Liza! Goes on ... With or Without Love????

Topicality sure can be a double-edged sword, as the creators of Liza! With Love learned this week in Edinburgh. Billed as an "affectionate salute to one of showbusiness' greatest performers", otherwise known as the "simply marvellous" Minnelli, the cabaret-style show - previously seen at London's Rosemary Branch and King's Head Theatres (See The Goss, 3 Feb 2003) - had to make some quick changes when, just a week ahead of its opening at the Edinburgh Fringe, Minnelli and her impresario husband David Gest announced they were splitting after only 16 months of marriage. The script was rapidly altered so that Liz (without an 'A') Flint, who was meant to perform as Liza (with a 'Z'), now appears as a replacement for Minnelli who is too distraught to go on. Disaster averted and column inches achieved. Liza! With Love continues to feature hit Minnelli songs such as "Some People", "But the World Goes Round" and, of course, "Cabaret", even if a little of the love no longer features in the life of its subject.

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