Liza in "The Act"- Page 3
Liza in "The Act"
#50Liza in
Posted: 5/31/19 at 7:58pm
Chicago, July 1977.
A Saturday afternoon.
Lunch in the Marshall Field's cafeteria.
At 2, segue over to the-then Shubert Theatre to see what was then titled SHINE IT ON; with one of my best friends who disappeared on me years ago.
Afterward, dinner at the landmark Italian Village; across from the theatre.
BTW: Liza was excellent.
Do they make Saturday experiences like that anymore?
They do; but you have to look for them.
#51Liza in
Posted: 5/31/19 at 9:37pm
The line between cabaret jazz singer and genuine celebrity was thinner back then. Today, one must be both hugely successful and hugely inventive to straddle the divide successfully. Maybe Lady Gaga is the only Liza we have today, though there’s probably some cult-adored drag queen doing something equally unique.
On second thought, I wouldn’t call him a chanteuse or a jazz singer, but there’s really only one person today who is a big name specifically for essentially modern cabaret shows: Bo Burnham.
#54Liza in
Posted: 6/1/19 at 3:02am
jv92 said: "Fred (and John) gave Liza the daughter's part in THE RINK, even though they knew she was going to throw the show off balance and possibly be wrong for the part in the end. A big mistake, they even admitted it. THE ACT was another Liza mistake. But all three loved each other, as PJ has pointed out.
"
That's not how Fred Ebb tells the story in COLORED LIGHTS. He writes that they thought it was a swell idea to have Minnelli play against type and that she did it very well indeed! But audiences and critics wanted the heavily-sequined Liza they knew and were openly hostile to what K&E considered one of their best shows.
You are right about the "mistake" part. Their autobiography admits that much. But how were they to know if they didn't try?
THE ACT was a godawful mess. Everybody involved should have known better.
#55Liza in
Posted: 6/1/19 at 3:04am
jv92 said: "I don't know why Liza hasn't not played Liza or a character in the form of Liza since the early 70s. Of course, each actor brings himself (or herself) to each different role encountered in a career, but Liza did some marvelous work in THE STERILE CUCKOO and CABARET. Why didn't she continue? Even in THE RINK, one gets a sense that she still wanted to play Liza, even as an ex-hippie.
Chita Rivera has indeed brought her persona to Rosie, Velma, the Spider Woman and so on. But one still got a sense of the character. When she sings "An English Teacher" it sounds entirely different from "All That Jazz", which sounds entirely different from "Where You Are."
I think Liza's a very good actress...or at least, she was. She claims that she loves acting. So act! Singing that godawful song Aznevour wrote about a drag queen doesn't count."
Well, that's the difference between a character actress (however skilled and beloved) and a star!
BWAY Baby2
Broadway Star Joined: 11/10/14
#56Liza in
Posted: 6/1/19 at 3:10am
I saw both The Act and The Rink - and was bored by both. Flora The Red Menace was one of my all-time favorites though- that was the moment I became a lifelong Liza fan- always see her when she appears- very spotty record seeing her in person- have seen performing when she was pretty obviously her drunk- when she her voice was in hideous shape- and also have seen her perform at the top of her game- when she was electrifying- like the very last time I saw her- at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas doing her Tony Award winning show- her last big one- which I do not recall the name, The Act though was a low point, I remember.
#57Liza in
Posted: 6/1/19 at 9:16am
My friends and I adored the original THE RINK to such an extent we saw it 4 times! Liza’s casting in it seemed a little ridiculous to us but on her merits, she did a bang up job in the role (she was in the show the first 3 times we saw it). Fabulous voice, oozing sincerity, great chemistry with Chita, and “Colored Lights” amd “All the Children in a Row” had tears streaming down our faces every performance. Not a second of it bored us.
To us, this was exactly where musical theater should go after the atrocity of CATS started soaking up all the business on Bway.
Jarethan
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
#60Liza in
Posted: 9/20/19 at 7:07pm
Standing room in the Majestic. Mildly enjoyed it, but it was TERRIBLE. Liza was terrific, gave it her all as if she was in a great show. City Lights was a great number for any show. Given that Kander and Ebb wrote the score, I am sure there were some other good songs, but I never had enough interest to spend $6-$7 to buy the album. Barry Nelson (and his entire role) was just plain stupid. I can only imagine what it would have been like had Martin Scorsese not been replaced with (Gower Champion?).
BIG BALONEY
Leading Actor Joined: 6/21/03
#61Liza in The Act
Posted: 9/20/19 at 7:35pmI went Opening Night and it was a big time for all involved. The electricity was overpowering. Liza knocked it out of the ball park. The audience went wild. The evening was magic. Lots of love and the City Lights number brought the house down. The roof blew off the theatre when Elizabeth Taylor waved to all as she went to her seat. Now how can any following performance compare.
#62Liza in The Act
Posted: 9/20/19 at 7:42pm
I had always thought it was well-received. Some of the comments here suprise me. I never thought it was a classic show, since it has never been revived and the score isn't well known. But I'd assumed Minnelli was Minnelli at her height and that the show worked.
#63Liza in The Act
Posted: 9/20/19 at 8:29pm
Here is an article dug up from the NY TIMES about the 'backstage drama' of the show, published days before it opened on Broadway.
According to the article, Minnelli wasn't the first choice to play the role:
"Furth was showing the book around to producers, working them with songwriter Marvin Hamlisch (“A Chorus Line&rdquo
, the part was for a 40‐ish woman and any number were mentioned, including Mary Tyler Moore, Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds and Cloris Leachman. Finally, it was offered to Shirley MacLaine."
https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/23/archives/in-the-act-the-drama-backstage-is-not-an-act-behind-the-scenes-of.html
shocktheatre
Featured Actor Joined: 4/28/22
#64Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/17/22 at 8:05pm
Liza was sensational in THE ACT. The Tony was well-deserved. I'll never forget that performance.
And if she WAS "lip-synching," which I do not believe, she should teach a master class in that.
Stunning woman in a very fun show.
shocktheatre
Featured Actor Joined: 4/28/22
#65Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/17/22 at 8:39pm
Furth was showing the book around to producers, working them with songwriter Marvin Hamlisch (“A Chorus Line", the part was for a 40‐ish woman and any number were mentioned, including Mary Tyler Moore, Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds and Cloris Leachman. Finally, it was offered to Shirley MacLaine."
A quite risible concept. NONE of those actresses could have played this part. Liza had no understudy for a reason. Liza WAS the show, plain and simple.
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#66Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/17/22 at 10:24pm
shocktheatre said: "Liza was sensational in THE ACT. The Tony was well-deserved. I'll never forget that performance.
And if she WAS "lip-synching," which I do not believe, she should teach a master class in that.
Stunning woman in a very fun show."
Liza always used a pre-recorded vocal track for any musical number that had extensive dancing in it. She used this in all her concerts, including the LIZA WITH A Z television/concert. Ballads and non-dancing songs she performed live. She had cue signals to alert the sound engineer when to kick on the pre-recorded track. This isn’t a rumor nor assumption but well documented facts. Sam Wesson’s bio FOSSE goes into the LIZA WITH A Z use of pre-recorded vocal tracks.
SIDEBAR: her mother Judy Garland was a master at lip-syncing in her films. She always sang full-out during filming but she matched the pre-recording to the exact detail. Technology back then didn’t allow live recording on film due to the noisy cameras of that time so musical numbers had to use pre-recorded tracks to film which would allow them to sync everything during post production.
#67Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/18/22 at 10:40am
When I saw Liza in THE ACT it was in Los Angeles. She was in top form that day but the flashbacks to her character's troubled life brought the show to a dead stop. Especially the abortion scene which I heard was cut by the time it played NY. There is no reason to ever revive this turkey.
As far as Liza's talents go... I first saw her in CARNIVAL when she was only 17 years old. I was so impressed that this young basically inexperienced teenager could carry a whole show on her shoulders. This was followed by THE FANTASTICKS with a dashing (back then) Elliott Gould as El Gallo. The next year I got to see her in FLORA, THE RED MENACE and she was wonderful singing Kander and Ebb's score. Next was a production of THE PAJAMA GAME where after the show Liza introduced a new song she said her two best friends had written for her. It was "Liza with a Z." She was fine as Babe but unfortunately, a lesser player, Luba Lisa, stole the show that evening with charisma to spare.
Skip to the late eighties...I had the pleasure of meeting director Ken Russell who had been set to direct EVITA with its original British leading lady, Elaine Paige. It had been reported he was so displeased with her performance that he walked off the set. I asked him what really happened. He said, "Don't laugh but Liza Minnelli would have been wonderful in the role." He was most impressed with her acting and worked with her on the part. I believe he said footage was even filmed with Liza in different blonde wigs. Unfortunately, Stigwood and Weber were not as impressed and refused to cast her. A pity because I feel she could've been great in the role, and it certainly would've helped her film career after LUCKY LADY and A MATTER OF TIME.
shocktheatre
Featured Actor Joined: 4/28/22
#68Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/18/22 at 12:59pm
Re: lLiza as Evita in a Ken Russell film version
What I've always heard is that she agreed to a screen test for Russell, and he was blown away. When Stigwood (and possibly Weber) would not budge on her casting (for some reason they were hell bent on Elaine Paige, who had never headlined a major film), Russell walked away from the project.
A true lost opportunity. Nothing against the Madonna/Alan Parker film, but its too bad this didn't work out for Liza, much like the aborted Minnelli/Goldie Hawn/Frank Sinatra film version of Chicago, which was discussed for a very long time.
I've been asking for YEARS if anyone has that screen test footage. I've never seen it resurface. Kind of strange, esp. nowadays when there is so much rare stuff on YouTube.
shocktheatre
Featured Actor Joined: 4/28/22
#69Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/18/22 at 3:46pm
it was LIZA exploding on all cylinders. And then some. One of her numerous peaks.
It was more than enough for me, and the SRO audience I saw it with.
Theater ecstasy.
The score is quite underrated.
#70Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/18/22 at 3:47pm
I've always confused The Act with The Rink - so I had to check. I assumed wrong that The Act was the show that Stockard Channing stepped into to replace Liza due to her substance abuse issues.
#71Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/18/22 at 3:58pm
I always wondered if Rivera was happy that Liza joined the show. It seems it was Chita's show all the way until Liza stepped in. It kind of threw the story off balance. Does anyone know if they added songs just for Minnelli when she entered the picture? Though I love Liza, in this case I think I would've preferred Channing as her daughter.
#72Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/18/22 at 4:27pm
shocktheatre said: "Re: lLiza as Evita in a Ken Russell film version
What I've always heard is that she agreed to a screen test for Russell, and he was blown away. When Stigwood (and possibly Weber) would not budge on her casting (for some reason they were hell bent on Elaine Paige, who had never headlined a major film), Russell walked away from the project.
A true lost opportunity. Nothing against the Madonna/Alan Parker film, but its too bad this didn't work out for Liza, much like the aborted Minnelli/Goldie Hawn/Frank Sinatra film version of Chicago, which was discussed for a very long time.
I've been asking for YEARS if anyone has that screen test footage. I've never seen it resurface. Kind of strange, esp. nowadays when there is so much rare stuff on YouTube."
The Madonna Evita is one of the worst movie adaptations ever.
To me, it makes perfect sense Stigwood and Rice wanted Elaine Paige, and she might have been amazing. This is a major star in Britain recreating her biggest role. That she'd never had a movie lead really doesn't mean much.
But I will say Ken Russell was an amazing director at his peak, and his vision of Evita might have been really something. I can't see Liza in the role, but that doesn't mean she couldn't do it. Her voice seems wrong for the part, to me, though, and like Madonna, Liza isn't a dancer, and this is a role for which one should be able to dance.
#73Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/18/22 at 4:54pm
I still think this show would be fun to see at Encores.
#74Liza in The Act
Posted: 8/18/22 at 5:01pm
joevitus said: "shocktheatre said: "Re: lLiza as Evita in a Ken Russell film version
What I've always heard is that she agreed to a screen test for Russell, and he was blown away. When Stigwood (and possibly Weber) would not budge on her casting (for some reason they were hell bent on Elaine Paige, who had never headlined a major film), Russell walked away from the project.
A true lost opportunity. Nothing against the Madonna/Alan Parker film, but its too bad this didn't work out for Liza, much like the aborted Minnelli/Goldie Hawn/Frank Sinatra film version of Chicago, which was discussed for a very long time.
I've been asking for YEARS if anyone has that screen test footage. I've never seen it resurface. Kind of strange, esp. nowadays when there is so much rare stuff on YouTube."
The Madonna Evita is one of the worst movie adaptations ever.
To me, it makes perfect sense Stigwood and Rice wanted Elaine Paige, and she might have been amazing. This is a major star in Britain recreating her biggest role. That she'd never had a movie lead really doesn't mean much.
But I will say Ken Russell was an amazing director at his peak, and his vision of Evita might have been really something. I can't see Liza in the role, but that doesn't mean she couldn't do it. Her voice seems wrong for the part, to me, though, and like Madonna, Liza isn't a dancer, and this is a role for which one should be able to dance."
In what homophobic world are Madonna and Liza not considered dancers???
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