Needless to say, I was a bit worried when I heard that one of my favorite shows of last year, We Three Liza's , went through a major overhaul of both book and score. Thankfully, my worries were held for naught as, once again, Liza comes out triumphant.
The core material from last year is still in place as Conrad Ticklebottom (again played to perfection by Scott Duff), a well established box maker, is tasked with reinventing his brand, and at the same time, his soul. The person(s) in charge of this task would be none other than the diva herself, Liza Minnelli. All three of her. No, we are not in one of Liza's valium induced haze (or maybe we are), but instead we are taken on a journey in which her career highs and lows mirrors that of Conrad's. The metaphor being that if Liza can survive the obstacles she overcame, so can Ticklebottom (or for that matter, or you or me).
Though the cast is smaller, they are much more connected to the material, which contains book and lyrics by Scott Bradley; music and additional lyrics by Alan Schmuckler; all under the perfect eye of director Scott Ferguson, who brings out the humanity of this piece as no other director could.