BORN IN A TRUNK. Liza Minnelli onstage in 2008. “Love Letter to Liza,” a special 75th-birthday tribute, will be streamed on March 12, 13 and 14, 2021.
MARCH 12, 1946 WAS a Tuesday. A sunny day in Los Angeles with a high temperature of 69 degrees. The actress and singer Judy Garland was 23, and her latest movie, “The Harvey Girls,” had been released in January. Her husband, the director Vincente Minnelli, was in his early 40s, and his most recent movie (late 1945) was “Yolanda and the Thief,” starring Fred Astaire as a con man posing as an angel. The postwar era had begun. Liza May Minnelli was born.
Since then, Liza May has had quite a show business career of her own. Winning a best actress Oscar for playing Sally Bowles in “Cabaret” (1972), a Tony Award for the musical “The Act” (1978) – plus two special Tonys, an Emmy for her network concert special “Liza With a Z” (1972) and a “living legend” Grammy (1990). And when she turns 75 on this March 12 (it’s a Friday), she’s having a really big streaming birthday party and we’re all invited.
IN PHOTO: Minnelli found her look early in her career. She made her New York stage debut at 19, playing the title role in “Flora the Red Menace.”
Special guests? The birthday party will have a few.
Some are co-stars, like Joel Grey, who played the Kit Kat Club’s decadent emcee in the film “Cabaret,” Michael York, who played her love interest in the same film: and Chita Rivera, who shared top billing with Minnelli in “The Rink” on Broadway.
Some are big stars from all over, like Joan Collins. At least one – Charles Busch -- could fill in for Minnelli (or her mother) at a moment’s notice and look fabulous in women’s evening wear. Some, like Kathie Lee Gifford are – well, I guess we’ll find out.
MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND Minnelli with Joel Grey in the film “Cabaret.”
There’s Ute Lemper, who played Sally Bowles on the Paris stage — John Cameron Mitchell, who gave the world “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” — funny women like Lily Tomlin, Lea DeLaria, Sandra Bernhard, Andrea Martin and Michele Lee — men (most of them funny) from Broadway, Hollywood, comedy and music, among them Nathan Lane, Andrew Rannells, Mario Cantone, Harry Connick Jr. and Jonathan Groff (he was King George III in “Hamilton”).
HANGING WITH THE BLUTHS Minnelli with Will Arnett on the sitcom “Arrested Development.” Beginning in 2003, she appeared on at least two dozen episodes as Lucille Austero (a.k.a. Lucille 2), a wealthy widow with chronic vertigo and a lovely apartment..
Not to mention Ben Vereen, appearing with dancers from the Verdon-Fosse Legacy. And Billy Stritch, who is highly likely to play the piano. But then so is Michael Feinstein. Who knows what the composer John Kander will get up to? (His lyricist partner, Fred Ebb, died in 2004.)
Guests who don’t perform will just appear on camera and say nice things.
“Love Letter to Liza: A 75th Birthday Tribute Celebration,” Stellar Video on Demand, streaming March 12 at 8 p.m. (Eastern time), March 13 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and March 14 at 7 p.m. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. $30. (20 percent goes to the Actors Fund.) stellartickets.com clubcummingnyc.com.
