DD REVIEW - “Liberace and Liza, A Tribute” Sparkles With Over the Top Performances
By Sheryl Jensen, Arts & Entertainment Editor
David in full Liberace sparkles and sequins entertaining with music and funny banter. Photo submitted. Photo submitted.
Famed pianist Liberace, who toured with concerts, had Las Vegas residencies, and starred in his own popular television show, entertained not only with his dazzling piano technique, but also with his audacious costumes, outlandish cars, elaborate mansions, and flamboyant lifestyle.
Judy Garland’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, Tony, Emmy, Oscar, and Golden Globe winner, is known for her big belt voice and flashy stage presence. A living legend in the entertainment industry, Minnelli proved herself to be a true triple threat— a dancer, an actress, and a singer, who was in her element both live onstage and in film.
While Liberace and Liza never performed together in real life, Portland, Oregon, residents David Saffert and Jillian Snow make an imaginary concert appearance of the two come to life in their Liberace and Liza Tribute on the Depot stage for a two night gig.
Doing their Liberace and Liza show for ten years, they have a relaxed and easy style on stage with each other. At the same time, as their characters, they exchanged barbed comments, making fun of each other’s lifestyles and personalities.
They have done shows and residencies at Portland’s Center Stage (OR) 54 Below (NY), Feinsteins’s at the Nikko (CA), and many other venues.
The duo prefer to call their show a tribute to Liberace and Liza, rather than to describe their act as impersonations. Their incredible homage to these two unforgettable entertainers makes for a sparkling evening of old-fashioned show biz fun, showing off the pair’s comedy chops, as well as their amazing musical talents.
While Saffert does undeniably have Liberace’s mannerisms, facial expressions, and speaking voice down pat, it is his flashy and incomparable flashy piano technique, however, that is truly astonishing. Playing from memory, without sheet music, Saffert is a true virtuoso, able even to match the skill of Liberace himself.
Beginning the evening with “Chopsticks,” playing haltingly. like a five-year-old at his first piano lesson, Saffert then sped it up, adding a complex blur of notes and variations. Before intermission, his show-stopping ten-minute Gershwin medley brought the house to their feet.
Part of Saffert’s schtick are his costumes, starting with an elaborate brocade “ensemble” covered with sparkly “dangles,” and for the second half of the show, a patriotic, fringed red, white, and blue jacket and “short shorts” outfit complete with fringe, argyle socks, and colorful shoes.
From the moment Jillian Snow made her entrance, she embodied Liza, with her dark pixie haircut, sequined outfit with her iconic long red scarf, signature quivery speaking voice, and dithery absent-minded commentary.
Snow’s commanding Broadway voice was front and center from the first with Liza’s anthem from playing Sally Bowles, the bigger than life rendition of “Cabaret.”
Every song, including another of Liza’s go-to tunes, “New York, New York,” displayed both Snow’s incredible vocals and an ability to make the audience forget they weren’t watching the legendary diva herself.
Judy Garland’s signature “Over the Rainbow” showed off Snow’s true and most honest vocal qualities in one of the show’s heart-touching and quiet moments. Another sweet moment was a duet with Liberace singing “My Mother’s Eyes” and Liza joining in with her mother’s “Liza, All The Clouds’ll Roll Away” song.
Audience participation was a key element to the show’s silliness including
Saffert introducing one poor audience member as his mother and Snow saying another woman was her sister, Lorna Luft.
Adding local references was also part of the fun, from stopping at Toby’s for sugary treats on their way up to Duluth to inviting the whole audience to go to Perkins after the show for pie.
Saffert and Snow’s chemistry and their ability to connect with each other and the audience is completely on point. The show is, at turns, campy, charming, and hysterical, but most of all wildly entertaining.
Ending with their improbable rendition of Beyonce’s "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” they left their audience wanting more.
Kudos to Brian Matuszak (Rubber Chicken Theater) for bringing them back for the third-time to the Twin Ports after a seven-year hiatus. Their act has gotten even better “with age.”
Liberace & Liza: A Tribute
Final Performance at 7 pm on Saturday, August 31
The St. Louis County Depot Theatre
506 W. Superior Street Duluth
For Tickets & Info: Call 218-213-2780
brian@RubberChickenTheater.com
For a profile of Saffert and Snow and a review of the show, go here.
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About Sheryl Jensen - Arts & Entertainment Editor
A retired educator with the Duluth Public Schools, Sheryl Jensen has been a theater director of over 60 school and community productions. Her production of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew at East High School won the National High School Theater award from the BRAVO television network.
Having written theater, music, dance, and opera reviews for the Duluth News Tribune for many years, she now is the Arts & Entertainment Editor for Destination Duluth.
