BWW Reviews: Liza is Back!

The sparkles and feather boas were out in full force last night because after more than a year away from the stage, EGOT winner Liza Minnelli is back in action! Last night she graced the Gulf Coast at Biloxi's IP Casino with her comeback performance "Liza Minnelli in Concert with Billy Stritch."

Stritch, Minnelli's friend/accompanist/music director, opened the evening with a few jazzy tunes including The Best is Yet to Come, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, and a mashup of I Got the World on a String and I Got Rhythm. And then came Liza...

"AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!" is the only phrase to even remotely describe the audience's reaction to Ms. Minnelli stepping onto the stage in her sparkling black attire complete with hot pink scarf. She looked as fabulous as always, and she was obviously just as thrilled to be back on stage as her audience was to have her stating, "I feel like I'm home." Welcome home, Liza!

Admittedly nervous, Minnelli began her set with Our Love is Here to Stay written by George and Ira (her godfather) Gershwin. Any nervousness Liza was feeling at the start quickly melted away with every song she sang as her sassy personality shined through. I've got to hand it to her... although she sat in her directors chair the majority of the evening, and although she lost her breath and her place a couple of times, she handled the situations with confidence and all of the pizazz in the world.

Smack dab in the middle of the show, Cortes Alexander and Jim Caruso jumped up on stage with Liza to sing a three song set beginning with Basin Street Blues, a song that they described as "regionally relevant". The pair then surprised Minnelli with a toe tapping rendition of You Are My Sunshine. They closed the set with I Love A Violin, which left the audience (and Liza) wanting more. But, alas, they had to leave Ms. Minnelli to finish her planned performance.

A personal favorite of mine from the evening was Liza With a "Z" written for her by duo Kander and Ebb. Minnelli explained that the song was the humorous result of people constantly mispronouncing her name at the beginning of her career.

Without a doubt, the three most exciting songs to hear Liza sing live and in person were the iconic Maybe This Time, Cabaret, and New York, New York. All three are songs that have long been fan favorites, and in performing these numbers Minnelli proved that she's still got it! The voice, the moves, the glitz and glamour, and a stage presence that cannot be matched.

Just as all good things must come to an end, so too did Liza's show. An encore of Cole Porter's Everytime We Say Goodbye was a perfectly satisfying finish to a delightfully entertaining evening.

Minnelli will be continuing her tour in Europe before heading back to the U.S. To stay updated on all things Liza, please visit her Facebook page Official Liza Minnelli.

ARTICLE MAY ALSO BE VIEWED AT: http://www.nolabackstage.com/single-post/2015/07/27/BWW-Reviews-Liza-is-Back

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