Liberace & Liza: an interview with Pianist and Actor David Saffert
Any reader of No Dead Guys knows that I admire performers and composers who refuse to be limited by the forms and roles of the past. Pianist and actor David Saffert is one such artist. A multi-talented performer, Saffert is equally at home collaborating with classical performers or appearing as Liberace in the cabaret act, Liberace & Liza: a Tribute, he formed with singer and actress Jillian Snow Harris. This creative freedom has given him an opportunity to build a career in two very difficult disciplines—and to do this while maintaining the highest professional and musical standards.
I’ve had the privilege of knowing David Saffert for nearly a decade. We met when he approached me after a benefit concert we’d both played on, introduced himself, and congratulated me on my performance. Graciousness like this was so uncommon amongst pianists in that city that I was doubly impressed—both with his musicianship and with his friendly generosity toward another performer. Since that first meeting, we’ve followed each other’s careers and cheered each other’s professional endeavors. Whether creating (and starring in) a variety show, collaborating with singers, dancers, and instrumentalists, or impersonating Liberace, Saffert proves that sometimes the best path is the one we create for ourselves. I’m honored to feature him on No Dead Guys.
What got you interested in the piano and when did you first begin lessons?
My father and his sisters had all taken piano lessons in their youth. When the entire family would get together for holidays in northern Wisconsin at my grandparent’s we would gather in the den near an old, chewed up spinet piano and my dad and aunts would take turns seeing who could still play the best. The song they would always compete with was “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago, but they would also try their hands at “New York, New York” and “Love is Blue.” I really enjoyed watching how enthusiastic they got and I knew I wanted lessons of my own. It didn’t take long for a mammoth, used mahogany upright to enter our home. I actually had quite a good ear and before any lessons started I was able to pick out a few songs on the piano just by plunking around. Lessons started for me in the 2nd grade and, despite a few hiccups of disinterest in practicing, I eventually graduated from college with a degree in Piano Performance.
When did you decide to make music your career, and what inspired this choice?
My college piano professor once told me that, if there was absolutely nothing else that I could imagine myself doing other than playing piano, then that was what I was meant to do. Easier said than done. I wasn’t positive if I’d ever be a great soloist, but what I was sure of was my ability to accompany. To this day it is a great passion of mine to play with singers, dancers and instrumentalists. I think what it also came down to was that I didn’t want to be onstage alone for the rest of my life; I wanted to perform with others. So shortly after college I decided that I wanted to make my living by playing with other artists, merging our talents and ideas to create the best possible music.
You’ve created a career for yourself as a pianist and an actor. What got you interested in theater, and when did you realize you could combine these two passions?
Growing up in the 80’s I was inspired by all kinds of child actors in television and movies: Goonies, E.T., Stand By Me and so on. I had a yearning to play other people and to be caught up in fantastical situations. My first acting roles came about in high school with parts in Our Town, The Matchmaker, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. I spent most of college studying music, but I did eventually join an improv group that also wrote and performed sketch comedy. Somewhere around the age of 23 I had an idea of how to incorporate theater into a classical concert; it was basically a collaborative recital with a theatrical through-line in which the stage was my “living room” and I had a mischievous butler character who introduced the musical guests as they’d arrive. Pretty simple concept, but it was my foray into creating a variety show.
Tell me about Liberace & Liza: a Tribute, the cabaret act you perform with Jillian Snow Harris and music director Bo Ayars. Whose idea was it, when was it created, and how did you come to be involved in it?
Liberace & Liza was never meant to be more than a two-weekend run of shows. I had seen Jillian Snow Harris perform as Liza Minnelli at some local clubs and I was immediately in awe of her dynamic voice and comedic timing. I had a variety show coming up (I was now living and creating them annually in Portland, OR) and I definitely wanted her to be in it. But if she was going to be playing someone else, should I as well? A friend suggested I be Liberace. After a great deal of YouTube research I managed to learn a few short pieces of his and get his speaking pattern down (not too difficult to imitate since we’re both from Wisconsin). I had a rhinestone outfit made from scratch, acquired a candelabra, and collected as many gaudy (but cheap) rings as I could find. Opening night was a huge success and our Liberace & Liza were clearly made for each other. The icing on the cake was having the real Liberace’s music director in our audience that first night. Bo Ayars had arranged and conducted around 5,000 Liberace shows from 1973-1985 and here he was, living in Portland and seeing if my Liberace act was worth its weight in sequins. The day after the show he sent me the most wonderful email validating my efforts and insisted that if Jillian and I were to continue this wacky endeavor that he be involved musically. We unquestionably took him up on his offer and we’ve been a happy and thriving trio to this day.
When were you first introduced to Liberace’s music, and why do you feel you so successfully portray him, not only as a character but also as a pianist?
I first encountered Liberace on The Muppet Show. And in the early 80’s I would see him make guest appearances on Johnny Carson and Adam West Batman reruns. Our Wisconsin connection (he was from Milwaukee) plays a huge part in my portraying of him; I completely understand his speech pattern and his hokey, yet warm and charming rapport with the audience. One of the most endearing aspects of his onstage personality that I love to act with is his ability to show off his riches but make you still believe he’s the “average guy.” It’s so fun to be him and talk about that rare Rolls Royce in the garage that “really stops traffic when I shop at Safeway.” Pianistically, I do my best to learn his music as close to his style as possible. Liberace did not write out his music so I have had to listen to YouTube clips thousands of times to get as note-perfect as possible to his originals. But it’s not only the notes, it’s also the performance. There are scores of Liberace videos online and I’ve seen them all. In fact when working on one particular piece I’ll often find a few videos of him to see if there are any differences in his playing or gestures. I really do try to pay tribute to him in the most honest way and give audiences the most authentic Liberace I can.
What do you think is the public’s biggest misunderstanding of Liberace and his music?
I worry that too many people think that Liberace’s piano playing was fluff, because it certainly was not. He may have played light as a feather, but there’s a tremendous amount of technique there to make it look that effortless. I imagine Liberace much like the swan analogy; graceful above water but paddling like a maniac below. And his flashy arrangements of popular music were really excellent. Not only did he play music that could recollect so many memories, but he made them fresh again.
How do you play so well while wearing such elaborate costumes (and with all those rings on your fingers)?
Performing piano in costume is not new to me. Even tuxedo tails are a kind of costume when you think about it. And I have to admit that my show costumer makes my outfits quite breathable and much lighter than anything Liberace would have worn. The rings, on the other hand, are another story. Most of my rings have stretchy bands that allow my fingers to feel light and move quite freely. I sometimes wear real, heavier rings on my left hand pinky and thumb that help make that hand rotate and wobble nicely while playing boogie-woogie. But on occasion some elastic rings have worn out and I’ve actually had them slip off my fingers during performance. This isn’t helpful when your hands are flying about at 90 miles an hour!
What have been some of your most memorable Liberace and Liza: a Tribute performances?
I love performing as Liberace in San Francisco. Our shows do quite well there at the local Feinstein’s club and we get a lot of repeat audience members who come donning their most glamorous sequins and jewelry. I also love performing in our home base of Portland, OR where we often try out new material on friends and locals who have seen us several times. And it’s special for me to perform in the Midwest. Liberace was originally a Midwest guy and you can tell that the audiences there really get the humor. But I’ll tell you one of the most memorable and outrageous stories that has happened to me as Liberace. Jillian and I were doing our Liberace & Liza Christmas shows up in Duluth, MN and I had decided that I needed to enter onstage with a dog. Liberace used to walk out with two giant Irish Wolfhounds, so of course I wanted to do something similar. The local humane society offered me a different dog each show to walk out with in hopes that someone in the audience might adopt them for Christmas. One of these dogs was named Tornado. He was really rascally looking but an absolute sweetheart. Well, we made our entrance- the audience oohed and aahed- and I told them about what a darling he was. After mentioning that he was up for adoption I asked the audience to say goodbye to Tornado. As I started to walk him offstage I felt a stubborn tug at the leash. He wasn’t moving. I looked to my drummer who was on the opposite side of the stage and noticed that his hands were not playing drums but over his mouth, stifling laughter. And that’s when I heard the audience erupt. In hindsight Tornado needed one more bathroom break before we had gone out onstage, because here he was in front of a live audience taking a big dump. My ex at the time was acting as our stage manager and graciously cleaned up and led Tornado out. To this day I do hope that Tornado was adopted.
Liberace and Liza: a Tribute balances elegant musicianship with a great deal of humor. How difficult is it to do both in your performances?
There is a constant switching of gears when performing as Liberace. One minute you’re busting up the crowd with a great, comedic zinger and the next you have them in tears with “Send in the Clowns.” This came naturally for me since I had already done so much back and forth with music and comedy in my early variety shows. What I don’t do is ADD more to what’s already there. Liberace had a dynamic personality with tremendous warmth, humor and virtuosity. I really take from the source and trust his material. After all, it’s his personality and musicianship that made him, at one time, the most wealthy entertainer in the world! We aren’t method actors by any means but we try our best to emulate these characters as a tribute to them rather than a parody or exaggeration.
How do you manage your cabaret touring schedule with your “sans sequins” career as collaborative pianist and vocal coach?
We do not have a crazy tour schedule… yet. It would be nice to be busier, but it’s incredibly difficult to get three performers’ schedules to line up. Bo is busy with his piano bars and cabaret shows, Jillian has a full-time job, and I have certain set piano jobs at local schools, choirs and a church. What we’re able to do is be choosy and selectively perform at the high quality clubs and venues. Should a post-pandemic tour of great length come our way, the three of us would need to make some scheduling accommodations.
What performances or projects are you most excited about doing now that live performances are starting to come back?
I really just look forward to being in front of any audience and sharing that space and energy. March 2020 was a blow to my mental health as I watched my performance calendar completely disappear. But things are looking up. We’re going to be at Feinstein’s San Francisco this December doing our Christmas show and that makes me very happy. I also have a private Liberace performance in Milwaukee, WI this May that’s a bit of a secret, but I’m so delighted to be playing in his home town. Truly though, any performance coming up for me will be joyous.
What advice would you offer musicians who wish to combine their musical work with other creative disciplines?
I fully encourage artists who are able to marry their different disciplines to make mistakes and make them big. Performing one art is already a risk, so attempting two or more will feel perilous. But it is those great and powerful hits and misses that educate our future choices to be more successful. And keep in mind that you will most likely have a wider net of audience interest if you combine your skills. Liberace & Liza are as much comedy as music and we are able to bring in audiences who have these multiple tastes in entertainment. Oh… and one other thing: practice! But you already knew that.
David Saffert has played piano for the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Resonance Ensemble, Anonymous Theatre, and has been featured on All Classical Portland radio’s “Thursdays at Three.” Past piano credits also involve work in Minnesota with the Guthrie Theater and in Michigan at the Interlochen Arts Camp. As an actor David has been nominated for a PAMTA and Broadway World’s “Performer of the Decade” for his performance in “Murder for Two” at Broadway Rose Theatre.
David is a Liberace tribute artist who performs with Jillian Snow Harris (as Liza Minnelli), and Bo Ayars (Liberace’s actual Music Director from 1973-1985). Together they have performed at Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco, Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel, Indiana, Broadway Rose Theatre, CoHo Theatre, and Tony Starlight’s Showroom in Portland, and special television appearances in Liberace’s own Las Vegas mansion. Find out more at Liberace and Liza.