Photo by Michael Brosilow
“I’m baaack!” intoned the ghost of Liberace with his trademark showy flash and never-ending smile as he took the stage at the Rep’s Stackner Cabaret last weekend in Liberace! The audience is already laughing. It’s Liberace! And who better to parody the king of all things bling than Liberace himself?
This amazing one-man tribute to Milwaukee’s very own icon of flamboyance and showmanship captures the heart and spirit and, in particular, the charisma of the man who became “Mr. Showmanship.”
Beloved by millions worldwide, this two-hour production captures the heart and soul of this natural talent from West Allis, Wis., known as Wladziu “Wally” Valentino Liberace. Milwaukee Repertory Theater Associate Artistic Director Brent Hazelton wrote and directed the show, which first appeared at the Stackner in the 2010-2011 season. With a few minor tweaks, it is essentially intact. Thankfully. Hazelton has created a masterwork of the master entertainer, deftly balancing history with rumor and innuendo (Liberace was gay and deeply closeted given the times) amid Liberace’s rise and fall, and rebirth. It is an amazing feat.
But the real tour de force belongs to the incredibly talented Jack Forbes Wilson who portrays the man in the dizzying spin of sequins and furs. Wilson portrayed Liberace in the earlier production and he has continued to define and refine the man whose name is synonymous with all things (and blings) excess. It’s easy to overlook Wilson’s extraordinary command of the keyboard, as he zips through everything from Rachmaninoff to ragtime, Chopin to “Chopsticks” (Liberace was the first to play the children’s tune at Carnegie Hall, transforming the simple melody into complex classical composition).
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We learn much about this sweet, caring man through Wilson’s complete transformation: “Wally” received a scholarship to the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and, by the age of 13, was a soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony. Before 20, he was playing with the Chicago Symphony. The rest, of course, is legend, including the fact that he died of complications due to HIV/AIDS in 1987 at age 67. Liberace! is a loving tribute to the man who helped pave the way and define showmanship for entertainers like Elvis Presley (they were contemporaries and friends, hence the gold lamé outfits), Kiss and David Bowie.
All Liberace wanted in life was to give people love and happiness “one audience at time.” As he simply says early on: “That’s my kind of fun.” And thanks to Liberace! , ours as well.
Liberace! runs through Jan. 11, 2015 in the Stackner Cabaret at the Patty and Jay Baker Complex, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
