Three Times the Minelli

"Liza! Liza! Liza!" is meltdowns, musical ditties and Judy Garland as a fucked-up mom.

By Grace Culhane

Judy Garland—superstar singer, actress, vaudevillian and America's quintessential girl next door—left some big ruby red slippers to fill. While growing up in the shadow of a volatile, drug-addled mother may have haunted Liza Minnelli for her entire life, it also prepared Minnelli to dominate the entertainment industry.

Triangle Productions explores the many contradictions of Minnelli through three different portrayals of the actress: teenaged Liza, Liza in her Oscar-winning prime and the Liza of present day. These three iterations share the stage, reminiscing on various heartbreaks and triumphs in a flurry of f-bombs, innuendo, vodka and musical numbers.

The play's unusual structure turns into a drag, though, as the repetitive accounts of Minnelli's various personal upheavals start to feel interchangeable. That being said, all three actresses deliver strong performances, and young Liza has some serious pipes.

See it: Liza! Liza! Liza! is at Triangle Productions, 1785 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-239-5919. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday May 5-28, 2 pm Sunday, May 15 and 22. $15-$35.

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