A history of "a la Liberace!" Act 2

click here for Act 1

Act 2

A Rhinestone in the Rough

Now let me make something perfectly clear:  I never intended this Liberace act to continue after my 4th birthday show.  Ne-ver.  It was to be fun and surprising and wonderful.  And then 'hasta la vista.'  But about two weeks before we opened, do you know what happened?  Jillian suddenly informs me that Bo Ayars, Liberace's Music Director, lives in Portland.  Huh?  "Yeah, he plays piano over at Tony Starlight's.  They're having a staff Christmas party tomorrow night.  I'm going and you can be my date."  Jillian worked for Tony's music club waiting tables, so it wasn't out of the question for me to tag along.  But meet Bo Ayars?  Chapter 9 of "Liberace: An Autobiography" Bo Ayars?  What would I say?  What would I wear?  Breathe, dummy.

                                  David Saffert & Bo Ayars

It's interesting the mental picture we get of someone before we meet them.  Having not seen Bo before, I imagined him looking like a combination of Burt Bacharach and Marvin Hamlisch.  Jillian and I entered Tony's club late:  We'd had a rehearsal, and by the time we got there Tony was giving away the final White Elephant gifts.  It only took me a few seconds to scan the room and make my guess.  "That guy...  that's Bo Ayars."  He was sitting alone at a table near the stage and I could wait no longer.  Jillian led me through the club, and when we approached he was all smiles.  "Hello, Jillian!" he boomed.  (What a voice and expression!)  "Hey, Bo," replied Jillian.  "I want you to meet someone.  This is David Saffert and he's going to be playing..."  Embarrassed, I interrupted.  "I've read about you recently in a book, Bo.  Liberace's autobiography."  Bo was as delighted as he was surprised:  Someone was reading that book.  "Really?" He bellowed.  (That voice again!)  Bo and Jillian and I sat there and talked for about 15 minutes while the background noise seemed to completely disappear.  I was tingling as Bo spouted on about his musical relationship with 'Mr Showmanship.'  We were told playful stories about his conducting work in Las Vegas, Radio City Music Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and on and on.  It was a fifteen minute talk that felt like fifteen seconds.  Not wanting to overstay our welcome, we thanked Bo for his time and memories and retired to the bar.  They call alcohol 'liquid courage.'  Well, after a stiff Manhattan and a half hour to talk myself into it, I was ready to find Bo and tell him MY Liberace story.

He was about to leave.  "Bo!" I shrieked as not to make a scene.  And I spilled my saga.  Bo listened with the degree of attention one gives another on a good first date.  When I'd said all that I could say, I stood there exhausted, and waited.  Again, he was all smiles.  "I think that's wonderful," he finally said.  "Let me give you some advice."  I perked.  "A lot of people remember Lee for his rings, his costumes, his homosexuality...  but you know what he really wanted to be remembered for?  As a pianist.  Let me know how it goes."  And that was that.

                                                     David Saffert & Bo Ayars at a dress rehearsal in Superior, Wisconsin

But that wasn't that.  Because I emailed Bo the next week and invited him and his wife, Barbara, to the show.  "Sounds good," he responded.  "We'll be there opening night."

"There is no Try"

Sweet Jesus.  The only living person who worked with Liberace more than anyone on the planet was coming to opening night.  But I've seen enough "Star Wars" to have had Yoda's philosophy pounded into my head.  And it doesn't matter if there's a reviewer in the audience or a Bo Ayars, you 'just do it.'  (Additional thanks to Nike)  

The show went very well.  Jillian and Sammuel were terrific.  And to be honest, I was concentrating so much on my act that I completely forgot about Bo and Barbara out there in the dark.  That is, until I played Liberace's "Boogie Woogie."  There's a music break in the Boogie Woogie where the band (we had bass & drums) yells, "HEY!"  It's a little shtick Liberace had invented which invites the audience to join in with a collective "HEY!" during later music breaks.  Well, at the first music break my band yelled the first "HEY!"  And someone out in the dark joined in with a booming "HEY!" of his own.  I'm sure you know who it was. 

Bo and Barbara didn't stick around after the show.  This worried me.  But all panic was tossed aside that next morning as I opened a lengthy email Bo had sent.  I read it and cried.  Happy-cried.  Bo's comments and praise were overwhelming.  It was a kind of validation that I had never experienced before.  He liked what was happening.  And he could foresee a future that Jillian and I had never dreamed of. 

Three Years Later

I have three outfits now, and a fourth is on it's way.  My new costumer is Jason Bray, and my outfits are tailor made and based on originals.  Sammuel, who played Truman Capote and made the first "Rhinestone Costume," was only part of those 4th year birthday shows.  I'm happy to say that he now manages and conducts a 14-piece 1920's band called The Ne Plus Ultra Jass Orchestra.  (I told you he can do anything!)

                                           Jillian, Bo, & David

Our act is solid, but Jillian and I still meet up to work on music and talk about our material and shtick.  These rehearsals are mostly for me so that I can get the giggles out before we hit the stage.  Bo works on our arrangements.  In fact, Bo arranged and conducted twenty numbers from our show for a 6-piece band that we performed September 2016 in Wisconsin.  We're stronger than ever, and chances are, wherever you live, there's going to be some Liberace and Liza headed your way. 

How did this happen? A history of "a la Liberace!" in two acts

ACT ONE

Rainbow Connections

Have you seen "The Muppet Movie?"  I'm talking about the 1979 film where Kermit decides to make it big and discovers all of his Muppet friends along the way.  That's the kind of story I'm about to tell you.  Before Liberace had ever entered my mind there were "The Birthday Shows."  Every January I created, hosted, and played piano in my own variety shows that happened to land around my birthday.  (January 22nd, and this year I just want money.)  Each year was a different show with different acts:  ballet dancers, classical musicians, puppets, opera singers, etc.  I was a sort of Dean Martin who held the shows together by hosting and playing piano for each act.  These performances were sell-outs and garnered quite a following.  But the 4th year birthday show...  that was the one that turned my life sideways.

I wanted that 4th show to be something different.  It needed a new direction and it had to possess something that the audience would never see coming.  That "something" came in the form of Jillian Snow Harris.  Now, I had seen Jillian perform as Liza Minnelli once at a talent show.  To say that I was WOWED by her performance is an understatement.  Watching Jillian was more comparable to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita witnessing "the splendor of a thousand suns."  (Dramatic, isn't it?)  Jillian had the physicality, vocals, and soul of Liza.  One might ponder if there had been a previous deal with the devil.  Whatever the case, I got in touch with Jillian and asked her to play Liza in the 4th Birthday Show.  If you saw that one, you know she said, "yes."

My friend Sammuel Hawkins can do just about anything:  play musical instruments, costume, build old microphones and speakers.  And he does a damn fine Truman Capote impression.  He and I were together one night taking in a jazz concert at Vie de Boheme when I asked him to play Capote in my 4th birthday show.  He agreed.  Great!  Now I had a Liza and a Truman!  But as that jazz concert continued, I started to think eccentric thoughts.   Should I perform as myself or have a go at my own impersonation?  Intermission came and I brought up my conundrum with Sammuel.  It didn't take him long at all to say, "You should perform as Liberace!  In fact, I could make your costume."  Upon hearing this, I did not immediately witness 'a thousand suns' as Arjuna had.  Who was Liberace?  I only knew a little:  He was one hell of a pianist who wore lots of rings and draped himself in heavy, elaborate outfits.  But maybe that's all I needed to know, because the idea stuck with me and I thought, "Come hell or high water, that's what I'm going to do!"

Liberace for Beginners

Impersonations require 'the look.'  But becoming Liberace was going to take everything I had ever learned:  piano skills, comedy, improvisation, and guts.  Thanks to Sammuel, the costume was already underway.  I needed to work on Liberace from the inside-out.

YouTube.  Yup, that's where we all go to see and hear whatever we want.  I typed in 'Liberace' and there he was in Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, London, at home, on Johnny Carson and Oprah.  Try it yourself!  You won't be disappointed.  It didn't take me long to discover some of his more iconic piano pieces, namely his "Chopsticks" and "Boogie Woogie."  I have a good ear.  It's something I take for granted.  And that's how I started to learn his music - by ear.  Listening, rewinding, listening, rewinding.  The average person would have chucked their computer out the window after five minutes, but not me.  I'm a go-getter, and like I said, "... come hell or high water."  I also payed close attention to his onstage mannerisms and vocal cadence.  He has a charming way of speaking to his audiences.  He's the boy next door.  He'd be over in a second if you needed cream and sugar.  This resonated with me.  I'm a small town Wisconsin boy.  Turns out, so was Liberace. 

Life was good!  I was memorizing music, Jillian was perfecting her already-perfect act, and Sammuel was constructing a costume and rummaging through rings.  Samm also provided me with my first candelabra.  He owned several.  (Did I mention that Samm can do anything?)

At this point my love affair with Liberace started to blossom.  So much in fact that I bought his first autobiography, cleverly titled, "Liberace:  An Autobiography."  My intention for "The Birthday Show" was to perform as "Mr. Showmanship," the genius on stage, but I wanted to know more about him through his own words.  His autobiography is a delightful read that spans his childhood through his 1950's television series, Las Vegas appearances, and international tours.  There are photos of him with Shelley Winters, Dean Martin, Carol Channing, and Queen Elizabeth.  And there's Chapter 9.  ???  What could be so important about Chapter 9?  Well, a certain individual is mentioned in that chapter who would later become Liberace's arranger and Music Director.  A man who would spend the next 13 years of his life being involved in around 5,000 Liberace shows.  A man who...  happened to live in the same city as I. 

Little did I know, luck was about to land on my Liberace doormat.