LIZA! at 80! - CARNEGIE HALL — Page 2

Sounds like a great night, and I hope the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Still, I am glad I did not go. I was in NY only last week, and briefly considered extending my stay… but no. I couldn't do that to myself again. 🙂

IMHO this was a successful evening that had high & low points, like everything, but it leaned toward a more successful 1st half with a Act 2 clinker from Claybourne Elder who certainly didn't help the evening with a terrible 'I Can See It'/'I Can See Clearly Now'. Chenoweth's contribution was unfortunately marred by strange musical choices that made 'Maybe This Time' feel as though there were errors when typical sections were left lyric free. Other powerhouse Donna Murphy seemed to take her interpretation of 'Colored Lights' down the wrong path with the choice of being so forgetful of the men's names she was trying to remember that she twice went up on her lyrics.

The 30 member orchestra sounded grreat & the presence of John Kander in the audience was a plus. Unfortunately 2 of the 5 guest artists Broadway World chose to feature with head shots for the event were not there: Beth Leavel (cancelled flight) & Helen J. Shen. Kathy Griffin was also a big miss for me but the evening was long so I certainly wasn't devastated by it. I did attend thinking that we would see LIZA.

Musical highlight for me came early on from Kate Baldwin's "Quiet Thing" - while the Verdon Fosse Legacy's 'I Gotcha' from Liza with a Z stood alongside Robyn Hurder & Co's terrific performance of 'Mein Herr.'

Damon Daunno with Ali Stoker allowed me to appreciate some of his stellar tones even though inconsistent with his funny flip to head voice at times. The other crooner with the same D.D. initials Dez Duron also scored with his unusual choices with not always singing on vowels but finding some true creamy tones with an 'Embraceable You' which was in the show because it was connected to Liza's close relationship with Ira Gershwin. Lauren Patten's 'Gypsy in My Soul' was pretty special, as well.

Susan Stroman shared a lot of heart regarding her time with Liza. Julie Halston was a gas in her backstage story with Liza at a Streisand event. Candice Bergen would have been appreciated more if she just had more to say. Andrew Rannells gave a terrific interpretation of Sondheim's 'Losing My Mind' that was introduced as being a version that Liza had not successfully gotten Mr. Sondheim to approve.

Marc Shaiman was paired nicely with Mo Rocca who uttered probably the funniest line of the night regarding 'Sterile Cuckoo.' Mario Cantone saying that the pair reminded him of the Muppets Statler & Waldorf was also a great line. Even though his 'Say Liza' did not go down as magical, his impersonations of post-stoke Bette Davis & Katharine Hepburn did.

I appreciated the opportunity to hear songs from 'Flora the Red Menace' that I never heard before & all in all felt Liza should be proud of the honoring of her longevity & 80th birthday.

Updated On: 6/27/26 at 01:28 PM

OhHiii said: "TotallyEffed said: "Anyone who has seen recent clips of Liza would know her getting on a flight to New York was a pipe dream, unfortunately."

All fine and good, but it's not like Transport Group took pains to make sure the audience knew she would not be there...for an honorary 80th birthday tribute no less. You do know she has homes in both LA and New York...right?"

So do dignitaries of Asia and the Middle East. Just because you have, doesn't mean you are there. I assure you she has not been to her New York home in some time.

Doesn’t she discuss in the book selling her apartment?

OhHiii said: "Interesting to find out that members of this board has access to Liza Minelli's daily itinerary and can say definitively she cannot travel. el oh el"

Yeah, it's called being able to observe Liza's events and cancelations in the last year. She was literally supposed to do a live event for her book in NYC that was canceled explicitly due to her inability to travel because of her health.

BrodyFosse123 said: "Liza now lives primarily in Los Angeles though she still owns her iconic Manhattan apartment. Her last time there was about a year ago to shoot a series of photos for INTERVIEW Magazine with legendary photographer Greg Gorman.






You’re making things up again.


Liza very publicly sold her New York apartment over a decade ago

TotallyEffed said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Liza now lives primarily in Los Angeles though she still owns her iconic Manhattan apartment. Her last time there was about a year ago to shoot a series of photos for INTERVIEW Magazine with legendary photographer Greg Gorman.

You’re making things up again.


Liza very publicly sold her New York apartment over a decade ago"

Because I love a good Brody Whacking, the interview explicitly says it's her West Hollywood Home and its almost 2 years old.

https://www.interviewmagazine.com/theater/a-rare-interview-with-liza-minnelli

They made a point to keep it vague either way (re: Liza’s attending). A social media post about this event a few weeks ago said she hoped to “see” all her friends there, but with recent cancellations on both coasts*, I think it’s a fair assumption that she’s not going unless it’s explicitly stated - and even then, in her state, it’s a toss up.

*She noted on IG that she missed a fashion show last month “due to a little sniffle”.

TheatreFan4 said: "GiantsInTheSky2 said: "*She noted on IG that she missed a fashion show last month “due to a little sniffle”."

Something we gotta stop doing is pretending that any statement attributed to her is actually her. This whole book debacle is evidence of that. I'm sure that was AI generated and trained on her older interviews."

Something you gotta do is stop being petty. I don’t think anyone truly believes an eighty year old is actively using Instagram, but sure - since you need to play semantics and have things spelled out for you (that most people with common sense have an understanding of), let me correct my statement.

*Her Instagram caption noted that she missed a fashion show last month “due to a little sniffle”. 🙄

Also, it’s 2026. Almost any and all celebrity accounts are run by a social media team, not the individual. This is not rare and to pretend otherwise is pathetically naive. Catch up.

Updated On: 6/26/26 at 08:32 PM

Robbie2 said: "She's really that ill and why didn't they skype her in live from her home in LA and say something to all the fans. All rude and disrespectful on her part not to show or say something about this 80th Celebration!"



Oh shush. She’s a fragile old lady who owes us nothing.

joevitus said: "She herself owes us nothing (and has given us plenty), but when a show that is not being made as a broadcast for her to watch and is announced as LIZA! at 80!, and when it apparently was not made clear to some of the performers as well as a whole bunch of the audience that she would in no way be taking part, then someone does owe those people something. There is a level of deception-for-a-cash-grab going on here that it's fair to acknowledge. Does not make it her own personal fault."

Totally agreed. Call me dumb and naive, but I for one assumed she'd be there and take part in some shape or form to a show named "Liza at 80!". I spent a lot of money booking the best seats possible seconds after the pre-sales started, I wanted SO BAD to be part of a loooong standing ovation and give my humble thanks to somebody who totally shaped my taste in music, dance and shows since It was 18 and seeing Cabaret blew my mind (some 45 years ago!).

When Lorna showed up and sang (beautifully, by the way), it was crystal clear to me that the show was written to get Liza to appear with New York New York (whether she'd sing it or not). Which had to be the original intent, come on! And I do understand how frail Liza is and plans had to change. But then I CANNOT understand that a short message of love from Liza wasn't recorded and displayed. And I understand EVEN LESS that somebody like Michael or Lorna didn't say something at the end of the show, e.g. "We're sorry Liza couldn't be there, she sends her love".

Frankly, I am now very worried about Liza's health. And this whole thing left me a little heartbroken, with a bad taste in my mouth on top. And I certainly agree that there is no way any of it was Liza's fault.

(as to the show, I found it terribly uneven, some performances were excellent, others fell very flat, and some choices made my eyes roll. I guess it just proves that properly performing a Liza song is INCREDIBLY HARD, even when you're a seasoned Broadway performer).

Updated On: 6/27/26 at 12:49 AM

It's already been mentioned that Claybourne Elder wasn't the musical highlight of the evening, and I agree, but oh my god he looked hotter than ever. His stylist should have come out and taken a bow. For me, the musical standouts were Kate Baldwin ("A Quiet Thing"), Lauren Patton ("Gypsy in My Soul"), and Jessica Vosk ("But the World Goes Round"). The least effective dance number was "Arthur in the Afternoon," but without question, Julie Halston absolutely stole the show.

An additional fun moment offstage: I sat right behind Rannell's partner, Tuc Watkins, and their two teens and it was so much fun to watch their proud and giddy reaction to Andrew's performance of "Losing My Mind." They seem like a wonderful family.

So many bitter people on here. I LOVED the show. Yes, it wasn't the most professional or overproduced show out there, but that's why it was so good. The show reminded me of a bunch of kids getting together and "putting on a show" in the backyard. The budget on this show was not huge, so I doubt the cast had much time to rehearse, but again, that's what made it so terrific. People on here finding fault with the performances need to remember that very few performers have that X factor that Liza has in spades....so you can have a Tony, but that doesn't mean you have the X factor. There is only one Liza and no-one can sing her songs like her. My only complaints is I do wish Liza would have recorded a special note to her audience. And also, for the life of me, I could not locate any cameras recording the event....why no cameras for later broadcast? Odd.