Liza Minnelli to Play Broadway in December with Liza's at the Palace...
by Broadway.com Staff • Oct 19, 2008
Broadway legend Liza Minnelli is headed back to the Palace Theatre, where both she and mother Judy Garland famously have enjoyed sold-out triumphs, for the holiday season. Liza's at the Palace... will run from December 3 through December 14, featuring signature Minnelli songs as well as a dance-filled tribute to the 1940s nightclub act of her godmother, Kay Thompson.
With a 12-piece orchestra led by conductor/drummer Michael Berkowitz and pianist/musical supervisor Billy Stritch, Liza's at the Palace...! will feature hits like "Cabaret," "Maybe This Time" and "New York, New York," which were all written for Minnelli by the Broadway song-writing team of John Kander and Fred Ebb. For the tribute to Thompson best known for appearing in the film Funny Face and for writing the children's book Eloise at the Plaza, Minnelli will appear with a quartet of men Cortés Alexander, Jim Caruso, Tiger Martina and Johnny Rodgers and perform songs like "I Love a Violin," "Clap Yo' Hands," "Jubilee Time" and "Hello Hello."
Liza Minnelli was born in Los Angeles and made her screen debut as a toddler in the musical In the Good Old Summertime in 1949. One of the world’s best-loved entertainers, she won Tony Awards for Flora, the Red Menace in 1965 and The Act in 1978, along with a third for Best Personal Achievement, resulting from her 1974 engagement at the Winter Garden Theatre. Other Broadway credits include the original production of Chicago, as Roxie Hart, The Rink opposite Chita Rivera, Victor/Victoria and Minnelli on Minnelli, her tribute to father Vincent Minnelli that played the Palace. Nominated for an Academy Award for The Sterile Cuckoo 1969, she won the Best Actress prize for the film version of Cabaret in 1972. The same year, she won an Emmy for Liza with a "Z" and was also the recipient of a Grammy Legend Award in 1989, making her one of the few artists who have won entertainment's top six awards. Film credits include Charlie Bubbles, Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, Lucky Lady, A Matter of Time, New York, New York, Arthur, Stepping Out and The Oh In Ohio. Liza recently attracted an entirely new generation of fans with her acclaimed turn on the Emmy-winning sitcom Arrested Development.
Liza's at the Palace... will be directed and choreographed by Ron Lewis, who choreographed The Act, Minnelli's 1977 Tony-winning Broadway triumph. A Las Vegas staple, Lewis has also worked with performers like Ann-Margret, Debbie Reynolds, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Paul Anka. Tony-winning Broadway lyricist David Zippel City of Angels, The Goodbye Girl will collaborate with Minnelli on the script, which will include personal stories and anecdotes.