BWW Exclusive Flashback: Listen to Jim Caruso's Birthday Chat with Liza Minnelli!

I'm not gonna lie. As I was listening to this fifteen-year-old recording of a chat I had with Liza, tears came to my eyes. First, she spoke about so many brilliantly talented folks who have since left us...like Fred Ebb, Marvin Hamlisch, and Charles Aznavour. They were hugely important to Liza, and, thanks to our long friendship, to me. The recording also made me miss the heart-to-heart chats she and I were able to have at a moment's notice. It's harder now that she lives in LA. But we had a phone catch-up last week, and I asked how she felt about her upcoming birthday. "Holy Toledo! How did THAT happen?" she laughed. "Weren't we twirling around The Palace just twelve days ago?"

And twirl we did. After befriending, opening for, assisting, and living with Liza, she included me in a three-year world tour and subsequent Broadway run called "Liza's at The Palace." I had the rare delight to perform the arrangements of the late, great Kay Thompson as one-fourth of The Williams Brothers. The show won a 2009 Tony for Best Special Event, and I might never get over the experience.

Liza Minnelli has a habit of changing people's lives. When she focuses those enormous eyes on you, the world tends to see you from a different angle. I was a very lucky recipient of that attention. There's no proper way to repay her for that support, other than to continue praising her talent, generosity and friendship to the skies.

In closing, I'll repeat what Liza says to the audience at the end of this podcast: Thank you, Liza May, for your attention. And thank you for the years that you've allowed all of us to be part of what you do. I love you forever.

*Special thanks to Brian Wilson, who brilliantly produced this podcast, and has stayed a great friend over the years.