It already seems like yesterday’s news but for the sake of perspective, we are now at the point in human civilization where we can plug different artist names and keywords into a computer and Artificial Intelligence technology will render a new piece of music sounding like whatever you can think of. Drake and The Weeknd collab? Biggie rapping Nas songs? A new Beatles song? It’s all happening now. And people dig it. Some say this is where we’ve been headed all along, ever since the advent of multi tracking and Auto-Tune and that Tupac hologram. It’s a far cry from the days of old when entertainers could sing and act and dance all at the same time in front of a live audience, holding them in the palm of their hand. People like Liza Minnelli.  

For all her accolades and achievements and fans, time has not been kind to Minnelli. Somewhere between her last hit movie and a thousand tabloid covers she became someone to be mocked, gossiped about and used as a cautionary tale. It is a cruel and underserved fate. She was once one of the biggest stars around. She has talent and charm and character to spare, all of which is on full display in Liza with A “Z”, her legendary 1972 television concert special which is currently streaming on Peacock.     

Liza with A “Z” was filmed at New York’s Lyceum Theater on May 31, 1972. It was directed and choreographed by the famed Bob Fosse with music written and arranged by Fred Ebb and John Kander. Just months earlier, the foursome had worked together on the film adaptation of Cabaret, which was a box office smash and would go on to win eight Academy Awards, including Best Director for Fosse and Best Actress for Minnelli. The stage costumes were designed by Roy Halston, whose friendship with Minnelli figured prominently in the Netflix series Halston and began the rehabilitation of her image in the public eye.  

Audience shots show a packed house of New Yorkers in black tie attire before Minnelli struts on stage in a white power suit with matching hat and boa. Her shirt is open to the waist. The first word she says is “Yes,” which is also the title of the song. For the next 53 minutes she commands the audience’s attention, joking, dancing and singing with a beautiful, powerful and perfectly intonated voice, the kind you only hear on Broadway anymore. At times the sound of her voice is epic, the history of American popular song and a lifetime in show business imprinted into every note. At other times, it’s intimate, like a nightclub singer seducing a room full of accountants nursing Scoth and sodas after a long day preparing Roth IRAs.    

After the opening numbers, Minnelli changes into a vibrant red minidress accompanied by two male dancers in tuxedos and floppy hats. Halston’s costumes are both timeless and perfectly period. Liza dances her way through soul covers courtesy of Joe Tex and Dusty Springfield. They’re a showcase for Fosse’s choreography which drew from burlesque and jazz dance and the more jazz hands the better. As the show goes on, more dancers join her on stage while a crack backup band covers multiple musical bases with precision and style.   

The Kander and Ebb original “Ring Them Bells” trades in old New York stereotypes about finding everything you need, even true love, within the confines of your Upper West Side apartment building. Though she doesn’t mention her mother by name, Minnelli’s version of Al Jolson’s “My Mammy” serves as a tribute to the singer who died tragically at the age of 47 barely four years earlier. A medley of songs from Cabaret closes things out. The film’s logo lights up the stage as Minnelli dons her signature glitter catsuit and delivers crowd-pleasing renditions of its biggest numbers. 

Liza with A “Z” originally aired on NBC on September 10, 1972, and was also released as a live album. The album was certified Gold and the special would go on to win four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Single Program. Despite its success, it only re-aired twice and the negatives spent the next 30 years in a vault and were feared destroyed at one point. Minnelli tracked down the original tapes herself and the special was released on DVD in 2006. Entertaining and impressive, it shows Minnelli at the top of her game and proves she could do it all.  

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter:@BHSmithNYC.