Liza Minnelli is one of eight living artists who have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. In so far as these things can be measured, it is safe to call Minnelli a legend without accusations of hyperbole. At the age of 65, with two replacement hips and a new knee, Minnelli has gamely taken on a world tour to defiantly demonstrate to a legion of devoted fans that life is indeed a cabaret.
Minnelli’s set is a somewhat truncated selection of her greatest hits, opening on a high with a spirited rendition of Alexander’s Ragtime Band, many of the lyrics of which were lost due to a rapturous standing ovation from a capacity crowd.
From this opening it was obvious that the evening was going to be hard work for the star, as her voice has extreme difficulty in the upper register and that vibrato Broadway belt is no longer in evidence.
What is in evidence, however, is the audience’s deep devotion to their star, and each appears to feed off the other, ultimately rendering this tour a celebration of their life together and a declaration from Minnelli that “You are my family now.”
Life Is A Cabaret, Maybe This Time and New York, New York all suffer from the deterioration of Minnelli’s range and power, though she has far more success with Every Time We Say Goodbye and The World Goes Round. Other numbers include On A Night Such As This, written by Hugh Martin and Marshall Barer for their abandoned musical A Little Night Music, and a tribute to Charles Aznavour, with his What Makes A Man A Man.
The final curtain call, when we are given a simple vocal rendition of I’ll Be Seeing You, is something close to the magic that once was.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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