Robert Guillaume introduces Liza Minnelli and Company performing "City Lights" from THE ACT on the 1978 Tony Awards, then Ed Asner present the Tony for best actress in a musical.
Because in 1978 people didn't jump to their feet for every performance. A standing ovation used to be the highest accolade. Now every Broadway show ends with one. I just went to see the thoroughly mediocre "Great Gatsby" and people were on their feet hollering at the top of their lungs. Absurd.
This was my FIRST Broadway Show! May 1978 Memorial Day Weekend,Saturday Mat.Majestic Theater.When Liza came out as Michelle Craig i almost died.Liza Minnelli in person.I'll never forget it as long as I live.
Gives 150% every time she takes the stage. Leaves all of herself out there for her audience. As did her mother. As did her father in his films. Liza carried on that legacy and did it her way too. I love her for that and of course, her stupendous talent - a triple threat of the highest calibre.
She's said several times her ambition was to be a dancer on broadway--in the chorus. She never wanted to be a huge star--she just wanted to dance on broadway.
I saw this show many times while it was on Broadway. And have seen Liza several times over the years in concert. No words can accurately describe the experience of seeing this woman live. It's why Michael Jackson considered her the greatest live performer he had ever seen, and why all these years later, current artists like Lady Gaga hold her in such high regard. I have seen so many great artists over the years, from rock stars to pop stars and everything in between. No one holds a candle to her. She gives everything she has every time she is on that stage, and leaves nothing behind. She is a force. I will never, ever forget the many performances I have been lucky enough to witness over the five plus decades she's been sharing her monumental talent with the world. No pyrotechnics, fancy sets, or lighting shows were ever necessary with her. She positively radiates talent. Greatest live performer ever, bar none. Love you Liza May!
and on the man side Sammy Davis. if you have not seen it, Bojangles with sammy in his sixties, in germany. i have been lucky enough to see Sarah and Ella and Sammy; include Mickey and you have show business.
You said it sister...I'm with you all the way. She was a stratospheric talent...even though her vocal prowess has diminished, she still is captivating. I'm TEAM LiZa
Liz you said it well, nobody compares to the level of artistry as a performer Liza achieved so brilliantly throughout her amazing career, have a feeling Liza has a few songs more remaining to enthrall us with...
This lady is a true talent and a treasure - I saw her with my dad in the 80s at the Kennedy Center and was in awe. There is so much true joy in her performance and I am honored that I was able to witness her in her prime! No one but no one can top her as a true entertainer! I do hope she does become a Kennedy Honoree next year!
I have never heard her say a bad word about anybody. I think she is a real rarity: an incredible superstar-the daughter of two superstars-who is genuinely appreciative of her fans. Totally approachable.
I am a total fan. My mom was so much like her, it used to drive me crazy, but after she died, I began to really appreciate all those big bold qualities. And miss them.
this is totally amazing. Nothing today can equal this. Liza an extremely talented performer plus the great words and music of Kander and Ebb. It doesn't get better than this
She really was in top form here, I noticed when she got up to accept the Tony, Halston and Steve Rubell the owner of Studio 54 were sitting next to her!
The difference is talent, these days all you have to do is be pretty and have a famous or wealthy parent. Granted Liza had a famous mother but she was far more successful than her Mom, with genuine talent.
@@shadowk3 I don’t think she was more successful than her mother. Her mother died young so I’m sure if she had lived, she would have done more with her life. Also her mother was just as talented as Liza, maybe even more.
Liza'a amazing...Every time I see her perform.I am stunned by her amazing energy and talent! WHAN YOU CAN;T STOP SMILING, YOU KNOW SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL HAS HAPPENED! You Go Girl!
I saw 55 performances of this show before it Broadway. I caught all but one performance including matinees. I was 17 and 18 at the time and Liza was the best there was to me. Everything I know about interpreting song I learned that Summer. Thanks for sharing this small piece. Liza still is the best there is.
It's good to see these shows and be reminded of the great talent on stage that was Liza Minnelli. Sadly. I last saw her in 2022 as a presenter at the Oscars and she was getting around in a wheel chair. I seem to remember she had knee problems at one point and I believe also hip problems. She may not be able to dan ce any longer, but she can still sing.
Was so sad to see her at the recent Oscars,she shouldvhave been coached more before she was introduced,Lady Gaga did her best to smooth things over but it didn't work well..i love Liza she had a lot of her mothers energy and could deliver a song like no other...so felt she wasn't shown off well at all,and younger people would not understand what a true talented performer she really had been
I was reading something a critic wrote who said he was recently looking at some of the older movies. He watched the Kris Kristoferson "A Star is Born" and "Cabaret" and was shocked how poorly "A Star is Born" aged and how modern and fresh "Cabaret" came across. He said he expected the exact opposite. It made me go watch Cabaret again and sure enough, he was exactly right. You know Cabaret is over 40 years old, but I swear, it looked like it was made yesterday because of the high quality. It still holds the record for number of Oscars won without winning Best Picture. I suspect it was the relationships in the movie. Too far ahead of it's time. Then again, the Godfather is also one of my all time favorites.
This proves it's the director who matters, not the performers. Frank Pierson was director of "A Star is Born," and was mediocre and had no good credits. Bob Fosse was an amazing director, aside from being one of the greatest choreographers. They way he shot the performances in the club was revolutionary. He placed the camera in the audience, with customers in the foreground. This was more atmospheric than shooting it straight on. Yes, "Cabaret" will always hold up.
Barbra doesn’t perform for her audiences like Liza does. Babs is a great talent and a great technician but really just sings for herself. Barbra admitted in an Oprah interview she would just as well sing to herself in a recording booth than perform for the public. Liza gives 300% for her audience whether live or on film.
I honestly can't think of a bigger star from the last 100 years. Her stage presence, her charm, her personality and that ever-present feeling of endless joy mixed with sadness deep inside her. She turns every song she sings into a play of its own.
She has her father's sense of flair and art. I see so much of her Dad's artistic talent in her. That Minnelli/Garland combo really produced a great talent!
This brings back memories!! I sat 2nd row on Broadway when Liza did "The Act." It was stupendous. I don't know of any performer before or since that has brought such pure energy, warmth, and power to a sustained performance. She totally enchanted and captured the audience. THAT FOLKS, IS A PERFORMER!!
I was fortunate enough to see Liza in this show in December 1977. In the audience were (ready?) Henry Kissinger, Howard Cosell, and Marlene Dietrich!! That's New York. And Liza, of course, was totally terrific. :)
At that time, would have said the same thing. Later it was Barbra Streisand, not sure who I would qualify today, there are so many talented entertainers out there.
Like her mother and sister, Liza is filled with talent. Today's singers need to look at the work of Judy, Liza and Lorna and then tgese so called singers of today can learn on how to improve their act but none can equal the three Garland ladies, Judy especially. Liza is a legend in her own right and I am so glad I got to became a fan of her's through her mother and sister. They are the best family in showbusiness
At her best, she was one of the best. A special lady with a huge talent. I've seen her live numerous times and each performance was pure entertainment at its finest. She sang everything live while dancing. Performers today like Lady Gaga and Madonna sing and dance, however during difficult dancing sequences, their vocals are prerecorded and lip synced. I loved when she and Gaga met. Gaga cried and said "you are the reason I do what I do!!!"
Always have loved Liza just cuz she was so natural and she was really nice and her talent just her own, not trying to be her Mom just herself...🙌❤️❤️❤️❤️👊🏻😘
