I Gotcha

The evening started out well- SGS & I figured we might as well have some Cici's pizza, so when I arrived at his place, he made the call-in order. We got there around 7:30 (Liza starts at 8) and found out that they messed up our order, so they would cook another small pizza in approximately 5 minutes. Almost 20 minutes later, SGS calls his roommate, Ryan, and asks him to stick in a blank tape and just hit record so we don't miss anything. We get back around ten after eight and I suggested we have dinner and wait until the show's done so as not to start watching mid-performance and then backtrack and disrupt the flow of the evening. SGS agreed and we ate, chatted and strung up some light in his backyard and, by that time we were ready for some Minnelli action.

The special was, in its day, revolutionary and I had to keep thinking that what seems commonplace today wasn't in 1972. The choreography was classic Fosse and, by today's standards, is seen as non-groundbreaking. The energy Liza and the dancers (and we both think we saw Anne Reinking in the chorus) provide is electric. "Ring Them Bells" was, IMO, the best with "Son Of A Preacher Man" coming a close second. Liza's quiet moments were interesting and very subdued- her "God Bless The Child" was slightly erratic but "You've Let Yourself Go" was very touching.

Overall, I think this "filmed performance" was such a landmark in time that it doesn't lose any of its resonance today, although, because it seemed a little more ballad-centric than I thought it was going to be (I wanted more dancing- I'm so selfish) I think audiences today miss the point and impact that this show provided in '72.


Afterwards, Munsen came over and SGS put in John Waters' "Female Trouble," which I hadn't seen in at least 4 years. Munsen was slightly mortified (it was her first viewing) but still thought it hysterical and I remain tickled by the genius that is John Waters.