The Boy from Oz Stephanie J. Block as Liza Minnelli (She Loves to Hear the Music)

[pabs619sd]

Liza personally picked SJB.

[rjpg1]

She's OK, but she can't compare to Liza at her peak.

[billyflynn2]

Liza never had that much talent really!

[jerryhepi]

@billyflynn2 maybe not the voice... because SJB is amazing... but we have to agree that Liza is an awesome performer... and she is one of the best Interpreters .... but I have to agree... liza never sang that well

[tappingtenor01]

I watch this all the time :) :) :) :)

[elphaba0judy]

Is it true that SJB was casted in this show after being in some workshops for wicked and then getting replaced by idna???

[kimmy50143]

@elphaba0judy yes. 

[SushiPink131]

@elphaba0judy Actually in Kristin Chenoweth's book she says that it was originally she and Stephanie doing the pre-Wicked things as they were trying to work out and write the show. I think Stephanie couldn't to the show (I forget) and they casted Idina. Either way both were great as Elphaba!

[theshowtunesguy]

@SushiPink131 They replaced Stephanie with Idina because they wanted someone more experienced to originate the role.

[KekoaOnorati]

@theshowtunesguy Let's face it, Idina's name was bigger than Stephanie's at the time. Elphaba's role was essentially written for Stephanie's voice just as Glinda was written for Kristin's, so I feel kind of sorry for Stephanie that she wasn't able to originate it on Bway (and get her chance at that Tony). Only happy she got to have it for the national tour.

[pudgeuncle]

Liza never sang that well...ever.

[Zander45]

@pudgeuncle I beg to differ! Look at Cabaret New York, New York,and listen to her early recordings, then do your best to offer a pitiful response. Liza haters are not welcomed here!

[SamO1901]

Saw this years ago on B/way & not only is she an amazing vocalist she was lovely to talk to in the street too - genuinely a beautiful, warm, funny and talented woman!

[XxPeaceInnocentxX]

watch sparks of broadway :) ahaha, but its only available in malaysia <3 we are performing this for one of the numbers x ahahha. :) shes ah-mazing

[amazinglywicked]

she def should have gotten a tony nom for this and then it would have been really interesting because she would have been up against idina

[faggyboy2]

dance your face off SJB! :P fabulous dancer!

[deltanuxkcrp]

@jennysimply Really? Have you ever heard Liza? This sounds like Stephanie. This sounds NOTHING like Liza.

[Deppdevotions]

@evilqueen1985. Oh, yes, I know that about peter, I went to see this six times but anyway I thing what I tryed to say was that she must have got a few ideas from peter

[Deppdevotions]

Great performance but from my point of view it looked like a mix between an MJ dance and a peter Allen dance......

[Evilqueen1985]

@Deppdevotions Ummm... Peter Allen was a composer... not a choreographer... And this is basically straight out of Liza with a Z, which is Fosse...

[MTwannaB4jesus]

LOVE the choreo!!!! very fosse!!! i wish it was still running. maybe they'll revive it. i love how steph really gets into it. WHOWhoooooo!!!

[meredithchandler73]

I never saw THE BOY FROM OZ - kinda hate shows that get crazy hype (and it was all about Hugh Jackman), but now I'm a little sorry I didn't see Stephanie's performance. She's amazing here. I really don't like the song she is singing, but Stephanie has a beautiful and powerful voice. I had no idea she could dance like that!

[sparrowcrazy]

Love this, but I prefer the background music they use in the soundtrack album.=)

[feeeeeebz]

omg LOL i was like wow Liza is actually such a good singer....:O then i re-read the title AHHAHAA sephanie is incredible!!!!!

[ovimavi]

At first she looks like Lorna dyed black, but once she moves and talks you realize Stephanie is a hell of an actress. Never had I seen somebody play Liza so well.

¿Did Liza ever go to see thi play?

[Mikkilov]

@ovimavi  i heard in an interview with stephanie that liza never did see the performance,

[AntinousIsGod1]

She was awesome. Almost as good as the real Liza :).

[AlanNJUSA]

STEPHANIE J. BLOCK is a TALENT of PHENOMENAL PROPORTIONS!!!! PERFECTION PERSONIFIED!

[luckyroxy14]

veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery niceee :)

x

[OBCBW]

WOW!!!! I had no idea this show had such insanely brilliant choreography! I really really enjoyed this movie. Stephanie is Musical Theatre Royalty!

[bwaycraz3d84]

I don't think I'd like Pirate Queen either, but I'd go see it if it had run anyway. In fact, I wasn't a fan of 9 to 5, but I went anyway because I wanted to hear Stephanie belt in " Get out & Stay Out!" :P

[1995BroadwayBaby]

The dance sequence reminds of something from FOSSE

[bwaycraz3d84]

It's almost like watching Liza do "I Gotcha!" from Liza with a Z, which is also included in FOSSE

[emily3212]

Anyone know if the footage of the full show is avaliable anywhere?

I want it SO BAD!!!!!

[jaxsprat25]

wow

[tappytb]

oh my god that is a brilliant musical number! i love it! and stephanie is truly terrific in her performance as liza!!!

[ecolt87]

phenom.

[BlueJeanBaby012]

I will say, Sebastian is one lucky guy... And she is one lucky woman to be married to him! (Wish I had seen them as Elphie and Fiyero... Stagemances make me happy)

Talented, goregous, and so sweet and down-to-earth.

[primashka]

the girl's got a groove

[UveBeenLuPwned123094]

SJB rocked this part :)

[sevittaran63]

Is Anne Hathaway really going to play Liza in anothe broadway run of 'The Boy From Oz'? or is it going to be a movie performance. Stephanie has a strong, flowing voice by the way. Superb job!!

[emilytripp]

There was a story in the newspaper a week or so ago saying that Anne Hathaway is set to play JUDY Garland in upcoming film and stage versions of a 2000 biography by Gerald Clarke.

[pabs619sd]

I WANT HER BABY!

=]

[chenofan7]

stephanie is absolutely incredible

[ricoco1]

Insteresting to see, but left me cold.

I also saw Liza at the Palace and back in May in London. She was very, very good; I took friends that had never seen her b4 and of course they were fully converted.

¦¬)

[broadwaybeat]

u no thats not actually Liza, right?

[gethappyConor]

Is the whole "look" of this number based on some of the numbers from Liza with a Z? In that (1972) show Liza wears almost the exact same outfit for 3 numbers. Very nice to see, thanks for posting!

[duskmax]

That's my question... at the end the music sounds as one of the numbers in the concert, bt i just cant remember wich one... a part of the dance resembles the part in "ring them bells"... but the music... I just can't remember

[princessjoots]

WOW this is SO COOL! Its so cool that Liza (Any aspect of Liza!) is being tributed/put in a show! I for one think this is GREAT! That performer (Stephanie!) is amazing and the choreography is spot on! LOVE the red lights that say LIZA in the background..they are so cool..it's almost the best bit :P

I think the compromise you were talking about works perfectly..I don't really see how people could have a problem with Liza's portrayal. I saw all of the 'Lizas' being portrayed nicely here..! GREAT!

[aminmontrose]

I'm a Liza fan, but know nothing about this show. I think Stephanie Block's performance is ELECTRIC!... But it isn't Liza. The portayal seems purposefully arrogant which just isn't the real Liza's style. Could someone explain Liza's part in this Peter Allen story? In real life, he was closeted, and they ended up divorcing. Liza promoted his songs on Ed Sullivan, toured the world with him. 30 years later as he was dying, she visited him often. Why wasn't Liza portrayed in a more sensitive light?

[Drealyea]

This number represents Liza's star ascending ( doing a TV special) and in the show precedes Judy's death, (Quite Please There's a Lady On Stage their break up (I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love. A problem discovered in portraying Liza Minnelli as a character in previews was historically she needed to be more Liza Mae vis a vis LIZA but audiences weren't connecting a longer haired less LIZA with a Z version with who she was meant to be.

They compromised.

[Drealyea]

con't :Stephanie's portrayal wasn't arrogant , although the Peter Allen song used has lyrics that could be giving you that impression since they are coming from "Liza's" mouth rather than Peter's .

The original context of the words referred to a third person secretary /groupie's story not a first person biographical account trying to advance plot points.

[aminmontrose]

Thank you SO much for explaining that all to me. Especially the context in which the song was originally written. I find the production process of a piece so interesting. Historically shows would have been so different if there had never been such a thing as 'previews'.

Changing the subject a little... I recently saw Liza STORM the Palace in New York. It was in the middle of her run and it felt like an opening night. She is indeed, even in her 60s, a force of nature. She is ONE OF A KIND.

[birchie47]

I thought she was portrayed very sympathetically. Especially moving at the end in You And Me where she's talking Peter into going home & doing one more show (Australia).