By Jason Reid
Liza Minnelli impersonators are hardly a rare breed, are they? Over the years I’ve seen more than I care to remember. All with varying degrees of talent and stage presence. Trevor Ashley is not only the best Liza by a country mile, I’d go as far to say that he’s one of the best live cabaret artists of his generation.
Lisa’s Back (is Broken!) opened at Underbelly’s big old spiegeltent on a very, very (I can’t stress that enough) wet Tuesday. As soon as Ashley hit the stage he whisked us all off to a much brighter and more glamorous place – thankfully. His commitment to the character is a joy to behold. If you’re going to do it, do it with every fibre of your being. There’s no half-arsed impressions here. Every nuance, mannerism, manic behavioural trait and small chuckle is meticulous in its detail. Ashley revels in the characterisations, and they’re not limited to just Lisa, expect a generous peppering of ‘Moma’ (Judy Garland), Norma Desmond and others.
Ashley has impeccable timing and even though the majority of the show is scripted (I’m imagining) it doesn’t feel ‘stiff scripted’. His Liza is loose and carefree, throwing anecdotes about like Theresa May throwing money at the DUP.
For me, the setting felt quite vast, almost dry to begin with, and I feel Ashley and this style of show would be better suited to a theatre or intimate club, however this didn’t hamper his performance. The vocals throughout are simply out of this world. They have to be heard to be believed. My highlights included ‘Music and a Mirror’ and ‘Send in the Clowns’.
This is the kind of show we should all encourage ourselves to go and see right now (as the world burns); it’s a joyous and much needed evening of escapism.
Liza’s Back! (is broken) plays at Underbelly Festival, Southbank until Sunday 2nd July
