Six years after closing Liza's at The Palace, one of the most heralded Special Events in recent Broadway memory, Liza Minnelli gathered up her best friends, that famous songbook, and some beaded couture to try out a new concert in Biloxi, Mississippi. ("The glamour...the glitter...the Gulf," Liza giggled.) As a try-out for her 2016 "Great Day" tour, Minnelli, musical director/pianist/singer Billy Stritch and singers Cortés Alexander and Jim Caruso warbled their way into the hearts of the Gulf Coast fans, garnering a half-dozen standing ovations and some love-letters from the press. Armed with a few Palace re-creations, some fresh new harmonies and the obligatory Liza standards, it seems that the sky's the limit for this happy band of players.
BroadwayWorld spoke to Stritch, Alexander and Caruso about the musical goings-on and what it was like to be on the road again.
The day we spent in Biloxi was much fun. It was terrific to be reunited with our great band and the stage crew and staff at the IP couldn't have been nicer or more professional. And what can I say about that audience? Truly incredible - you could tell instantly that they were there to show their love and support to Liza (as if the six standing ovations left any doubt). With the addition of Jim and Cortés, this new show has a more intimate and casual feel - sort of like a party with Liza and her best friends. It was good to get this first show under our belts and we're all looking forward to more shows this fall and winter.
Cortés Alexander:
It all felt new and exciting, yet oddly familiar to step onstage with Liza six years after our unforgettable Palace run.Jim Caruso and I made our entrance from the house, which is beyond anxiety-inducing. Seeing Liza's first steps back on stage after a year-and-a-half was exhilarating, nervous-making and thrilling beyond. But ever the consummate pro, she picked up where she left off as if no time had passed. When she called Jim and I onstage to sing with her and Billy, it was as if I was home with my brothers and of course, our fearless leader in sequins. I love her, and I love Billy and Jim, and cannot wait to share more laughs and songs and travels with all of you.
Jim Caruso and I made our entrance from the house, which is beyond anxiety-inducing. Seeing Liza's first steps back on stage after a year-and-a-half was exhilarating, nervous-making and thrilling beyond. But ever the consummate pro, she picked up where she left off as if no time had passed. When she called Jim and I onstage to sing with her and Billy, it was as if I was home with my brothers and of course, our fearless leader in sequins. I love her, and I love Billy and Jim, and cannot wait to share more laughs and songs and travels with all of you.
It's been my secret, unspoken fantasy that someday, our Liza's at The Palace family would pack the trunks we were born in and take to the road again. After all, the three-year tour and subsequent Broadway run was a high point in my life and career. A few months ago, my phone rang, and I heard that famous voice scream, "Baby! Let's go back out!" I didn't have to think or check a schedule. My answer was a resoundingyes. Last week, after a slew of rehearsals, Liza, Billy, Cortés and I made the schlep to the IP Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi to try out the musical fun we've been scheming. The plan is to make "Great Day" like one of Liza's famous parties, where friends gather to sing, cavort and entertain each other at the baby grand. That's precisely what we did, and the audience proceeded to join in on the fun and take it to another level. To stand in front of one of the best bands on the planet, singing with my showbiz brother Cortés Alexander and my musical bff Billy Stritch at the piano, holding hands and harmonizing with the one-and-only Liza Minnelli is "a wondrous thrill." As we all know, 90% of a life in this business is the hang, and these people are all superb hangs. We pour our hearts out to each other. We tell foul jokes. We roar with laugher. We eat in some of the vilest coffee shops known to man. We are, in every sense of the word, family. I am champing at the bit to continue making music and merry with these people I adore. As Liza is fond of saying, "Here we go!"
Photo Credit: Steven T. Lawrence
July 29 2015
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