2008 Souvenir Program; Liza Minnelli; Liza's At The Palace; Kay Thompson tribute

Description

2008 Souvenir Program ; Liza Minnelli ; Liza's At The Palace with Jim Caruso, Tiger Martina et al ; Directed & choreographed by Ron Lewis : Music supervisor: Billy Stritch ; Additional material:  David Zippel ; Kay Thompson tribute ;
Program is in Very Good condition.
1 souvenir program, 32 pages : illustrations ; 9
-by-12
inches
Cast: Liza Minnelli, Johnny Rodgers, Cortes Alexander, Jim Caruso, Tiger Martina
" ... an incomparable Minnelli songfest including many of her personal favorites and signature hits, followed by a dance-filled tribute to the groundbreaking late-1940s nightclub act of Minnelli's godmother, Kay Thompson."
Produced by John Scher/Metropolitan Talent Presents & Jubilee Time Productions ; Executive producer, Gary Labriola. Directed, choreographed by Ron Lewis. Music supervisor, Billy Stritch. Additional material, David Zippel. Sets, Ray Klausen; costumes, Halston; lighting, Matt Berman; sound, Matt Kraus; vocal arrangements, Kay Thompson, Stritch; musical producer, Phil Ramone; technical supervisor, Fred Gallo; Michael Berkowitz, conductor
Liza Minnelli bio:
"Singer and actress Liza Minnelli was born on March 12, 1946, in Los Angeles, California. While her first appearances were with her superstar mother, Judy Garland, Minnelli has been able to step out of her mother’s shadow to establish a substantial career as a performer. In addition to Garland, Liza's father Vincente Minnelli was also well known in Hollywood for his work as a director. Minnelli made her film debut as a toddler in the musical comedy In the Good Old Summertime (1949), which starred her mother and Van Johnson. While she made other appearances in her mother’s concert productions, Minnelli's career in entertainment did not start in earnest until later ... Her parents divorced in 1951, and Minnelli divided her time between her parents. Her mother married producer Sid Luft in 1952, and Minnelli soon was a big sister to half-siblings Lorna (born in 1952) and Joey (born in 1955) ...
As a teenager, Minnelli gave up on school and went to New York City to pursue a stage career. She landed a role in the off-Broadway revival of the musical Best Foot Forward in 1963, which brought her strong reviews. Around this time, Minnelli also appeared on her mother's short-lived television series, The Judy Garland Show. Minnelli also performed with her mother during Garland’s stint at the Palladium in London and wowed audiences and her mother with her vocal prowess. According to The New York Times, Minnelli said "It was like Mama suddenly realized I was good." In her first leading Broadway role, Minnelli appeared as the title character in Flora, The Red Menace in 1965. The light musical comedy poked fun at the 1930s communist movement ... the musical brought Minnelli a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She was only 19 at the time, making her one of the youngest performers to ever win the award. Minnelli went on to co-star in the dramatic comedy Charlie Bubbles (1967) opposite Albert Finney. Playing an offbeat misfit named Pookie, she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in the 1969 film The Sterile Cuckoo. During the production of her next film, Otto Preminger’s Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1969), Minnelli suffered a great loss. Her mother died from an accidental drug overdose on June 22, 1969. Two years later, Minnelli landed her greatest film role, playing floundering nightclub singer Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret (1972), which was set in Germany in the 1930s. The film, directed by Bob Fosse, showcased her singing talents as well as her range as an actress. For her efforts, Minnelli won the Academy Award for Best Actress ... Minnelli’s hot streak continued with the television special, Liza with a Z, which was produced by Fred Ebb and Fosse. The show won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Program—Variety and Popular Music in 1973 ...The musical New York, New York (1977) gave her a chance to work with famed director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro ... returned to Broadway in The Act in 1977. She played a washed-up singer trying to revive her musical career. Giving an outstanding performance, Minnelli netted her second Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical. A few years later, she had another success on the big screen with the romantic comedy Arthur (1981). Minnelli co-starred with Dudley Moore as a waitress who falls in love with a wealthy, but often inebriated man ... Her acting career perked up in recent years, with her humorous guest appearances on the series Arrested Development in 2004 and 2005 and her role in Sex and the City 2 (2010). For the most part, however, Minnelli has focused on live performances. She gives numerous concerts each year around the world ... "
Kay Thompson bio:
" ... A multi-threat entertainer and a world-class eccentric, Kay Thompson was the mentor/best friend of Judy Garland, the vocal guru for Frank Sinatra and Lena Horne, and the godmother/Svengali of Liza Minnelli ...She went to school with Tennessee Williams, auditioned for Henry Ford, got her first big break from Bing Crosby, trained Marilyn Monroe, channeled Elvis Presley, rejected Andy Warhol, rebuffed Federico Fellini, got fired by Howard Hughes, and snubbed Donald Trump. She coached Bette Davis and Eleanor Roosevelt; she created nightclub acts for Marlene Dietrich and Ginger Rogers; and when Lucille Ball had to sing on Broadway, Kay was the wind beneath her wings, too. Kay’s legion of fans included Queen Elizabeth of England, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco. Danny Kaye masqueraded in drag as her; Noël Coward and Cole Porter wrote musicals for her; and The Beatles wanted to hold her hand. She was a charter member of the Rat Pack, costarred in a whodunit with Ronald Reagan, and directed John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Gala. The dame cut a wide swath through the arts. After conquering radio in the 1930s she commandeered MGM’s vocal department in the 1940s, where she revolutionized the studio’s greatest musicals with her audacious arrangements, from The Harvey Girls to Ziegfeld Follies. In the 1950s she became the highest-paid cabaret attraction in the world with her groundbreaking act "Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers," featuring her young protégé—and secret lover—Andy Williams. In a stunning feat of reinvention, Thompson next became the bestselling author of Eloise (first published by Simon & Schuster in 1955), chronicling the mischievous adventures of the six-year-old mascot of The Plaza, spawning an industry that is still going strong today. Then Kay took the silver screen by storm as the "Think Pink!" fashion magazine editor in Funny Face, stealing the film right out from under Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire ... "
Jim Caruso bio:
Jim Caruso made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the smash hit Liza’s At The Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of the late, great Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. The show was honored with a 2009 Tony Award for Best Special Event and the recording was nominated for a Grammy. For his nightclub work, Caruso has won six MAC Awards, two BackStage Magazine Bistro Awards and five BroadwayWorld Awards for his sold-out shows at Birdland, Arci’s Place, The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and The Russian Tea Room ... Jim’s recent solo studio recording, “The Swing Set,” was called “a top-drawer first-rate swinger” by Jazz Times and “a completely entertaining experience” by All About Jazz. “Christmas at Birdland,” in which he harmonizes with Billy Stritch and Klea Blackhurst, soared to ... #6 on the Billboard jazz chart. His first CD, "Caruso Live and In Person," went to #1 on both the album and singles charts ... Caruso was the founding member of the nationally acclaimed, award-winning jazz vocal and comedy trio, Wiseguys. After performing in an all-star Inaugural extravaganza, they were invited to sing at President Clinton’s First State Dinner at the White House in an evening hosted by Lauren Bacall. The trio performed in concert at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and in "the big room" with Rosemary Clooney. As a soloist, Jim was featured in a Tribute to Kander & Ebb at Carnegie Hall, backed by the New York Pops, and performed in a Tribute to Hope & Crosby in an evening hosted by Michael Feinstein at Zankel Hall. More recently, he and Billy Stritch have enjoyed an eight-year residency at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel ... On the small screen, Jim was seen co-starring with Kathie Lee Gifford on Showtime Television in “Personal Assistant,” which was written and directed by Charles Busch. He also co-starred on the Nostalgia Network variety sit-com, “Café DuArt” for two seasons ... Since 2002, he has hosted a weekly Monday night showbiz bash at Birdland called 'Jim Caruso's Cast Party' ...