Liza with a Z

Liza Minnelli has it in her genes from her beloved mother, Judy Garland, and Vincente Minnelli. Although she states that her sister Lorna Luft is the singer in the family, LIza is the entertainer of our generation. She can sing, dance, act, and do it all. Thirty years later, her career is revived after another divorce and health problems. Liza may never be as fit as she was when she performed on stage in a live production in 1972. Liza has always been an incredible performer. I love her in Cabaret and I refuse to see any production of the musical because I can't imagine anybody but Liza as Sally Bowles, the sad Berlin singer who craves the love of a good man and the love of her own father in the film. This stage version is like an extended performance of her from the film, Cabaret. Unlike the film, this show is not as dark and lonely. Liza worked hard for six weeks before this production. IT's a once in a lifetime event and I wasn't even born yet. I first bought her Liza with a Z CD to listen in the car. You can't imagine not singing along with her as well. Now I look forward to seeing her dance, sing, and entertain us in the DVD. Believe me, nobody today can touch Liza as a performer.

When I first viewed this TV concert in 1972 I thought it the best TV concert ever. Nothing in the intervening 28 years has done anything to change my mind. Liza and director-choreographer Bob Fosse are at the peak of their respective careers and it shows in this luminous performance. I still hope for its return to video in some format.

This magnificent film about Liza Minnelli is one of the best films showcasing a popular entertainer at her prime. Bob Fosse directed with a keen eye and great panache. He gets the viewer involved in the performance and what the star is trying to accomplish. The music material by Kander and Ebb never sounded to poignant and fresh, as interpreted by Ms. Minnelli.

The late 60s and early 70s brought forth an unusual talent, Liza Minnelli. She was at the time at the best moment of her career. She had a voice, youth, and she could move well, following Bob Fosse's choreography, designed to enhance the presentation.

The film has been kept in mint condition and just recently released on cable. Fans of Liza Minnelli can rejoice in rediscovering that vibrant entertainer showing her public why she was a star on her own right.

Right after her Oscar-winning performance in CABARET, Liza Minnelli took her act on the road and it was brought to television in the form of LIZA WITH A Z. Directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, who won an Emmy for his efforts, this breathtaking evening of musical theater showcased Liza Minnelli doing what she does best...singing, dancing, clowning, completely commanding a stage and captivating an audience. From the opening number "Yes" from 70 GIRLS 70 to the title tune, written especially for her by John Kander and Fred Ebb to a striking production number called "Ring Them Bells", Liza doesn't just prove to be a superb songstress, but a great actress who makes every number a show within itself. She brings an intensity to an old Tin Pan Alley classic "It was a Good Time" and rocks the house with "I Gotcha" and wraps the evening with a medley of songs from CABARET...a once in a lifetime concert event and a must for Minnelli fans.

Liza Minnelli's Emmy-award winning musical TV special, directed by Bob Fosse, and coming right on the heels of their Oscar-winning "Cabaret". After listening to this record album for years, I was quite excited to find a copy on video (transferred from the 16mm print). I was surprised by two things: 1) that the LP captures most of the show's excitement all on its own, which says a lot for the command of Liza's singing and the quality of the music; and 2) that Fosse is irreplaceable in the business of musical-comedy staging. The dancing on numbers like "I Gotcha!" and "Son Of A Preacher Man" is incredible, with Fosse's sensual style of choreography bringing down the house. Still in all, it's Liza's singing that is the show's centerpiece, and she's in fine, clear voice throughout. Dramatic, comedic, self-effacing, flirtatious, silly, giggling, Liza proves to be a virtuoso performer of great magnitude.