Interview: 'I've Been Studying Her Since I Was Ten Years Old!: Actor Trevor Ashley on Creating A MILLION YEARS OF MINNELLI
'I haven't been able to look back because it's so much fun being her'
After over a year of performing in The Prodcuers, Trevor Ashley is bringing a new show to the Garrick Theatre. For one night only, Ashley will star as Liza Minnelli in A Million Years of Minnelli, a tribute act to the iconic performer. Recently, we had the chance to speak with Ashley about his upcoming performance at the Garrick Theatre. We discussed what it’s like to become Liza Minnelli, some of his favourite songs to listen to and perform and even what Liza’s personal assistant thought of his impression!
How did you first get started in the world of theatre?
It's so funny because I've thought about this a lot, and I don't know how! I'm definitely the pink sheep of the family - I'm the only one in showbiz. But my mother loved musical theatre, and she took me to shows from when I was four or five years old. I saw the original Cats in Australia when I was five. They terrified me! But immediately I went, “That's what I want to do with my life.” And my poor parents had to then figure out where to take me to do that! I end up at this fantastic place in Sydney called the Shopfront Theatre for young people - it ran workshops, play building, scripted plays, lighting design, sound design . . . I learnt everything! Terrifyingly, I was there forty years ago!
And how did you first decide you were going to perform as Liza Minnelli?
I was on a gay cruise, and my show was going down so well that I just kept doing encore after encore. At one point, I decided that I'd try out my Liza, which I'd been sort of secretly doing at home. I did it, and it brought the house down. And I thought, “Well, there's something in this!” And then she announced a tour to Australia, and I'd remembered that Simply Barbra, who's my dear friend Stephen Brinberg, had toured alongside Barbra [Streisand] when she came to Australia. Barbra would do the big arena, and Stephen would do a cabaret room, but would be sold out and get all this publicity. And I thought, “Maybe I should do that for Liza when she comes to Australia!” So she opened her show, and three nights later, I opened my show, so I ended up getting loads of publicity. I did it for the first time in 2009. I was 29 years old, and it just went down such a trade that I haven't been able to look back because it's so much fun being her!
Can you tell us a bit about what goes into becoming the persona of Liza Minnelli?
I fell in love with her when I was like ten years old. My parents dragged me to the country to stay with my father's boss, who had a country house. I was going through their video collection, VHSs, and they had this show, Frank, Liza & Sammy: The Ultimate Event, which they'd [Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Sammy Davis Jr.] done on tour - they'd done a filmed version of it live in concert. I put that on and I watched her. Sammy, great. Frank, not so much for me, just a bit boring! But Liza, oh my god, I watched her!
So I've been watching her, studying her since I was ten years old. It comes so naturally to me to know how to be her, because I've just watched so much of her. Even her personal assistant came to my show in New York and said, “Have you met her?” And I said, “No, I've never met her.” And he said, “Because you're exactly like her at a cocktail party,” and I'm like, “Really? Well, that's great news. I’m getting it right, then!”
And what made you want to create this show, A Million Years of Minnelli?
This year it's her 80th birthday, so that's very exciting. It's actually almost amazing she made it, with the things she's gone through [...] the fact she even made it to eighty, the viral encephalitis, the failed marriages, the gay husbands. I just thought, “We need to pay tribute to this woman.” And even though there are funny things in it, there is a very much it is a tribute to her, and I've got the fabulous Christina Bianco coming to join me. She's going to be Barbra Streisand while I do Judy Garland, and we'll do our “Happy Days” duet. And lovely Jac Yarrow is going to be Peter Allen for the night. So it's going to be a really great night of music, and I've got a fabulous band - most of The Producers’ orchestra are coming to play for me! It's going to be a great night of celebrating and laughing with the amazing Liza.
And you're bringing A Million Years of Minnelli to the West End now in the same theatre that The Producers is. What is that like?
Oh, it’ll be wild! Because I only wear heels for about five minutes in The Producers, I forget we're on the rake, so I just hope I don't fall over as her! But if she did, she would - let's be honest! But it's exciting! This show will be just two weeks before we close The Producers, and obviously, it's been a huge part of my life. It was the second gig I ever got here in London. I love the show, and I love the people. Being there by myself that night, I know loads of the company are coming to support me, but it will be bittersweet because it's been a huge thing for me. I love The Producers, and I'm sad we're closing, but also, I’m very tired! Including the Menier, I've done it 500 times, which is terrifying to think about. It'll go down as one of the longest shows I’ve ever performed. It's been a huge chapter.
So you've performed as Liza in the UK, Australia and the States. Have you noticed different audience reactions based on the country you're in?
Do you know what's really funny? David Gest was quite a celebrity here - all the David Gest stuff goes down a treat in the UK! In America and Australia, it's hit and miss because they may or may not know David Gest and what he did. And oh, she's savage with him in the book!
But different songs speak to different countries. I'll never forget singing “New York, New York,” in New York, and belting that out for people because they love it so much - they know exactly when the ovations should be happening. I find the UK gets very excited, and they've been so wonderful to me. My first show was Liza at the Vaudeville. That was the first time I'd ever performed in London. I did a week, and that was incredible. It was one of those magical weeks of my life. Cameron Mackintosh offered me Les Mis in my dressing room while I was dressed as Liza Minnelli! I was like, “I'm in a movie now!” Wild things have happened as Liza here.
Do you have a favourite Liza song to perform, and is it different than your favourite Liza song in general?
My favourite Liza song in general is really weird because it's really obscure. It's called “The Singer,” and I've never done it! I absolutely love the song, and it's from the first album of hers that I bought. I found it in a discount bin CD store! My favourite song to perform as her is one she hasn't sung, “As If We Never Said Goodbye.” I also never don't love singing “Maybe This Time,” “Cabaret” and “New York.” Those three bring me so much pleasure. So does “Teach Me Tonight.” There's just too many! I just love singing her songs - they are amazing.
What do you hope audiences take away from A Million Years of Minnelli?
Hopefully, a greater love of her, a greater love of me, but just a night of joy and great music. The songbook...These are some of the greatest songs for the theatre ever written, and she originated so many of them. Not only that, some of her covers of things like “Some People,” “Teach Me Tonight,” these amazing arrangements, a lot of them by Billy Stritch - who I've been able to be Liza in front of as well, which is crazy! But Billy wrote some really iconic arrangements. So did Bill LaVorgna.
I have so much attention to detail of the music because she does, and she always has, and that's why she's only worked with the best in terms of musicians. And I've worked with one of her musical directors, Tedd Firth, who was just incredible. I've worked with Lance Horne, who she's worked with. I've been able to glean so much from those wonderful people. And my arrangements, if they're not direct copies of what she does, we've done them in the style of how she would perform a particular song - her musicality, her humour, her heart. She's got her heart on her sleeve.
And finally, how would you describe A Million Years of Minnelli in one word?
Camp! She is! She's been part of the LGBT story, from her mother, from “Over the Rainbow” all the way through to Liza doing Liza with a Z, “New York, New York,” the songs that have become gay anthems. She's a proper icon.
Trevor Ashley: A Million Years of Minnelli runs on 6 September at the Garrick Theatre.
