Rick Day
MANY OF US remember Kay Thompson as the author of the series of children’s books that narrated the adventures of Eloise, a hyperactive kid living at the Plaza Hotel—Thompson’s actual residence—who was rumored to have been inspired by the antics of her goddaughter, Liza. Yes, that Liza. As in Minnelli.
And this week, the iconic (and often polemic, some may say) singer and Oscar-winning actress returns to Broadway with Liza’s At The Palace, a two-hour-plus, song-filled show that pays tribute to Thompson, a highly creative force who had a long and fruitful career as a musical arranger and vocal coach for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.
“She
was a well-known inside person. Gordon Thompson said he learned
everything from Kay, and [legendary music producer] Nelson Riddle said
the same thing. If you ask Michael Feinstein about Thompson he can go
on for days,” explains Minnelli. “She thought of and did harmonies like
no one had ever done before. It was so outrageous when they hired her
for MGM—she was the head of the MGM music department in 1939, which was
before women were the head of anything.”
As for having
been the inspiration for Eloise, Minnelli isn’t quite sure. “Eloise is
such a wonderful children’s book, I wouldn’t take credit for that at
all,” she says. “I think that her imagination really created that
character.”
This is the first time that Minnelli will be
dedicating an entire show to Thompson, who passed away in 1998 at age
90. Fans can be assured, however, that she will also be including hits
like “New York, New York” and “Cabaret.”
“I have to do those, and thank God I do, because I made them famous and that pleases me,” she says with no modesty whatsoever.
In
addition to the music and dancing, Minnelli will be sharing personal
anecdotes on stage, which she has never done before. “I tell about what
happened to me and my godmother and how interesting she made
everything,” she says. “I think your point of view, your choices depend
on what you’ve learned.”
Minnelli gives much credit for the
current show’s success to choreographer Ron Lewis, with whom she has
worked since 1970. “He has done such a brilliant job, because there was
no record of Kay’s act,” she explains. “She never filmed it, it was
never really televised or anything, so we started from scratch, and
luckily Ron knew her, and he remembered her influence on him.” At 62,
Minnelli is still able to give a command performance, tirelessly
singing and dancing as if the long years on stage and film—50 and
counting —have yet to pass. And, as evidenced by video clips posted on
the show’s website, the star is having a blast. She looks to be
enjoying it so much, in fact, that one can hardly help but think of a
little girl gallivanting through the halls of a great big hotel.
> Liza’s at The Palace
Dec. 3-28, The Palace Theater, 1564 Broadway (at W. 47th St.), 212-307-4100; times vary, $25-$250.
ManMan
