Liza Minnelli's Roxie Hart & Verdon&Reinking's Too

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 3:51pm

I have seen the dances and movements change for the part of Roxie in CHICAGO a few times.

I saw Gwen Verdon twice and thought she was delightful but confess I was more taken with my socks being blown away by Chita Rivera as Velma.

Liza Minnelli was magical as Roxie Hart, but then, Liza used to always be magical to me and this was a very intoxicating time of my youth in Manhattan. I don't remember well what the choreography differences were for Liza, filling in for Gwen Verdon. I do remember her good humored hesitation prior to the cartwheel in Hot Honey Rag.

When Ann Reinking joined the cast as Roxie, the principal cast younged down (Lenora Nemetz as Velma, Alaina Reed as Mama Morton), with the exception of Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn. I had followed Ann Reinking's career closely and seen her in Pippin, Goodtime Charlie, Over Here and she was a mesmerizing Cassie in A Chorus Line. I saw her Roxie twice and recall that the ROXIE number now had hands clapping from the stagefloor and "dancing" along as she pranced. Very Ann Miller MGM musical I thought at the time.

For anyone who ACTUALLY SAW Liza and Melanie Griffith, are there similarities in their Roxies?

Were Liza's movements as Roxie altered from those of Gwen Verdon?

Thanks:)

Updated On: 8/4/03 at 03:51 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 5:21pm

I saw Liza's Roxy, but it was so very long ago that I can't recall exact details of it. I also saw Verdon twice and felt that she was remarkable but was getting a bit long in the tooth to be prancing around the stage in her underwear. My only complaint with Reinking, who I saw when the current revival, was new was that her severe hairdo was at odds with the character she was playing--and my how her voice sounded like Verdon's!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 6:15pm

To TEACHEROFTHEATRE

Liza Minnelli learned the part in about 6-7 days. Liza, being an amazingly dedicated performer, as well as ballet trained and Fosse protige, learned all the choreography for the whole show.

Also Liza had a few performances where she got to sing "I Am My Own Best Friend" by herself because they were all debating whether it should still be a duet, or just Roxie, so Liza said she would do it cuz she believed that it should be Roxie's solo as well

I also have a taped recording from the Sammy and Friends Show, that has Liza and Chita talking with Sammy, and how they went about choosing Liza to fill in for Gwen. Liza, Sammy, Kander and Ebb were eating at a restaurant, and Kander and Ebb were nervous because Chicago had just opened and Gwen was going to need two months off for her throat surgery and they were afriad the show might flop if they didn't have star quality to initally get people to go. Liza out of nowhere said, "I'll do it." She didn't know why she said it but the two looked at her and said, "That's a great idea."

Liza as Roxie is an awesome moment in theatre history. 7 DAYS to learn the songs, blocking and Fosse moves, makes LIZA one of the best performers of her time.

Check out my page on Liza's Musical and Theatre career.
http://www.anglefire.com/musicals/lizaminnelli/Musicals.html

to read further into Liza as Roxie, check out my webpage on Liza in CHICAGO
LIZA as ROXIE

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 6:25pm

Rob,


it was a thrilling happening and I have long been a passionate Liza fan. I remember well the Chicago folk you mentioned on Sammy and Friends.. I belive Liza started to sing Nowadays and stumbled on the lyric and said something like " what if that had happened in the show?" and Kander said "well it didn't"

and I belive I recall Sammy Davis singing Mr. Cellophane.

I was doing summerstock in Pennsylvania during Liza's Chicago stint and a few of us trekked back to see Liza in Chicago after securing tickets, of course. It was thrilling.

[PJ]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 8:23pm

I would have loved to see Liza on Broadway back in the day.

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 12:18pm

PJ, I suspect the glorious Ms. Minnelli has at least one or two more legendary Broadway performances in her future.

with a talent such as hers, she may just surprise us by having another "in the day" in the years to come.

[PJ]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 12:45pm

I would love nothing more than for Liza to come back to Broadway and just blow everyone away...especially the one's who laugh at her singing voice.

[Kristie-K]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 1:43pm

Liza is fabulous.....As far as her voice goes, she needs too stop screaming......She had it in the 70's & the 80's, but now her voice is different....Just calm down a little...She still is about one of the best actresses around...I really think she would be wonderful in Mame....

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 2:00pm

Liza would be a divine MAME.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 5:18pm

And amazing as Mama Rose, but only for a month special engagement, I wouldn't want her to blow her voice. You know they wanted Liza as Rose before they wanted Bernie!

[sabrelady]

Posted: 8/5/03 at 7:30pm

Agree Liza would be a great Mame but has she the stamina for 8 shows a week anymore?

[PJ]

Posted: 8/5/03 at 9:49pm

Liza would kick ass as Mame!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/6/03 at 12:14am

Liza would just plain kick ass! lol.

[sondheimfreak]

Posted: 8/14/03 at 1:41pm

oooh! I HATE Ann Reinking on the Revival CD. She sounds horrible.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/14/03 at 2:15pm

I agree sondheimfreak, but it's Anne's performance visual wise that knocks em dead. True she or Gwen Verdon couldn't sing but they were both the ultimate Fosse dancers, and Roxie's vocal part is a sinch compared to Velma's.

[AReinkingfan]

Posted: 8/14/03 at 9:36pm

Ahhh... Raspberries to you both!! (LOL)

[sondheimfreak]

Posted: 8/15/03 at 1:18am

I prefer strawberries, if you don't mind. And I did enjoy Ann in the Annie movie. I love "We Got Annie"

[AReinkingfan]

Posted: 8/15/03 at 12:07pm

Thank you for the "Ann positive" note, SondheimFreak. And here is a handful of strawberries for you!

I much prefer Ann's "Annie" over the revival with Audra McDonald. Her version leaves me kind of cold.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/15/03 at 12:11pm

Oh, Reinking fan, i wasn't capping on the diva, just saying I know what he means abouther singing. And hey, I even think Anne knows she's not a good singer, it's her dancing that's exceptional. The Chorus Line Casting Agents felt the same way when they cast her as Cassie!! Hello! How did Anne sing Music in the Mirror?? They prolly made an exception for the diva and lowered it! Who cares? She's Anne!

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 8/15/03 at 12:16pm

Ann Reinking's performance of The Music and The Mirror was simply bewitching. She was amazing.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/15/03 at 12:36pm

was it lowered??

[PJ]

Posted: 8/15/03 at 6:45pm

I'd love to see Ann dance live. I need to see what all the fuss is about. I've seen her dance in "All That Jazz," but that was a movie...and anyone can dance in a movie.

[AReinkingfan]

Posted: 8/16/03 at 12:45am

I saw Ann (finally) live in FOSSE a couple years back, and it was a dream come true. (And thanks for the ever Ann-friendly note, Gary dear!)

I know Ann is not a singing diva, but her voice is unmistakable, and I love it anyway.

I know you weren't "trashing" my girl, Rob. I just always have to put in a vote for her because I love her so. ( :

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 8/16/03 at 3:10pm

I actually find Ann Reinking's vocals on the newest Chicago OCR to be one of the most exceptional vocal theater performances captued in recent memory.

Her "croaking" of the Roxie number is indeed very exciting and can be goosebump inducing. The excitement and joy of her performance is beautifully captured.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 8/16/03 at 6:18pm

UMMM, not everyone can dance on film. Granted you can edit a lot or dance double but ANY ensemble/wide shot is gonna show you up real quick.