Saturday, December 12 at 5:30 p.m. on WPBT2

Critically Acclaimed, Tony Award-Winning LIZA'S AT THE PALACE…
Comes to WPBT2 After a Sold-Out Broadway Run

“Perhaps unequaled in her ability to hold the stage alone, Minnelli has an emotional gravity
(imbued by her classic showbiz lifeline) that – I’m gonna say it – Bette Midler and Cher combined can’t equal.”
– Review of Las Vegas show by Joe Brown, Las Vegas Sun

The legendary Liza Minnelli took Broadway by storm in her unanimously acclaimed New York run of Liza’s at the Palace… which was sold out for five weeks in December 2008.  Her spectacular performances earned her the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event and a prestigious 2009 Drama Desk Award.  Fans have been eagerly anticipating news of a television broadcast of this history-making show and now have the chance to view the long-awaited special on WPBT2.

The television event, also named LIZA’S AT THE PALACE…, was filmed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on October 1, 2009 before an invited audience of show business friends, fans and entertainers from all over the world. The program features material performed during the New York engagement and captures many of her greatest hits as well as an affectionate tribute to her godmother, the late Kay Thompson.

Act one features Minnelli’s crowd-pleasing favorites, including “Cabaret,” “Maybe This Time,” “Teach Me Tonight” and “My Own Best Friend.” Minnelli's special rendition of the “Palace Medley,” originally sung by her mother at the Palace Theatre in 1951, stands out as a program highlight. In addition, Minnelli adds a new personal musical introduction to the fond remembrance of famous vaudevillians.

In the second act, Minnelli honors the legendary Thompson, a groundbreaking singer-dancer, songwriter, and vocal arranger/coach at the MGM Studios in the 1940s. Minnelli recreates Thompson's exciting 1948 nightclub act, which opened at the world famous Ciro's in Hollywood, and featured the Williams' Brothers (Bob, Dick, Don and Andy). In this show, the Williams' Brothers are played by Minnelli’s quartet of dynamic singer/dancers – Johnny Rodgers, Cortes Alexander, Jim Caruso and Tiger Martina. The concert ends with “New York, New York” – Liza's trademark song, written for her by John Kander and Fred Ebb in 1977, for the Martin Scorsese film of the same name.

Minnelli was joined on the program by her Broadway co-star and musical director, pianist, singer and composer Billy Stritch. The show was again directed by Ron Lewis, the award-winning choreographer and director. Michael Berkowitz served as the Musical Conductor/drummer.

Now in her fifth decade as an internationally celebrated entertainer, Minnelli has won every major show business honor including an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and four Tony Awards, making her part of a select group of performers who have won the entertainment industry’s top four achievement awards. Minnelli recently achieved critical praise playing Lucille Austero, on the Emmy-winning Arrested Development.