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BY LORI SENDER
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
I'm off to Asbury Park once again, back to the Paramount Theatre, this time to see the amazing Liza Minnelli! For those of us who are wondering if her voice might not be up to the high caliber of her glory days, or her leg doesn't quite do that kicky thing, here's a review from her most recent foray onto the Broadway stage, "Liza's at The Palace . . . !", which ran from December 3, 2008, through January 4, 2009, and happened to win her a Tony Award.
Steven Holden in the December 5, 2008, New York Times wrote:
... there were still occasional moments of beautifully focused dramatic singing. She wrung every drop of emotion from "He's Funny That Way," turning the phrase "crazy for me" into a sweetly exultant cry. As for movement, there were no kicks or even half-kicks, although Ms. Minnelli can still strut stealthily and sprawl across a director's chair in sensual abandon.
She moved mostly from above the waist, where her signature gestures were intact: an arm flung upward, a flutter of fingers frantically beckoning the audience to "come to the cabaret." Once the show began to soar, though, Ms. Minnelli's force of will became a triumph of spirit over flesh. As she insisted on doing what she can no longer do, her audacity was inspiring: her message was you do the best you can, and if you have to, fake it. She trusted the listener's imagination to fill in the blanks.As the years pass, Ms. Minnelli, now 62, seems increasingly aware that she is one of the last of a hardy vaudeville breed and the foremost custodian of that tradition. The high point of the first act was a revised version of a vaudeville tribute her mother performed at the Palace.
So here it will be, almost a year and a half later, and I expect a bit more sitting in the director's chair, maybe some extra windedness, but really, who cares, it's Liza, and anyway, it sure beats, well, sitting alone in your room.
By the way, if you're looking for a fabulous restaurant just steps from the Paramount Theatre, on the boardwalk, facing the ocean, try the Langosta Lounge. It's not your typical boardwalk fare, unless you're in South Beach and willing to pay through the nose. Still, it's not cheap, but in this writer's opinion, worth every cent, one of the very best restaurants in Asbury Park.
Where: Paramount Theatre 1330 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, N.J. 07712 (732) 897-8810. You can also purchase tickets through the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County at 732-530-0065
When: Friday, June 18, 8 PM
Eat: Langosta Lounge — 732-455-3275 (try the Labrador Asian Barbecued Baby Back Ribs with truly crisp sweet potato fries; Corvina fish- special of the day, either Chu Chee with curry and coconut milk, or blackened; and for dessert . . . Cuban Rice pudding; caramel sushi — caramel sliced to look like sushi, rolled in pistachio nuts and chipotle with a chocolate dipping sauce, to mimic soy sauce.)
