Liza Minnelli at the Royal Festival Hall

Giving an unbiased opinion on Liza Minnelli’s performance at the Royal Festival Hall last Friday is a real challenge. Take it as a fact, the lady (let’s not mention her age) is truly a living legend.

The singer and actress not only boasts a glorious show business pedigree, she has also made a name for herself in her own right with a fabulous career lasting nearly fifty years. How could she possibly go wrong? Simply, she couldn’t.

Part of the ambitious The Rest Is Noise project at the Southbank Centre (and sensibly included in the Berlin in the ’20s & ’30s series as well), Minnelli’s return to London to perform some of her greatest hits could easily have stood alone as an event in itself.

The hotly anticipated concert was held in the elegant Royal Festival Hall, with band members dressed in white tie, and piano bar background music being played onstage while we waited for the star to appear – one really felt transported back to Minnelli’s era.

She made her entrance, in great shape, welcomed with uproarious applause and an immediate standing ovation. Minnelli was visibly emotionally charged, but always composed and professional. Funny and engaging, she told anecdotes in between songs, proud of her accompanying musicians and appreciative of the warm reception.

The singer demonstrated that she still has both a powerful voice and a lively spirit, performing hilarious tunes like Liza With a Z or He’s Funny That Way, with more intense and serious interludes in On Such A Night As This and What Makes a Man a Man, and not forgetting the evergreens Cabaret and New York, New York.

Minnelli said she would always remember the night, and it’s certain that everyone attending her concert will cherish it forever. With multiple standing ovations demonstrating the audience’s devotion and enjoyment, Liza Minnelli had scored again!

Verdict: •••••

Rita Vicinanza

Photos: Bartek Odias

For further information about Liza Minnelli and future events visit here, and for future events at the Southbank Centre visit here.

Watch a live performance for You’ve Let Yourself Go here: