via GayTimes.co.uk

GT writing about Liza Minnelli again? Who’d have thought!

Well, why we’re on the subject of Liiiiizaaaa… let’s talk about a show that’s coming to London later this month — Liza’s back! (is broken). It explores all the great Broadway roles that Minnelli should have played over the last forty years, in one special night that’s sure to be a scream.

From the likes of Grizabella to Norma Desmond, and hits including I Have Confidence, Memory, Send in the Clowns, Le Jazz Hot plus her own classics Maybe This Time, Cabaret and New York, New York! — this is the show for you. Ever wanted to see Liza tackle Wicked? You bet!

Direct from rehab, and with a 7-piece big band, you get the chance to hear Liza (well, Trevor as Liza) singing Broadway’s greatest hits. We know, amazing! Creator Trevor Ashley returns to London as the stage and screen icon following his smash-hit seasons with show, Liza (on an E).

But before we spend every night at the show, Trevor has put together his top five tips on channeling your own inner Liza Minnelli. Take notes boys…

1. Wear sequin pants suits — All of the sequins.

If Liza has worn one thing in her life, it’s a pantsuit. She’s stumbled onto stage wearing more Halston to belt out a tune than anyone in history. They must be either sequins for days, or covered in a tonne of Swarovski… Occasionally she will wear a sequin blouse and a pair of dancers tights, but for beginners, go with the classic.

2. Keep the cigarette companies afloat — Life’s a Marlborough Lite, old chum.

Ms Minnelli may rarely smoke on the stage, but off stage, she’s a chimney. Rumour has it that the star always has a lit cigarette waiting for her in the wings for as soon as she exits… well, a lit cigarette and an oxygen machine

3. Belt out your best Kander and Ebb — It’s up to you…

Liza’s best friends were legendary songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb… They wrote almost every big hit she ever had, so to be a true Liza, you need to know at least the staples from her catalogue: Maybe This Time, Cabaret, Liza with a Z, and of course New York, New York. Sing them as loudly as possible and gesticulate wildly!

4. Get the hair right — What a lovely hat you have on…

Liza had her hair cut once in about 1972… and it hasn’t really changed much since then. It was slightly spikier in the 80s, slightly rounder in the 90s, but basically it’s a black pixie bob. It works, and she’s sticking to it.

5. Make absolutely no sense — Don’t go off the script, Liza May.

Although in concert she is generally coherent, telling stories carefully made up by someone or other, offstage and in random television appearances she can often make no sense whatsoever, depending on what medication she’s currently on. Check out classic clips like her appearance on the Home Shopping Network, and the Larry King show. Interspersed with random giggles and laughs… the more random the better