Minnelli Plays Vegas Sept. 25-Oct. 1; Concerts to Be Filmed

By Andrew Gans
25 Sep 2009

Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli

Tony Award winner Liza Minnelli, recently on Broadway in Liza's at the Palace, plays MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre Sept. 25-Oct. 1. Show time at the Las Vegas venue is 8 PM nightly.

The Tony-winning Liza's at the Palace will be filmed Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. American Public Television (APT) will distribute the television special in late November. The performance will be available to public television viewers through the month of December and will then be released to the general public in early 2010 by MPI Home Video.

Minnelli will be joined by her musical director and pianist Billy Stritch as well as her quartet of singer/dancers: Cortes Alexander, Jim Caruso, Johnny Rodgers and Tiger Martina. The show is directed by Ron Lewis; Michael Berkowitz is musical conductor/drummer.

All of the material performed during Minnelli's Tony-winning New York engagement will be included in the broadcast. The program captures many of Minnelli's greatest hits as well as an affectionate tribute to her godmother, the late Kay Thompson.

Eric Luskin, vice president of APT's Premium Service, said in a statement, "This is an exciting project and we are thrilled to bring it to public television audiences. We are very proud to work with a legendary entertainer such as Liza Minnelli, continuing our tradition of distributing top-rated musical productions to public television audiences."

The television event will be directed by Matthew Diamond and executive produced by JoAnn Young, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

Prior to Liza's at the Palace. . ., Minnelli, an Oscar winner for her performance in Cabaret, was last on Broadway in a tribute to her late father entitled Minnelli on Minnelli; she also returned to New York City's Beacon Theatre with her acclaimed concert Liza's Back! In addition to her Tonys for Flora, the Red Menace and The Act, Minnelli was awarded a special Tony in 1974 for "adding lustre to the Broadway season." Her film credits include "The Sterile Cuckoo," "Arthur," "New York, New York" and "Stepping Out." The singer is also a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress. Her album "Liza's Back!" is available on the J Records label, and "The Best of Liza Minnelli" was released on the Columbia/Legacy label. Showtime aired "Liza with a 'Z'," and Minnelli also received the Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 10th Annual Tony Awards Bash in Los Angeles.

For tickets, priced $75.35 and $113.85, visit www.mgmgrand.com.