David Saffert on his Liberace and Liza Minnelli tribute: ‘What we do on stage is 100% plausible’
Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland and Liberace: it’s practically a holy trinity of gay icons. Jo Laidlaw goes behind the candelabra to discover how these entertainment legends are being brought to life at this year’s Fringe
When it comes to Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, naturally it’s a family affair. But two cabaret shows featuring the mother-daughter duo at this year’s Fringe also have ties that run deep. ‘We met in undergraduate school 20 years ago,’ says Adin Lenahan of co-performer and co-creator Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin (or Soda Pressed and Xena Fauxbia to give them their respective drag names). ‘The genesis of Judy Garland Is Fat At Carnegie Hall was a short play we wrote together in 2012 when we both played Judy Garland at different ages,’ adds Garvin. ‘Our shared love for Judy is something we’ve come back to over and over.’
Similarly, David Saffert and Jillian Snow have been performing as Liza Minnelli and Liberace for over 12 years. Billed as ‘a show that never was’, Liberace And Liza: A Tribute started small. ‘I used to do a variety show to celebrate my birthday,’ recalls Saffert. ‘Jillian had been performing as Liza in New York and I asked her to join in. I had a friend that suggested I play Liberace and people really liked the mix.’
Both shows take different approaches. ‘When we were listening to the album Judy At Carnegie Hall together, one thing that stood out was how often Garland talks about her body; how she feels about her body and the public’s perception of her body,’ explains Garvin. ‘We started having conversations about the real estate that took up within this incredible performance and the show started from there. It’s trying to examine the crossroads between performances and bodies… and the way Judy’s relationship with weight-loss drugs was shaped by the industry and her mother.’
Lenahan and Garvin’s drag show is also rooted in the queer community’s enduring love for Garland. ‘Drag is like exploded performance in a lot of ways,’ says Lenehan. ‘It allows you to be transgressive, and I think it’s a nod to Judy’s legacy: much of what keeps her alive are drag queens.’ Garvin adds: ‘But we’re doing very stupid things the whole time with snacks.’
Minnelli and Liberace never actually performed together, although they did meet at least once, explains Snow, describing a photograph they spotted in Liberace’s archive (held in the basement of Michael Jackson’s Thriller Villa, in possibly the most Liberace thing ever). Liberace And Liza: A Tribute imagines what might happen if they were touring together today, incorporating new songs along the way.
‘I think what we do on stage is 100% plausible,’ says classically trained pianist Saffert, as he discusses pre-show rituals that involve watching endless YouTube videos of the pair. Snow adds: ‘We’re doing Chappell Roan songs, we’re doing Lady Gaga; but that’s what Liberace did, that’s what Liza did. The times and music were changing; they adapted and did their thing.’
Momentarily diverted by the thought of Liberace turning up with a cabin steamer full of furs to play a grimy scout hall for three weeks in August, Saffert says: ‘There was actually talk of him doing the Fringe in the late 60s! But he got offered a Las Vegas residency instead.’ The scout hall’s loss is our gain.
Judy Garland Is Fat At Carnegie Hall, Space On The Mile, 24–29 August, 10.45pm; Liberace And Liza: A Tribute, Underbelly Bristo Square, 5–30 August, 8.25pm.