts, as Minnelli, still closely associated with her Oscar-winning performance as Sally Bowles in the 1972 film of the iconic musical, and Cumming, who won a Tony award as the emcee in the acclaimed Broadway revival more than two decades later, sang duets including the title song, "Cabaret."
But the pair toyed with sexual identity, as Minnelli, who has a huge gay following, and Cumming, who is married to his male partner, switched their "Cabaret" roles - she sang "Willkommen," usually sung by the emcee, while he sang "Mein Herr," one of Sally's big numbers.
Minnelli's husky intonations contrasted dramatically with Cumming's reedy tenor for their duets, which were augmented by little waltzes and plenty of banter and embracing.
"We're just crazy about each other," Minnelli told Reuters after the show. "It felt very intimate, like being with a bunch of friends."
Before the show, producer Daniel Nardicio said "It had always surprised me that no producer had thought to put these two long-time friends on stage together ... That's what people saw on the stage on Fire Island - two good friends having fun. I dare say that this show is a celebration of friendship."
"I never know what he's going to do. And he never knows what I'm going to do," Minnelli reflected about the concert's free-wheeling vibe.
Still, she noted, "It's a very well-paced show," adding, "Was it OK?", mirroring her on-stage apparent insecurity as she asked an audience of adoring fans: "I hope I'm doing OK for you?"
By all accounts it was more than OK, as the crowd leapt to its feet en masse to give Minnelli a standing ovation after nearly each one of her songs, which included "But The World Goes Round" and one of her signature songs, "New York, New York," as well as "Teach Me Tonight," "Liza with a Z" from the television special of the same name, and the novelty tune, "Ring Them Bells" from the same program, which won her an Emmy.
Minnelli, who has triumphed as a singer, actress and dancer on both stage and film, much like her legendary mother Judy Garland, said she doesn't hew to one particular form.
"It's all one thing - when I'm singing I'm acting, and when I'm dancing I'm acting," she said.
Before her set, Cumming, who first met Minnelli when she saw him in the "Cabaret" revival, sang an impassioned version of "Losing My Mind" from "Follies" as well as what he called a mashup of Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" and Adele's "Someone Like You," among other songs.
The night ended with Cumming leading the sold out crowd in serenading Minnelli with "Happy Birthday," in honor of her 67th birthday on Tuesday.
Minnelli said she didn't know about taking their show further. "We really haven't even thought about it. I guess it would depend on scheduling," she said, before saying again how terrifically close the two stars are.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Credit: Reuters/Carlo Allegri
NEW YORK |
NEW YORK (Reuters) - By merely striding onto a stage, Liza Minnelli transformed a Manhattan concert hall into a cabaret on Wednesday, as the legendary entertainer teamed up with Broadway veteran Alan Cumming for the first night of a two-night gig reprising a show the pair put on last summer at a Fire Island nightclub."Liza coming to Fire Island - can you imagine? It was like a papal visit," Cumming said, recalling the friends' two shows that spawned the sold out shows at Town Hall on Wednesday and Thursday.
"I think this is probably the first time that a show has transferred from Cherry Grove, Fire Island to Broadway," Cumming said, referring to the almost exclusively gay beach town where the friends appeared during a July heat wave, cooling down between sets in a walk-in refrigerator.
The concert served as a "Cabaret" reunion of sorts, as Minnelli, still closely associated with her Oscar-winning performance as Sally Bowles in the 1972 film of the iconic musical, and Cumming, who won a Tony award as the emcee in the acclaimed Broadway revival more than two decades later, sang duets including the title song, "Cabaret."
But the pair toyed with sexual identity, as Minnelli, who has a huge gay following, and Cumming, who is married to his male partner, switched their "Cabaret" roles - she sang "Willkommen," usually sung by the emcee, while he sang "Mein Herr," one of Sally's big numbers.
Minnelli's husky intonations contrasted dramatically with Cumming's reedy tenor for their duets, which were augmented by little waltzes and plenty of banter and embracing.
"We're just crazy about each other," Minnelli told Reuters after the show. "It felt very intimate, like being with a bunch of friends."
Before the show, producer Daniel Nardicio said "It had always surprised me that no producer had thought to put these two long-time friends on stage together ... That's what people saw on the stage on Fire Island - two good friends having fun. I dare say that this show is a celebration of friendship."
"I never know what he's going to do. And he never knows what I'm going to do," Minnelli reflected about the concert's free-wheeling vibe.
Still, she noted, "It's a very well-paced show," adding, "Was it OK?", mirroring her on-stage apparent insecurity as she asked an audience of adoring fans: "I hope I'm doing OK for you?"
By all accounts it was more than OK, as the crowd leapt to its feet en masse to give Minnelli a standing ovation after nearly each one of her songs, which included "But The World Goes Round" and one of her signature songs, "New York, New York," as well as "Teach Me Tonight," "Liza with a Z" from the television special of the same name, and the novelty tune, "Ring Them Bells" from the same program, which won her an Emmy.
Minnelli, who has triumphed as a singer, actress and dancer on both stage and film, much like her legendary mother Judy Garland, said she doesn't hew to one particular form.
"It's all one thing - when I'm singing I'm acting, and when I'm dancing I'm acting," she said.
Before her set, Cumming, who first met Minnelli when she saw him in the "Cabaret" revival, sang an impassioned version of "Losing My Mind" from "Follies" as well as what he called a mashup of Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" and Adele's "Someone Like You," among other songs.
The night ended with Cumming leading the sold out crowd in serenading Minnelli with "Happy Birthday," in honor of her 67th birthday on Tuesday.
Minnelli said she didn't know about taking their show further. "We really haven't even thought about it. I guess it would depend on scheduling," she said, before saying again how terrifically close the two stars are.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Liza in Paris March 5th 2013
Exclu : Après son concert à l'Olympia, Liza Minnelli
Exclu : Liza Minnelli "Chez Castel", Ã Paris, le 5 mars 2013.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Liza Minnelli, Royal Festival Hall | Theatre reviews, news & interviews
Liza Minnelli, Royal Festival Hall
An unforgettable night with the great performer, rising to the heights across a generous set
Saturday, 02 March 2013
Liza with a zee: zestful, undimmed star quality
It’s Weimar Berlin time as the Southbank Centre’s The Rest is Noise festival moves through the 20th-century music scene – so it must be Liza Minnelli time too. Or must it? Though she’s immortalised through her Americanisation of Sally Bowles in Bob Fosse’s film of Cabaret, the Kander and Ebb torchsong for which she is most famous, “Maybe This Time”, belongs very decidedly to the 1960s (it was written for Kaye Ballard, not for the 1972 movie).
Well, we heard that, and how - a number in itself worth the top ticket price of £100. We also had Liza singing Cole Porter and a starry-eyed ballad from an abortive Jeanette MacDonald musical in which the fledgling teenage star was scheduled to appear, Liza as an old Berlin landlady and as a drag queen leading a harrowed life in the 1970s. Enough there, surely, to qualify for a festival of 20th-century music and culture. But the biggest surprise, for those of us wary of reports about some recent appearances by the singer who turns 67 in 11 days’ time, was that a legend of the 20th century is still fighting fit for the 21st, rising to showbiz heights across the span of a night to remember.
The kindling was steady. In a preliminary set surely designed to separate the good from the great, feisty Yorkshirewoman Clare Teal and her trio had warmed us up nicely by the time she breezily occupied the territories of Dory Previn and Doris Day (“Secret Love” deliciously jazzed).
After the break, Liza came on, tottering a little, very breathy and helpfully camouflaged for her first belt, "Alexander’s Ragtime Band", by her own consummate band of seven. That was classy – as, indeed, throughout, were the two high-wire trumpeters, superbly miked, saxophonist Chuck Wilson and Minnelli’s quick-witted mainstay, pianist (and crooner) Billy Stritch, who duetted elegantly with his star in “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and kept us perfectly happy in Liza’s only break with “No Moon at All”.
By then, Minnelli had taken us straight to the heart of the matter. First there was characterisation with chutzpah: Fräulein Schneider’s philosophical homily from the original show of Cabaret, “So What?”, making us wonder if this role might be suitable for a stage comeback (the practical landlady’s second act number, “What Would You Do?” should be a concert option, at least). Then there was characterisation with gritty pathos in Charles Aznavour’s “What Makes a Man a Man?”, a pioneering number about the persecution of a gay performer from 1973.
The breathiness settled down, and the Cabaret numbers duly scorched with very different inflections from 40 years ago; Elsie from Chelsea gave us a cockney homily, and there was a predictable pause for three-quarters of the audience’s benefit on “when I saw her laid out like a queen”. More showstoppers went straight for their targets, culminating in the most irresistible of the many standing ovations for “And The World Goes 'Round”. And pitch-perfect in every sense was Liza’s first encore with Stritch alone, “Every Time We Say Goodbye”.
That the second encore, unaccompanied – “I’ll Be Seeing You” – made some interesting excursions into neighbouring keys didn’t matter. We were all tearfully captivated by the most astonishing display of star quality I’ve heard in the hall since Nina Simone in 1999 – and if you don’t believe me about the level of divadom, then I can confirm that a rapt Vladimir Jurowski, sitting two seats away from me on a night off between Paris and London performances of Weill’s Threepenny Opera, found it phenomenal too.
To adapt the refrain of perhaps the evening’s most touching song, the Jeanette MacDonald number, on such a night as this did Liza hit the heights. "I'll remember this my whole life - my whole damn life", she exclaimed at the end. So will her lucky audience.
Watch Liza Minnelli in a recent performance of Aznavour's "What Makes a Man a Man?"
- Read an astoundingly good recent interview with Liza Minnelli by Marcelle Bernstein
- Read David Nice's blog, I'll Think of Something Later
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Saturday, March 2, 2013
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