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The Palace Theatre, New York
Minnelli on Minnelli
concert starring Liza Minnelli
December 7, 1999
Review by Andrew Yarrows
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Tonight I saw Liza Minnelli in her comeback engagement at The Palace Theatre on Broadway. The Palace, home of Beauty &
the Beast until recently (and now making room for the impending Aida production in the new year), was once the site of one
of Judy Garland's most famous stints. Liza, having recovered almost completely from recent weight, voice and (presumably)
substance abuse problems, managed to give a performance that was poignant, energetic, amusing and altogether worthy of
having her own Broadway show.
While not a huge Minnelli fan, I decided I should see this show because it's been referred to by so many (including the star
herself) as Liza's "comeback," and I'm sure it will go down as a milestone of her career. Having done very little since 1994's
controversial appearance in Victor/Victoria (recall all the talk about line screw-ups, including that "hooker"/"hoofer" flub?) and
the recording of 1996's vocally challenged Gently, this show is crucial for Liza. She has been out of the public eye and her
recent appearances in public have been alarming, to say the least, as she's looked less than healthy, sometimes bad enough to
conjure up thoughts of her mother's premature demise some 30 years ago. This is, essentially, her big chance to redeem herself
and get back on track. Of course, she is already a living legend in the theatre world, but for a long time she seemed set to fade
away, having done her best work decades earlier and now a mere shadow of what she once was, or could have been. Even
legends must work at their craft, after all, and Liza proves that she is capable of doing just that with Minnelli on Minnelli.
The show is very simple in design, featuring just Liza and a few "boys" who dance and sing variously in support of her (although
I'd venture to say they don't do enough of it, as many times Liza is left alone onstage and forced to overcompensate for the
absence). The set looks like something from a 1970s variety show or an episode of Solid Gold; glittering, metallic pillars
stand from floor to ceiling and revolve variously throughout, with flashy lighting producing numerous, often gorgeous color
variations and floor patterns. Several different backdrops also help to make the stage's appearance more attractive. Perhaps
the most remarkable stage elements are the video screens of various sizes and shapes that descend from the flies at certain
points in the show to allow for projections of photographs and lengthy film clips to be shown. In other words, the stage is made
to look busy for the moments when Liza is otherwise alone onstage. Even then she holds her own, but the extras help to
minimize what could easily become monotonous in a production of this nature.
Of course, Liza is practically the only thing this show needs, besides an orchestra to back her up. Everything else is just an
added bonus. The woman is a born performer, and that was apparent in every moment of this performance, the last preview
before the show's actual opening. From the moment she took the stage, following a short overture, she had the audience
spellbound. Many in attendance could not contain their joy at seeing her live onstage; the evening was marked by numerous
"We love you"'s and "You're great"'s hurled at her from the orchestra section. Like a complete professional, Liza ad-libbed and
interacted with such comments, her wit sharp and surprisingly quick. While her demeanor is often child-like and naive, Liza is,
after all, no dummy; she knows what her audience wants and is prepared to give them a massive dose of it, whether in the form
of humorous spoken word or electrifying belts during her towering interpretations of the evening's songs. Physically, Liza is the
best she's looked in quite some time. She has slimmed way down, looks rested and energetic, and her voice is about 85% of
its full potential. There is some residual scratchiness, but it doesn't stand in her way. Rather, it gives her voice a remarkably
unique, "smoky" quality that gives tremendous atmosphere to the material at hand, which seems like a heavy helping of jazzy
up-tempo numbers and many smoldering ballads. I have faith, after seeing Liza's condition, that she will recover even further
and eventually regain her voice completely, which is much more than I expected of her initially. After hearing recent interviews
and a few performances, I began to wonder if she'd be even remotely tolerable attempting a full length concert on Broadway.
The show's choreography is somewhat cliche-ridden, but ultimately it works. Liza's boys surround her in dance, interact with her in
what amount to a few comedic skits, and eventually carry off their own numbers while Liza is offstage changing costume.
Unfortunately, they really aren't given enough to do. I would have liked them to sing backup on a few songs, or at least dance
in the background from time to time rather than leaving Liza completely to her own devices. Mind you, Liza was fine alone, and
her personality and energy filled the void very well, but it would have been nice to see the dancers given a more balanced use.
As it stands, their appearances are uneven and somewhat ill-paced.
Speaking of choreography, it's fairly unforgiving to Liza, who has had hip replacement surgery this decade and seemed barely
able to walk when seen in public the last few years. Yet she keeps up with it without fail, kicking, tapping and stepping with the
best of her boys. She even struts a chair in one number (or, at least, rides around on one), something I didn't expect to see
from a person recovering from so many recent ailments.
The costumes by the Cher-worshiped Bob Mackie are complimentary to Liza, at least for this flashy show and the
corresponding material. Some of it is cheesy, as one would expect from Mackie, making Liza look like something of a spoof of
herself. She honestly did look like a drag queen from time to time, something which has increased as she has aged. She even
commented on this at one point, saying with great humor that she sees "7 feet tall drag queens that look like me." What a sport!
Between songs Liza engaged the audience in frequent, conversational bits of commentary on songs, her career, and life in
general. She crossed a few lines I did not expect her to cross, too, in the course of these sequences, referring at one point,
unabashedly, to her "friends in AA," a revelation that garnered her massive applause. It was nice to see a star looking (and
acting) so human, accessible, comfortable with and appreciative of her fans.
The song selections are, in keeping with the show's title, all drawn from the films of her father, Vincent Minnelli. While many
numbers such as "Cabin in the Sky" and "The Trolley Song" are instantly recognizable, I found my ears met with a barrage of
material I had never before heard. I presume that this is due to the fact that a) I haven't seen many of her father's films and b)
because some of the material simply isn't that well known. This doesn't mean it wasn't very enjoyable and of high quality,
however. But I did miss a number of Liza's standards, like "New York, New York" and "Maybe This Time" among others (the
latter number is heard as the opening of a totally unrelated song, as a sort of audience-baiting gimmick, complete with a Sally
Bowles-esque costume, stance and microphone), songs which probably would have brought the house down if performed as
encores but which otherwise would have compromised the theme of this production. Still, while the show is supposedly a
devotional piece to her father, it's basically all about Liza, but she does do her daddy proud over all.
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The use of projections and film clips was interesting, especially in relation to the former. Liza took the audience on a touching
(and often highly amusing) "tour" of old family pictures, many of them from her childhood. Her speech and demeanor during
these sequences gave an impression of honesty and openness, a willingness to share an intimate piece of her life with the
audience. And that's one of the things that made Minnelli on Minnelli so special--the audience was treated as a group of close
friends, not merely as spectators. Liza seemed more concerned with showing everyone a good time and drawing on the
audience's abundant support for her efforts than going through the motions and expecting applause, as some other divas might. |
"And that's one of the things that made Minnelli on Minnelli so special--the audience was treated as a group of close
friends, not merely as spectators." |
The film clips, on the other hand, were a tad drawing, honestly, and seemed designed, in part, to fill space. During the second
act, a large movie screen descends and Liza moves off to the side, presiding over a lengthy sequence of clips from Vincent
Minnelli films such as An American In Paris, almost the entire ballet sequence from the latter film being shown before moving
on to the next clip. The second clip, featuring Lana Turner in an utterly ridiculous performance in which she speeds like a
maniac down a rain-swept highway, apparently trying to kill herself in a fit of love-spawned rage, drew inappropriate laughter
from the audience, including myself. The clip collection also included, of course, Gigi, the film for which Vincent Minnelli won
an Oscar, songs from which Liza went on to perform during the remainder of the evening.
In what may have been the most memorable sequence of the show, Liza sang "The Trolley Song" from Meet Me in St. Louis while
a clip of her mother from that film played, Liza's vocals "superimposed" over Judy Garland's. Perfectly timed, it appeared
as though Liza's voice was soaring out from her mother's moving lips on screen. My hair stood on end. It was almost as if
she was channeling her mother through her body; they sound so very much alike. It was a wonderful, magical moment.
The final song of the evening is a specially written number by John Kander and Fred Ebb (the latter being the show's director
and writer) as a tribute to Vincent Minnelli from Liza. While a highly pleasant and occasionally touching tune, I found the lyrics
to be borderline absurd. Basically the song keeps saying, over and over: "I wouldn't be here without you." Well, no kidding.
Minnelli on Minnelli will probably have an almost sold out run at the Palace before it ends in early January to make way for
Aida, although there were a number of unsold seats in the balcony from what I could see. The show is pretty much for Liza's
fans, as she does require a certain appreciation and, I would venture to say, tolerance. Most people seem to either love her or
hate her. I fall somewhere in between, because I quite like her and find her, in general, to be a rather fascinating specimen of
star presence and genuine talent. She is, after all, a production in and of herself, and one of legendary proportions; her mother
and father were stars, and Liza has become a legend in her own right. Minnelli on Minnelli may not, ultimately, be a show of
which legends are born, but Liza has at least proven that her legend can still grow, and most certainly endure.
-------Andy
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