Following his West End debut run earlier this year, Australian cabaret star Trevor Ashley and his red sequined trouser suit are winging their way back to London for a one night return of Liza (On An E).
Playing as part of a nationwide tour to – according to ‘Liza’s’ video to announce her return that you can watch above – celebrate the birth of the Royal Prince George of Cambridge, Liza (On An E) will enjoy a one night stand at the Lyric theatre on 7 October before heading off in a flurry of powder and glitter to entertain audiences around the UK.
Ashley’s wickedly funny but heartwarming show found fans amongst London’s theatre critics when it opened at the Vaudeville in May, with The Stage describing the evening of entertainment as a “woefully astute parody” of the legendary performer Liza Minnelli’s life and work, while demonstrating “a genuine affection” for the star whose eccentric life as the daughter of Judy Garland and an onstage icon in her own right is the inspiration for Ashley’s show.
Directed by Dean Bryant, the controversial show channels Minnelli’s both talented and sparky ways to tell the story from her marriage to Broadway’s Peter Allen to her crazy showbiz family, with ‘Liza’ dishing the dirt of her extraordinary life and career.
Accompanied by a live onstage band, these entertaining stories are weaved into performances of Minnelli’s greatest hits including Cabaret and New York New York, alongside new satirical numbers.
The Lyric theatre is a fitting stage on which to perform a show centring on Minnelli, home, as it is, to Thriller Live, a theatrical concert in tribute to the cabaret star’s late friend and musical legend Michael Jackson, which is now playing in its fifth year at the West End venue.