Liza's At The Palace...! (The SOB Review) - Palace Theatre, New York, NY*** (out of ****)Want to see an honest-to-goodness legendary trouper who feeds off her audience, not only as if it were an intimate gathering, but more importantly, as if they were always destined to be together? Then you can't afford to miss the one and only
Liza Minnelli in
Liza's At The Palace...!Sure, much has been written about how this icon doesn't quite hit all the notes the way she used to, or how she occasionally slurs her speech (today it's Liza with a zshee), or how she moves a bit wobbly (no doubt thanks to two new hips and a knee). But I can tell you that I've never seen a performer give it her all -- and then some, and then some more -- quite the way Liza Minnelli does. This
Oscar,
Tony,
Emmy and (special)
Grammy winner does it with such enormous heart and humanity, you find yourself pulling for her every step of the way.
With her second act paean to her real-life Godmother
Kay Thompson, Ms. Minnelli recreates the "
Eloise" writer's nightclub act from days long gone by. Thompson originally performed with the
Williams Brothers, but director and choreographer
Ron Lewis captures their essence with
Cortes Alexander,
Jim Caruso,
Tiger Martina and
Johnny Rodgers in rousing and gleeful, if old-fashioned, spirit. In fact,
Billy Stritch and
David Zippel's musical stylings filled my head with memories of listening to my grandmother's stereo, as well as those dated television variety shows from the earliest days of my youth. Ms. Minnelli's enthralling show captures this snapshot of another time brilliantly and enthusiastically.
Aside from her self-deprecating stories, including an ultimately bittersweet one involving three closets, there were two points during her performance that left me choked up. The first occurred near the end of the first act when she sang "Cabaret" and uttered a revised line about "going like Elsie." The second came when Ms. Minnelli performed her final encore with a holiday homage to her mother, the late
Judy Garland. While I can't give it away, it was a glorious way to send her adoring audience out onto a snowy Broadway on a cherished high note.
Supposedly, they don't do shows like this anymore. But thankfully, Liza Minnelli does.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Cabaret, Judy Garland, Kay Thompson, Liza Minnelli, Liza's At The Palace, Revue, Special Theatrical Event, The SOB Review
Liza's At The Palace, But Where Are Critics To Start Spreadin' The News?What if a show opened and no critics were there to see it happen? Does that mean it doesn't exist?
Something close to that occurred last evening as
Liza Minnelli made her return to Broadway in
Liza's At The Palace...! with apparently only three regular theatre critics posting their post mortems so far (perhaps it was because there were no previews?? If so, I'll add to this as newspapers play catch-up).
Concluding that the show "is 100% fantastic entertainment,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News offers a euphoric four out of five stars: "Minnelli's spectacular holiday happening
Liza's at the Palace ...! finds Liza with a Z fit, funny, surprisingly energetic and in her best voice in ages -- though on occasion she does mistake volume for tone.... A spine-tingling recreation of her mother
Judy Garland's
'Palace Medley' -- which she sang at the same theater decades ago -- sparkled with equally high-octane emotion and nostalgia."
Deeming the show "a slick and exuberant time-capsule,"
Linda Winer of
Newsday gives props to Liza: "She doesn't hit all the pitches these days, though she didn't always in the old days, and that wobble is now wide enough to drive a limo through it. But her phrasing is terrific and her enthusiasm, thoroughly endearing. The show, which runs through the month, has a generous onstage orchestra (in tuxedos, no less) and an almost quaint quartet of mature male dancers."
Noting how "the woman knows how to a work a room,"
Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press offers huzzahs for the legend: "Liza Minnelli has sunny star-wattage to spare, a never-say-die attitude that is astonishing to watch.... and it would be foolish if you don't catch her act before it closes Dec. 28. Minnelli has always been a mixture of unabashed enthusiasm and heartbreaking vulnerability.... Both qualities are on display at the
Palace, where Minnelli is delivering a sterling piece of entertainment that looks backward and forward."
Calling the production a "highly energetic and occasionally extraordinary new Broadway show,"
Brian Scott Lipton of Theatermania is mostly positive: "[Y]ou'll mostly be kept rapt by the sheer charisma and showmanship that Minnelli brings to the stage. To get the big questions out of the way, Minnelli's voice isn't what it was many years ago, but it's strong and powerful and mostly gets the job done, and she moves rather than really dances. But her skills as a performer, honed over five decades, and her genuineness and vulnerability make these shortcomings seem relatively unimportant."
Proclaiming Minnelli "extremely fascinating to watch,"
Matt Windman of New York City Theater gives 2 and a half out of four stars: "[I]s Liza the toast or the train wreck of Broadway? She’s kind of both. At Wednesday’s opening night performance, not only did Act One and Act Two feel like completely different shows, they also displayed different versions of Liza. Act One was pretty problematic. In between forced, mostly spoke-through performances of 'Maybe This Time' and 'Cabaret,' Liza appeared like a marionette on strings on the verge of falling down. In between songs, she panted desperately for breath and her hands shook. We couldn’t understand a single lyric she uttered in any song. But Act Two was fantastic. For the most part, Minnelli reconstructed the 1948 cabaret act of vocal arranger and actress
Kay Thompson, who was her godmother. Though it probably helped that a male chorus literally provided shoulders to lean on, Minnelli’s tribute to Thompson was well focused and tight."
As noted above, I'll continue to add whatever other key critics have to say regarding
Liza's At The Palace...! as I see them. But given what those above have already stated, I'm thrilled that I'll have the honor of basking in her presence yet again come Saturday evening.
UPDATE (12.04.08, 4:37 p.m. EST): Labeling the show "Kinda fabulous,"
Variety's
David Rooney heaps praise on the icon: "[W]hat makes Minnelli a great entertainer when she’s firing on all cylinders is how hard she works for the audience’s love. And how much she clearly thrives on it. In an age in which so many female concert performers are overproduced automatons, deigning to be worshipped by their fans, Minnelli’s emotional give-and-take makes her a disarming relic. Part of the unique thrill of watching her strut through 'New York, New York' in New York is the knowledge she represents an era of entertainment that’s all but gone."
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Judy Garland, Kay Thompson, Liza Minnelli, Liza's At The Palace, Revue
Linda Eder: This Time Around (The SOB Review) - Feinstein's at the Regency, New York, NY
**1/2
I realize it was late.
Very late...
Around 11:50 pm to be precise when the lovely
Linda Eder finally took to the stage at the estimable
Feinstein's at the Regency last Saturday night. It was the second of two shows that evening -- I can only wistfully wonder how spectacular the 8:30 pm show was; after all, it let out at about 10:30.
Such was not the case with the scheduled 11 pm performance. While
Linda Eder: This Time Around provided some genuinely fun and entertaining moments, they didn't last long at all. In fact, Linda Eder's cabaret performance barely clocked in at one hour (there's a magnificent clock on the wall to the right of the stage). Unfortunately, the golden-throated voice for which she's known -- including her customary awe-inspiring vocal gymnastics -- was barely hitting the high bars last Saturday.
Eder herself confessed that she was tired and that her voice has suffered. She shared tidbits of her rigorous schedule caring for her 7 year old and the challenges it poses to such performances. And since her audience was packed with adoring devotees, she was easily forgiven if her usual spellbinding song stylings were a tad bit underwhelming.
Included in her repertoire were tunes from her recent
Judy Garland tribute album, her show's title song, a rousing rendition of "Bring On The Men," and a gorgeous version of "On The Street Where You Live." But she had barely begun when Feinstein's waiters were already handing out checks for the $40 per person food and drink minimum (in addition to the $80 tickets) to close out the evening.
As much as I can't get enough of Eder's voice when it's in top shape, my advice for anyone wishing to see this talented performer via this gig is simple: make sure you're seeing the early evening shows so as not to be disappointed.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Cabaret Act, Feinstein's At The Regency, Judy Garland, Linda Eder, Linda Eder: This Time Around, New York State, Revue, The SOB Review
