Home > Reviews > 2002 Royal Albert Hall

Sadly, it's Liza with a Zzzz

The Daily Telegraph, 3 April 2002

Review by David Cheal.

There are still tickets available for the remaining shows in Liza Minnelli's five-night run in London, her first appearances here in more than five years. I would be failing in my duty, however, if I didn't warn anyone thinking of spending up to £150 on the chanceto see a rare appearance from the newly married 56-year-old star that this is a show desperately lacking vitality, vim and imagination.

From the opening bars of the opening number my heart sank - partly because, rather than hiring a proper orchestra, Liza (or rather her new husband and producer, David Guest) has employed a measly 12-piece band with synthesisers standing in for a string section.

Chiefly though, my disappointment was prompted by the cliched dance routine that heralded her appearance - a troupe of dancers in tuxedos grinned like loons and actually twirled their canes. (Later, they were to drag out those other dusty old dependables - lifting the glittery-gowned star of the show horizontally above their heads and taking their hats off and twirling them round in a big circle).

But what about the star of the show? The compere, comedian and TV chat show host Graham Norton had introduced Minnelli thus: "Tonight ladies and gentlemen, we are in the presence of a legend." There was little here, however, to bear out this statement.

The voice is still big but a little husky, and also dramatically reduced in range. Her version of Crying for instance, though not helped by an inappropriately jaunty arrangement fell a long way short of the industry standard that has been set by k d lang.

In between songs, meanwhile, she trotted out the kind of scripted showbiz banter that was a staple on TV specials 30 years ago but which now sounds desperately dated.

The evening's most cringe-worthy moment came when, in an attempt to demonstrate that she is hip to the groove, she presented a hip-hop inflected version of her famous theme tune, Liza with a Z.

Things picked up in the second half, particularly in the section devoted to Cabaret but even here her singing lacked the nervous near-hysteria that distinguished her performances in the movie. I was holding out hope that she might keep something in reserve for the big showstopper, New York, New York, but I'm afraid it left my spine resolutely untingled.

And that in the end, was the story of this show. For someone famous for the histrionic, over-the-topness of her performances, this was a night that was surprisingly lacking in passion, power and pizzazz.

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