Hall Of Famer - Liza Minelli

Liza Minnelli's life as a person has always had to fit into her role as a star, no matter how problematic that fit turned out to be. She was born In the spotlight (her very name comes from a Gershwin tune), and unlike many children of celebrities--her father was film director Vincente Minnelli, and her mother, of course, was Judy Garland--she immediatley launched herself even deeper into its center. At nineteen, she was a Tony-winning star on Broadway; at twenty-six, in Hollywood, she won an Oscar for her performance in Cabaret (it was only her fifth film role). But as exciting as her act big and singing were, attention was also drawn to her because of the problems and setbacks Minnelll the person frequently, publicly, struggled with. The heights of her achievements--a brilliant performance in the troubled film New York, New York (1977), sold-Out Broadway shows and concerts--battled lows for headline space. Unsuccessful marriages, substance-abuse issues, the battle for sobriety and serenity, cancelled concer ts followed by dramatic, radiant comebacks: No film role she could play could ever withstand so many roller-coaster swerves.

So this winter's Minnelli on Minnelli-the singer offering an evening of songs from her father's many musicals--has been greeted by packed houses with a mixture of anxiety, relief, and gratitude. The nightly roar of enthusiasm surprised even Minnelli. Her show, rich with memories of her father, took place in the theater identified most closely with her mother: the Palace. Often in her own difficult career (especially when she needed a fresh start), Garland would take to the Palace, re-finding herself and sharpening her genius in the discipline of song and dance. Minnelli's successful run, opening this month in San Francisco, was seen by many as a similar act of nose-to-the-grindstone faith.

PATRICK GILES

Minnelli has never taken performing for granted. "It's very rigid--the theater," she told Interview In 1975, In one of several cover stories done by the magazine. Here, she looks back on her return with best friend, singer Sam Harris, who was closely Involved with the new production.

SAM HARRIS: Two years ago you weren't sure if you were going to sing again. And now here you are with a new show and a new voice. How did your approach to this project differ from past shows?

LIZA MINNELLI: Before, I could always sing. I never worried about it. I just went out there balls to the wall to do it. And not really singing well, but singing loud. I didn't care about the singing. I cared about the acting within the song. Then I lost my voice and had to learn how to sing. That was amazing. Who knew?

SH: Did you take your voice for granted?

LM: Absolutely. But I'm grounded differently now. There is a song in my current show called "What Did I Have?" that we worked on extensively. It's all questions. What did I have that I don't have? What did you like that I am not like? What is happening? What is going wrong? If I had sung that song fifteen years ago, I would have used my hands a lot, I would have walked during it. Because of what I have learned from you, I decided to stand completely still and never move.

SH: Yeah, like I'm an example of standing still! [laughs]

LM: To stand completely still and sing a song is really hard!

SH: It forces a different depth and interpretation than if you were walking the stage and these things were coming to you out of a different place. The song we're talking about was the song you were most afraid of.

LM: Terrified.

SH: And now it's the song that you most look forward to.

LM: And that the New York audience liked the most. It stopped the show.

SH: Stopped the show? There was one night the applause went on so long I thought I had time to go get a pizza. [laughs] That level of response was shocking to you.

LM: I was completely shocked.

SH: Then there's the way you sing "I Got Rhythm"--slowed way down and sitting. That has also had an effect on people. You do it with a subtlety and nuance that wouldn't be possible when someone is thirty.

LM: That's my favorite word now: nuance. Because life is so nuanced. I'm interested in all the tiny, little things. For example, when you watch a girl on the street go to the bank, does she pause before she opens the door? How hard does she pull it open? Does she adjust her purse? All these tiny subtle things come from some experience that she's had before. As my father used to say, "God is in the details."

SH: You've talked about this show as a comeback.

LM: Oh, I'll say!

SH: Were you afraid that people just wanted your same bag of tricks--to fling your arm in a circle, stand with your feet spread and hit the note? How did you deal with the fear that if you didn't give people those tricks they would be disappointed?

LM: You worry. But the comeback is just literally coming out on the stage again. That's scary. Will it be good enough? But it's so different now--grown-up and adult!

SH: Isn't it?

LM: I'm used to being treated like I'm sixteen and acting like I'm sixteen. I'm beginning to enjoy the adult in me, and realize that the adult is fun!