SOUND OFF: Legendary LIZA, Curious CUMMING

Probably my favorite recording of my all-time favorite Christmas song, Frank Loesser's "Baby, It's Cold Outside!", is the barn-burning opener to one of the best Christmas albums out there, Broadway Cares' HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. While Christmas may be passed, and Valentine's Day just around the corner, it certainly warms the heart a bit to think that the audible affection affected by Alan Cumming and Liza Minnelli on that track spills over into real life, as they happen to be the best of friends. This week we will take a look at Alan Cumming's first solo album, I BOUGHT A BLUE CAR TODAY and Liza's just-released concert film which was recorded at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas late last year, around Christmastime, LIZA'S AT THE PALACE...

I BOUGHT A BLUE CAR, BUT NOW I WISH IT WAS GREEN

Alan Cumming is known to both theatre and film fans alike for his memorable performances in such diverse film and theatre pieces as Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT, THE ANNIVERSARY PARTY, Julie Taymor's TITUS, and onstage, CABARET, and, most recently, opposite a resplendent Cyndi Lauper in THE THREEPENNY OPERA as well as the assumedly forthcoming TURN OFF THE DARK, aka the Spider Man musical written by Bono and The Edge of U2 and co-written and directed by Julie Taymor. Given his eclectic choice of roles it should come as no surprise that his first solo album effort would reflect that gamut-running gameness, and while there are a few missteps on the journey it ultimately proves illuminating, interesting and worthwhile. It is certainly not fare for everyone, as the Parental Advisory warning on the cover alerts us, but there is a lot of good listening here, if a little more personally revealing than I, myself, would have liked as a listener. nIt is what it is, and generally it is good. When it isn't, though, it can be quite trying, at least to the casual listeners among us.

"Shine" has an exceptionally attractive classical-sounding intro, and the reggae influences are mildly inventive, but the plodding chorus wears thin quickly, and the almost excessive cornucopia of sounds and styles employed here acts as a telling, prescient precursor to the entire album. "I Dance And Dance And Smile And Smile" is intriguing, if overwrought, though Cumming performs it persuasively. "That's Life" is a bit too 80s kitsch in its Robert Palmer-esque orchestration and style, but it is fun, if nothing else. Cumming's accent and enunciation is bit overwhelming and unwieldy, here and elsewhere, which forces the listener to pay closer attention to the content of the songs than the songwriters may have intended as there are not too many brilliant or too thought-provoking song choices here. "Wig In A Box/Wicked Little Town", both from HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH and here merged together, makes a strong case for Cumming to take on the role onstage and this is by far the strongest track on the album. "Fierce" and "fabulous" are welcome words here, though the transitions between the songs is a bit too abrupt and makes one wish for a more elegant merging of the two. "Don't Tell Me" is emotional and effective, though the speech seems slightly slurred for some strange reason. "Here You Come Again/My Interpretation" is similarly strange, at least the country-style arrangement. "Next To Me" is duly dramatic and decidedly drug-induced, given the lyrical content, but one of the most effective original tracks to be found here. "Thinking of You" ascribes a modern Noel Coward style, but is by far my least favorite entry on the album and comes across as forced and painfully un-hip. "Unexpressed" is fine, though it will certainly not erase memories of Adam Guettel's inimitable recording of the song. "Where I Want To Be", a strong song from the score of CHESS, is quite good but, again, the instrumentation is slightly bizarre and sabotages the song's many strengths and Cumming‘s performance of it. "What More Can I Say" is one of William Finn‘s most emotive and evocative compositions and Cumming acquits himself well with it. "Mein Herr", a specialty number written for Liza Minnelli for Bob Fosse's film version of CABARET, is exactly that: a pale imitation of the real deal, and comes off like a sort of depressing drag performance. "All I Know" is the best ballad on the album and momentarily lifts the proceedings up quite a bit. Cumming's "Beautiful", which, by the way, is not a cover of the Christina Aguilera/Linda Perry song, ends the recording on a sour and snide note (Sample Lyric: "You're f**king beautiful / My heart's got a f**king ache / So give me a f**king break..."). To paraphrase Cumming, "F*** no."

From John Bucchino to CHESS to CABARET to HEDWIG and FALSETTOS, Cumming pays due diligence to his theatrical roots, and these theatre songs outshine the others, which are very hit-or-miss, particularly the original material which is mostly miss. So goes the album, a few bright spots marred by many missteps, though Cumming earns respect for his audaciousness, both in the song selection and performance style. This sounds like a cabaret performance pressed onto plastic, and the authenticity Cumming would assuredly give it live is largely lacking here.

Speaking of CABARET and cabaret...
SCORE: 5/10

While the title of the show may be misleading, one thing is for sure: Miss Minnelli is always at home on the stage, whether that particularly stage is in NY, Las Vegas or elsewhere, and given the performers of today, that is a big, beneficial boon to her lucky audience in and of itself. The sterling show she performs under the expert direction of Ron Lewis is even more good gravy on this rich, delectable delight of a meal. And, good gravy, is this show good, I'd even go so far as to call it great!

Ostensibly a tribute to her godmother and lifelong friend, legendary arranger and sometimes performer Kay Thompson, Minnelli is at her very best in this concert, which was filmed over the course of two sold-out shows at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While the Thompson material is a welcome addition to her repertoire, it is the requisite standards we have come to expect that shine brightest of all. To crib a phrase from THE ACT, and the original title of that troubled show for which she won a Tony Award, Minnelli shines it on better than anyone. It seemed impossible that she could top her legacy, and her progeny, but she sure makes a strong case here that she, indeed, has, and is better than ever. Of course, shine and sparkle is what Minnelli does best, spangled and sterling where once she sounded strangled and mangled in performing many of these songs in recent years. She's been through a lot and gives it all right back to the audience, every shrewdly scripted moment ringing true and seemingly every single syllable infused with all she has to give them. And us. After all, Minnelli is all about her audience and the audience here eats it up - and rightfully so. She is at her best since Fosse's LIZA WITH A Z here and how lucky we are to have such a perfect preservation of a nearly perfect performance to enjoy whenever we want.

"Teach Me Tonight" is sexy and alluring. "I Would Never Leave You" is a dramatic delight. "If You Hadn't, But You Did" is uproarious and hilarious. "What Makes A Man A Man" is the most delectable ballad of the concert and Minnelli's affection for Charles Aznavour is never more tactile than it is in this spine-tingling performance of a powerhouse song. It is the perfect marriage of performer and material, and given the many men Liza has acted as muse for - from Halston to Fosse to Kander & Ebb and beyond - that is a high compliment. Minnelli treats us to a short monologue to set-up a song from CHICAGO, slightly odd as it is cribbed from the screenplay and not the actual show (which she starred in while Gwen Verdon took ill back in the 70s), leading up to a knock-out "My Own Best Friend" with some particularly effective lighting tricks. "He's Funny That Way" is a wonderful entry, as is the entire Palace Medley, which includes "Shine On Harvest Moon", "Some of These Days", "My Man" and "I Don't Care". The first act ends with a searing "Cabaret" with the now de rigueur lyrical change to the final lines ("I'm NOT going like Elsie"). Given the fact that her best friend, and director and specialty-material lyricist, Fred Ebb, approved this change removes any of the questionable aspects show purists may find with this change. And just when you thought nothing could be better than what Minnelli achieves in the first act, virtually un-fatigued she barrels through the second act with deletectable, tangible delight - and out-of-this-world results. "Wonder" may be the best word one could ascribe to this living legend, and her signature song, "And The World Goes 'Round" has never been better than it is here.

The excellent back-up of Johnny Rodgers, Jim Caruso and company provided during the second-act acts as the defining characteristic of this masterful, endlessly entertaining event. Minnelli is a generous performer and lets each of her "boys" shine, though it would be impossible to outshine this blazing beacon whether in black, red or white (all vintage Halston, natch). "Hello, Hello", "Jubilee Time", "Basin Street Blues", "Clap Yo' Hands" and "Liza" are all affecting and entertaining, nary a false note or misstep in the bunch. "Look For the Silver Lining" is a little maudlin, perhaps, and "Mammy" may be a bit unnecessary, as she has performed it better elsewhere, but more of a very good thing is merely that. The requisite "New York, New York" is proof that even now, more than forty years after her debut, Minnelli is at the top of her field. The concert ends on a sentimental note with a sensitive, moving rendition of her mother, Judy Garland's, famous standard, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". And be it winter, summer, fall or spring, this capper is sure to get you in a generous spirit - and a great mood. The whole performance is so life-affirming and enthusiastic, it threatens to lift the spirits of the most depressed and depressive among us. Minnelli more than lives up to her legendary lineage, whether Thompson or Garland, and does what they could never do: remain completely contemporary and old-school, simultaneously. How she does it, I do not know, but I could very well assume it has to do most with one element: magic.

Equally shattering, strong, seething, sentimental and superlative, this is one of the best concerts I have ever had the pleasure to experience, live or on video. Enough cannot be said about what a wonderful and wondrous presentation this is, from the sizzling orchestra under the direction of Billy Stritch, to the sublime camerawork, to the performers themselves, to the leading lady proving herself a star of stars, shining brighter than any in the known galaxy. If nearly forty years ago she was Liza with a Z, she is now, at over sixty, Liza with an A, and an A+ at that. Brava!