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LIZA WITH A 'Z' premiered during August Pledge in 2006 on PBS (check local listings).
In the wake of her bravura Oscar-winning triumph in the 1972 movie version of the Kander & Ebb musical "Cabaret," 26-year-old Liza Minnelli re-teamed with legendary director-choreographer Bob Fosse for a once-in-a-lifetime event. Recorded before a live audience at New York's Lyceum Theatre, LIZA WITH A 'Z' features its young star dancing up a storm and belting standards like "Bye Bye Blackbird," "God Bless the Child," and "Son of a Preacher Man," along with now-classic Kander & Ebb hits, including the special's title song tongue-twister, "Say Liza (Liza with a 'Z')," offering galvanizing proof that Liza was just as dynamic on television as on the big screen. The special was hailed in 1972 by Kay Gardella of THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS as "sensational with an 'S'," yet it languished unseen for more than three decades after its premiere. GREAT PERFORMANCES returns to the vaults of classic TV spectaculars with a restored and digitally remastered LIZA WITH A 'Z.' The Emmy-winning special completed Fosse's unprecedented Triple Crown of garnering the Oscar, Tony, and Emmy all within the same year.
Liza Minnelli first worked with John Kander and Fred Ebb when she won the lead in the 1965 George Abbott musical, "Flora, the Red Menace," for which they were writing the music. Although the musical did not have a successful run -- only 87 performances -- it began Minnelli's long association with the songwriters and netted her the Tony for Best Actress. Read biographies of John Kander and Fred Ebb, whose music dominates the evening's program, in the Multimedia Presentation. Find all the numbers from the concert in the song list.
For more on the program's director and choreographer, Bob Fosse, visit the Web feature for FROM BROADWAY: "FOSSE."
Many local PBS stations are offering the concert DVD and CD as Pledge gifts. To order these items,
pledge now.
Top banner photos: Liza Minnelli (photos [left and right] courtesy Showtime) | |
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Liza Minnelli made her Broadway debut at age 19. |  |
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Halston designed the clothes she wore in the special. | |
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The DVD and CD are available from Amazon.com. | |
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