Liza Minnelli - The Act (1977 Original Broadway Cast)

A Forgotten Moment

THE ACT opened on Broadway at the height of Liza Minnelli's popularity. She had proven herself to be one of the few "triple threats" (she had already won the TONY Award for Flora The Red Menace, she had recently added an EMMY for Liza With a Z and the OSCAR for Cabaret).

When THE ACT opened, the thought of Liza appearing live was too good a lure for the public to ignore. It seemed a natural and from the moment it was announced, people were proclaiming it another classic (it followed hot on the heels of A CHORUS LINE which had just reinvented the American musical). Almost immediately, THE ACT was in trouble. Liza Minnelli had prolonged absences due to illness (no understudy as the show was considered an opportunity to see and hear Liza, not an understudy); then the book was deemed too weak to sustain an audience (even an audience that was hell-bent on seeing Liza) and finally came a dual crushing set of blows: a few of the songs were "pre-recorded" so all Liza Minnelli did was lip synch them on stage/ no Original Cast album was going to be recorded (which, when considering the numbers had already been recorded, was quite absurd).

Finally a small label released THE ACT on vinyl and the public got a chance to hear the score. It was strong and, if the book had at least half of its strength, would have made it a success. Here you can hear the very good music that Liza capably delivered and resulted in her second TONY win.

BoBo's is a curious tune and Liza's rendition of it could be almost chilling at times ("So lonely here a heart can break/ bet a dime you'd never hear it"). "Shine It On" is also good fun. The best of the numbers are: Arthur In The Afternoon (no relation to the Arthur films she later did with Dudley Moore) and the hit from the show: City Lights which was so good, Liza was nightly commanded to do an encore.

In a nutshell, it was a weak show (which explains why it has not been revived) that was quickly forgotten. However, it was a triumph for Liza Minnelli who proved that she could carry it. With this CD, you get the best of it - Liza's voice was fine and strong; never sounding husky as it does today.

This is an album that Liza fans should give a try. It may not be spectacular but it is interesting. March 31, 2008

Liza's Best Broadway Score!!!!

Back in 1977, I attended three performances of The Act, and each time Liza was super collossal!! She WAS the show, and she was onstage most of the time. I rememeber fans asking when the score would be recorded. I even wrote her myself and received a personal reply from Liza saying it would be done soon. It turned out to be a wonderful package, great vocals and cover photo that is quintensential Liza! City Lights is a favorite of mine. Liza won her third Tony Award for this show. The transfer to CD is faithfully captured. Many budget CD's from Europe have released this score on various labels. A must have for Liza fan!!! March 27, 2008

outstanding soundtrack for a great Minnelli showcase

City lights, oh, I long for those city lights,
the bulbs of those beaming brights beckoning me there.
Be there.
Take the crickets and go sho** 'em,
urban crises, how I love 'em!
Grime and grit and pretty city lights.
Walking lanes to pick a daisy,
that could drive a person crazy.
Home-made bread lies here like lead,
and Polly's peach preserves--
oh, please, my nerves!
City lights, how I long for those city lights,
the bulbs of those beaming brights beckoning me there.
Be there.
Sties and stables sure are smelly,
let me sniff some Kosher deli,
brightly lit by pretty city lights.
Pluck your lilies of the valley,
let me sally up some alley
dimly lit by pretty city lights.
Country air means zilch to me;
I won't breathe nothing I can't see.
So let me quit and hit those pretty city lights.
Hit them city lights!
Love them city lights!

The soundtrack to The Act starring Liza Minnelli really rocks you with musical numbers by John Kander and Fred Ebb; they always saw to it that Liza's talents looked their best. This CD gives us the electric numbers from The Act which mostly features Liza's superlative vocals. This is a must have for Liza fans, theater fans and anyone who just plain enjoys well written words and music.

"Shine It On" reflects the relentlessly upbeat and optimistic look of Liza's character in this play, Michelle Craig. The brassy, jazzy musical arrangement sports that '70s Vegas flavor; and there's an excellent piano arrangement as Liza belts this one strong! Liza's excellent diction bolsters her performance, too. "It's The Strangest Thing" gives us Liza singing a sensitive love song with passion and panache. Liza's character, Michelle Craig, sings of her love for her man. Moreover, "Bobo's" has a feel somewhat like a Cabaret-type number as Liza sings to celebrate the existence of Bobo's, a great piano bar and hangout place. Liza sings about the people in the bar and the musical arrangement makes good use of the brass and percussion. Great!

"Arthur In The Afternoon" is a playful, amusing number about a woman who finds great satisfaction and happiness now that she's enjoying a romantic affair with a man named Arthur. Liza sings this to perfection; and the funky late '70s beat works well for this tune. "The Money Tree" showcases Liza's character singing of how her man just won't come back to her; listen for the excellent arrangement for piano and strings on "The Money Tree."

"City Lights" is a highlight of this soundtrack album; and it's just about my favorite song on this CD, too. "City Lights" features Liza singing of a country woman who yearns desperately for the happy times she enjoyed when she lived in a big bustling city. "City Lights" is flawlessly performed by Minnelli and I predict you'll like this number very much.

"There When I Need Him" is another love ballad delivered passionately by Liza; and "My Own Space" features Liza singing beautifully with just a piano. "Walking Papers" gives us a great number with Liza's character Michelle singing of how her troubles are now in the past; she looks ahead to a bright future. "Walking Papers" showcases Liza singing passionately and the backup chorus vocals work wonders for this upbeat number. "Walking Papers" is also a strong ending for this album.

The liner notes give us a miniature replica of an advertisement for The Act; and the artwork reflects good judgment.

Liza Minnelli gave blood for her performance here in The Act; and it shows. Liza made every number shine brighter than silver and gold. What a great album!

Thank you Liza--and everyone else including the musicians, too!
October 17, 2007

Liza's Glory Days

Liza had so much talent and energy,no one knew what to do with this ball of FIRE.I remember readying the review of "THE Act" in Newsweek,and they said the same thing.I didn't get to see this play,(even though i got to see Liza in concert that year)but had to buy the album,and later the CD."BoBo's" is my favorite cut."Authur in the Afternoon"and "City Lights" were two of the songs Liza sang when I got to see her live in concert that year,and 2 show stoppers.This album was almost not made.No record label would produce it,and it was recorded in a couple of days to save money.If you are a Liza Minnelli fan,you have to get this CD. May 2, 2005

MINNELLI'S TOUR DE FORCE CLASSIC~BRAVO LIZA!!!

Anyone lucky enough to experience the Magic of Minnelli in the Kandler-Ebb classic "The Act" which was specially created to showcase Liza's kaleidoscopic talent, knows that this Legend has no peer then or now on the live concert stage and each time I attended this incredible event standing ovations were far too many to count and all well earned by Miss Minnelli. From the exhuberant opener "Shine It On", it is apparent that Liza is in peak vocal form singing with all of the passion and greatness that is her trademark. Romantic and reflective make "It's The Strangest Thing" a wonderfully appealing ballad while "Bobo's" is fun and energetic. Liza wearing a beautiful red dress came twirling down a pole and "Turning" became a beautiful and flowing ballet that turns into an engrossing up-tempo spiritual! "Little Do They Know" is a cute number for the chorus while love in the afternoon to relieve stress with a personal trainer make "Arthur In The Afternoon" a Liza classic which she would continue to include in her concerts for a number of years to great effect. Torchy and soulful make "The Money Tree" a passion filled stunning masterpiece as Liza pours everything she has into this greatly sung song and follows with a equally engrossing tour-de-force performance of "City Lights" which builds into a classic dance routine with Liza being lifted high into the air by a troup of dancers while belting out this showstopper making this one of Liza's major classics...full and rich yet tender and passionate is Liza's breathtakingly beautiful vocal on the winning "There When I Need Him" making it easy to see why so many fall in love with Minnelli's magical voice. I cannot think of any other singer who could bring so much to these songs as Liza does...she is simply incomparable throughout this great collection! "Hot Enough For You" is funky fun and the chorus does a reprise of "Little Do They Know" while Liza readies for the finale which is the reflective ballad "My Own Space" which is just a sublime Liza vocal with piano which is always a special treat! A soaring and soulful "Walking Papers" end this classic Tony Award Winning Show in a great spiritual fashion that has Liza singing with a great deal of passion and unmatched vocal brilliance. Anyone who appreciates a truly great singer will not want to miss this classic as Liza Minnelli is in peak form showing off the range of her remarkable talent~Viva Liza Minnelli!!!!! May 10, 2004

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