On March 12, just about every celebrated performer you can think of gathered, remotely, on video, to wish Liza Minnelli a Happy 75th Birthday, in song and story, in “A Love Letter to Liza!” Daniel Nardicio, who presented Liza in concert with Alan Cumming at the Ice Palace, in Cherry Grove, in 2012, and at Town Hall, in 2013, conceived and produced the glittery two-hour show, in cooperation with Club Cumming. Frank Dilella hosted the tribute.
Liza’s sister Lorna Luft and family began the show with their greeting. Joan Collins, who remembered the opening night of “Flora the Red Menace;” Michele Lee, offering a bracha over a birthday candle; and Shirley MacLaine, who’s also known the lady of the hour for almost all of her life, came next. We heard Liza’s recording of “Sing Happy,” from “Flora,” as we looked at decades of playbill covers, and then heard from composer John Kander, who, with the late Fred Ebb, wrote so many songs for Liza. We watched Chita Rivera and Liza in a clip from “The Rink,” and Rivera and daughter Lisa Mordente sang “Happy Birthday” to Liza.
“Seinfeld”’s Jason Alexander, who was in “The Rink,” hailed Liza as “a smart, smart actress and human being.” Nathan Lane called “the great Liza Minnelli” “an unimpeachable peach.” Bernadette Peters chimed in with “you are so loved” and Stephanie J. Block said, “You are extraordinary. You are legendary. You are timeless.” Lea DeLaria’s swinging, scatting “Everything I’ve Got Belongs to You,” from Rodgers and Hart’s “By Jupiter,” was her offering.
Bracketed by encomiums from Andrew Rannells and Jonathan Groff, Mario Cantone, who had performed as Liza in his show “Laugh Whore,” shared his gratitude—“thank you for giving me a career”—and dubbed her “one of the greatest educators.” Director Susan Strohman said, ‘You are a complete inspiration to me.” We heard from Julie Halston, who went with her to hear Barbra Streisand, and from playwright Charles Busch. John Sefakis, President, introduced Dancers Over 40, who had been in the original casts of some of Liza’s shows. Said Kristin Chenoweth, “I honor you by singing your song,” adding “I can’t believe I have the guts to do this,” and sang “Maybe This Time,” ending with an operatic high note, and called Minnelli “our Queen.”
Joel Grey addressed “Cabaret”’s “Willkommen,” adapting the words to the occasion, to “my little sister.” Haley Swindal sang “Say Yes,” from “Liza with a Z.” Michael York recalled making the film “Cabaret” with Liza. Ute Lemper, the Sally Bowles of the Paris production of “Cabaret,” with Minnelli and Gray in attendance on opening night, sang the show’s title show as her contribution.
The boldface names continued with Andrea Martin, Jane Krakowski, Parker Posey, and John Stamos. We had a clip of Liza, a bundle of energy, doing “Some People,” from “Gypsy.” Billy Stritch, at the piano, sang and played “Teach Me Tonight,” the first song he ever arranged for Liza. Filmmaker John Waters put in his two cents. Kathy Najimy recalled Lisa summoning her to the stage in Las Vegas to sing “New York, New York” with her. After a word from Kathy Griffin, Jim Caruso spoke of touring with Liza in a show about Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers, with Liza playing the author of the Eloise books. Ben Vereen, with the masked Verdon-Fosse dancers, performed “Bye Bye Blackbird,” which Liza sang in “Liza with a Z.” We saw a photo of Liza with Barbra Streisand on the red carpet at a Human Rights Campaign event, as Streisand offered her good word. Melissa Manchester played and sang “Come in from the Rain,” which she wrote with Carole Bayer Sager.
The parade went on with Tony Hale, who worked with Liza on the TV series “Arrested Development;” Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb, and Sharon Osbourne. Lily Tomlin stopped in with greetings from Ernestine the telephone operator, little kid Edith Ann who saw “Cabaret” against her mother’s wishes, and Judith Beasley. Whoopi Goldberg gave us a seated “Happy Birthday, Liza” dance. And Sandra Bernhard segued from singing “Happy Birthday” into “Liza with a Z.”
Carol Burnett told us that Liza was one of her first guests on “The Carol Burnett Show.
We saw a clip of Coco Peru interviewing Liza and then Peru added that Liza “made me realize that you could tell a story while singing a song.” With a photo of Liza with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, we heard about Liza’s work with amfAR. Part of the proceeds from three showings “A Love Letter to Liza!” are designated for the Actors Fun and the likes of Ann Harada, Michael Urie, and Kate Baldwin were on hand to plug the organization. After some words from “RuPaul’s Drag Race”’s Alexis Michelle, Nick Ziobro, and Anne de Blok, the wonderful evening came to a conclusion with Michael Feinstein saying, of Liza, “you basically gave me my career,” and sincerely singing and playing “Old Friend,” from “I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking it on the Road,” and Seth Sikes singing his take on “Ring Them Bells,” sung in the company of the guys on the beach in Puerto Vallarta.