By Steve Morse, Boston Globe
COHASSET - This hasn’t been a good year for Liza Minnell. In January she filled in for Julie Andrews in the Broadway show "Victor/Victoria," but threw her voice out and needed polyp surgery. She was accused of flubbing lines in the show but maintained that it was because of her throat problems. Then came a hip infection that required surgery and, finally, a return to singing in June, but to mixed reviews. Minnelli was not at her heat-generating best Wednesday for a capacity crowd of 2,300 at South Shore Music Circus. She told the forgiving fans that she had played a man and a woman in the Victor/Victoria production and it had been hard on her throat. But darned if her sheer, irrepressible nature didn't kick in and turn it into a triumph despite her still-healing state.
Mirmelli didin’t have her same vocal power - she even coughed under her breath a few imes - but her spirit got her through. She's reportedly getting every day and this show definitely pointed in that direction. Sipping from two glasses of Gatorade to soothe her throat, Minnelli even made light of the situation as only she can. "I don’t want to spill any of this on myself, or I'll kill myself," she said while sashaying in a resplendent white dress with two feather boas wrapped outrageously around her shoulders.
She didn't spill it, thank goodness. And she got better as the show went along. She had babied her voice in the first of her two 45-minute sets (there was no opening act), but she electrified the crowd when she reached back and handled a crescendo in her signature hit, "Life Is a Cabaret." She also rallied for her perennial closer, "New York, New York." Minnelli had paced herself like a true pro and the crowd responded with a standing ovation that shook the tent.
Minnelli's vulnerability also made her more openly confessional. She's known for her quippy jokes, but out of nowhere she said with an emotional quiver, "I try to be wise and sometimes it's cocky. And sometimes I'm foolish. I don't mean to be that way, but that's the way it is.” She fought her way to the finish line in this one - and you could only take your hat off to her.
She was often alone on the circular stage (her band was down in the orchestra pit), though the Cortes Alexander Trio joined her for several songs each set to ease the pressure. The trio wasn't always the solution, however, for their gooey manner and glee-club-shrill voices were sometimes annoying.
Minnelli came out with a declaration of optimism in "Let Me Sing," gesturing grandly and stressing the verse, "If my songs can start you smiling, I'm happy." She then moved proudly, if somewhat cautiously, through Kurt Weill's " My Ship," Fred Ebb's humorous "Sara Lee," Charles Aznavour’s "Sailor Boys," and the timeless "Gigi."
MinneIli switched glittery costumes liberally and the second set picked up with "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "Cabaret," though the most affecting moments came on piano ballads from her latest album, "Gently." She sang them beautifully. She added a bluesy twist to Lieber & Stoller's "Some Cats Know” and a heavenly patina to George and Ira Gershwin's "Embraceable You," which she identified as the favorite song of her parents (the legendary Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli).
Liza was probably glad to get into the dressing room when it was over, but her indomitable spirit will not soon be forgotten.