Legendary Performer Liza Minnelli to Appear in Concert at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will welcome Liza Minnelli on Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North Campus. The concert is presented by The Derico of East Amherst Corporation.

Minnelli is the daughter of actress/singer Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli. She began her career at a very early age, co-starring with her mother in the movie "In the Good Old Summertime" in 1949. At the age of 10, Liza hosted the first-ever TV broadcast of "The Wizard of Oz," reaching a viewing audience of about 45 million people.

By the time she was 19, she had landed the lead role in "Flora, the Red Menace." This Broadway performance won her a Tony for Best Actress in a musical.

In 1972, her movie career peaked when she played Sally Bowles in "Cabaret." The film won eight Oscars, including Best Actress for Minnelli. The role also earned her a Golden Globe and a British Film Academy Award. The unqualified success of "Cabaret" put Minnelli on the covers of Time and Newsweek in the same week.

Minnelli also starred in the first concert ever filmed live for television in 1972. "Liza with a Z" produced a Top 20 album and won the Emmy for Outstanding Single Program. It has been released in recent years as a DVD.

Minelli went on to appear opposite Robert DeNiro in the musical "New York, New York," directed by Martin Scorsese, in 1977. In 1981, she co-starred with Dudley Moore in the movie "Arthur," going on to make the sequel "Arthur 2" in 1988. Minelli added a second Golden Globe to her already impressive list of awards in 1985 with her performance in the television movie "A Time to Live."

In 1997, Liza took over from an ailing Julie Andrews in Broadway's "Victoria/Victoria." Andrews had to leave the show to undergo vocal cord surgery which was not completely successful. Liza later underwent the identical surgical procedure and made a full recovery.

Liza returned to the Stage in December 1999 to pay tribute to her father in a show called "Minnelli on Minnelli" at New York's Palace Theater.

Shortly after the CD of "Minnelli on Minnelli" was released in February 2000, Minnelli was hospitalized for encephalitis. The prognosis was grim: she was told that she would never walk, talk, dance or sign again. But her incredible will, determination and relentless hard work proved them wrong, and by June 2002, she was back on stage at the Beacon Theater in New York. Her triumphant comeback CD entitled "Liza's Back!" was released in October 2002 and she was seen as Lucille Austero on TV's critically acclaimed Arrested Development.

In 2008 Liza returned to Broadway with "Liza's at the Palace..." which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event, her fourth Tony. She recreated the show at the MGM Grand where her performance was filmed for an upcoming public television special and a DVD. Minnelli continues her extraordinary music career with ongoing concert tours in the U.S. and Europe, as well as recording a new album.

Proceeds of the concert will benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo.

This concert is presented by The Derico of East Amherst Corporation and its employees, a locally owned 12 outlet McDonald's organization. Concert proceeds benefit the families of the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo. Since opening its doors to families of seriously ill or injured children more than 25 years ago, the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo has provided comfortable, affordable lodging for 17,000 families from Western New York and around the world. The Ronald McDonald House is a family's "home-away-from-home" when their child requires specialized medical care at a Buffalo hospital.

Tickets for Liza Minnelli are $126.50, $111.50 and $86.50 and are on sale in the Center for the Arts Box Office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations, including ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets, call 1-800-745-3000, in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For more information call 716-645-2787.