Hats Off to Liza!
Hats Off to Liza!
Metropolitan Room, NYC, January 9, 2016
Reviewed by Rob Lester for Cabaret Scenes
It was false hope, then puzzling, then ironic that early in a Liza Minnelli tribute to refer to advice she’d received about being an original, not a copy. Alas, the multi-performer revue Hats Off to Liza was mostly a very pale shadow of a dazzler’s unique stylings and phrasing of songs, starved for star quality with a dearth of originality. Microphones were set up, but often simply unused (?!?), making audibility difficult, without accompaniment volume scaled down. Metropolitan Room’s small, wingless cabaret stage was an odd venue choice for this traveling show. Repertoire was unimaginatively limited mostly to the TV special Liza with a Z and film Cabaret, both from that same long-ago year of 1972, plus more numbers from a few films and Broadway star turns, thus ultra-heavy on Kander &Ebb material—“But the World Goes ‘Round,” “Maybe This Time,” “Ring Them Bells,” “Stepping Out.” Gushing “narration” directly addressed spectators with Wikipedia-ish elementary facts (“Did you know that Liza won a Tony….!!!”).
Singing, primarily female solos (and counterproductive counterpoint) varied from meek/mousy to passably brash with a flash of integrity. Bob Fosse-ish dancing fared better (some males, same females), but unevenly—more dutifully competent than inventive or truly joyful. Moderate talent lurked behind robotic mechanizations; but sparkle and effective changes were more prominent via numerous glittery costumes than the show itself. I sensed some teeth-gritting and unhappiness among the ranks of those involved, although they soldiered through their paces with apparent work ethic. They had some hooting, hollering, cheering fans at Booth #1. “Arthur in the Afternoon” briefly added spunk to Saturday’s afternoon. Billed as “filled with riveting show-stopping tunes…sheer delight and excitement,” it hardly lived up to its hype. Therein lies a Liza tribute’s troubles.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
