By KATE POSS

Special to Whidbey News Group

Two celebrity impersonators have become celebrities in their own right on Whidbey Island and far beyond.

“Liberace & Liza” returns for a second year following their popular show at WICA last year. Performers David Saffert as Liberace and Jillian Snow Harris as Liza were invited to the island by South Whidbey Pride. The performance was set for June 13 and 14.

“We thought they’d be a perfect addition to our Pride month activities last year for their musical virtuosity, their comedy, and their tribute to two icons of the LGBTQ+ world,” said Jeff Natter, who has helped organize Pride month events on the island. “They had such a wonderful time performing at WICA last year — and were met with such affection and enthusiasm — that bringing them back for another year was a no-brainer.”

Władziu Valentino Liberace, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, learned to play piano at the age of 4. He rose to top celebrity with his popular TV program, “The Liberace Show,” and performed in concert from the 1950s through the 1970s. He was the highest-paid entertainer in the world at the time with a concert residency in Las Vegas. Liberace’s appeal to the LGBTQ+ community stemmed from his flamboyant and theatrical persona. His voice, costumes and jewelry blurred gender lines. While never revealing his orientation, his act was seen as a form of drag.

Saffert pays homage to Liberace through his performances. He spoke from Portland about visiting Whidbey with his friend Snow Harris as Liza Minnelli, and his husband Tyler, an all-ages drag performer and set designer in Portland. Tyler worked with Natter to organize the drag brunch at Cozy’s in Clinton.

“I’m a Liberace tribute artist,” Saffert said. “There’s a lot more detail and care in learning and portraying Liberace as close to who he was as possible. I learn his actual music, which is tough, because he didn’t write out any of his music. What I’ve learned is from YouTube. Thankfully I have a really good ear. I need to play about five seconds, rewind. Play it, rewind.”

Playing Liberace is a sometimes full-time profession, Saffert said. He’s also played piano professionally the past 25 years with Oregon Ballet, Portland Opera and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is the principal accompanist with the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus.

It’s a labor of love assembling the various Liberace sequined outfits, alternating the two human-hair wigs and sideburns, the half hour of applying makeup.

Like Liberace, Saffert is from Wisconsin.

“I’m such a big fan of his,” Saffert said. “I grew up watching him on the ‘Muppet Show,’ ‘David Letterman,’ ‘Johnny Carson.’ I work with his music director. Liberace, ‘Lee’ to his friends, was the warmest, most generous person. What you saw on stage was the person in real life.”

Comparable to modern-day rockstars with adoring fans, Liberace attracted devotees around the world. Saffert said the entertainer’s charisma connected with millions through TV.

“It was magical to people because they felt he could see them,” he said. “As if he was looking into your living room, inviting you into his world of music.”

As Liberace made people feel invited into his world, Saffert said his show with Snow Harris as Liza Minnelli invites the audience to be part of the act.

“People find old jewelry that they’ve put away. They go to thrift stores. They doll up like it’s Las Vegas,” Saffert said. “At a show we performed in several years ago,‘The San Francisco Chronicle’ said there were sequins cascading into the lobby.”

The duo have performed in famous venues, such as cabaret club 54 Below in New York City and Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco.

Entertainer Liza Minnelli is an icon within the drag community. Winning an Oscar for her performance in “Cabaret,” Minnelli has also won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and Tony Awards. Her resilience, humor and refusal to take herself too seriously are much admired. She produced “Drag: The Musical,” a queer-themed production starring RuPaul’s “Drag Race” alumni.

Snow Harris said the partnership began when Saffert invited her to perform as Liza at one of his legendary birthday shows in Portland.

“That year, he played Liberace, and from the moment we stepped onstage together, the chemistry was undeniable,” she wrote in an email. “I had already been doing Liza for years in New York, but after moving to Portland, I met David through my sister — and everything just clicked. Neither of us expected this to become a full-time project; it was meant to be a one-night thing. But the audience’s response was so joyful and enthusiastic, we realized we had stumbled onto something truly special.”

She said singing was a way to overcome shyness.

“As a super shy kid with a big voice and no clue how to share it,” she said. “I started by putting on tracks and belting out songs to an audience of stuffed animals when everyone was out of the house. It was my first step toward connecting with the world, developing those necessary social skills and eventually finding my own voice. Now, getting to share that journey through the music and stories of artists we love feels like the most meaningful kind of full circle.”

And the Liza connection?

“I fell in love with Liza when I saw ‘Stepping Out,’” Snow wrote. “I was already a massive Judy Garland fan, and when I found out Liza was her daughter, my brain exploded. What really hooked me, though, was Liza’s style, how unapologetically herself she was. She had this ‘Here I am!’ attitude that I always admired. She reminded me of those very bold, yet awkward kids I envied growing up — the ones with zero modesty and total confidence — but with this deep kindness underneath it all. And the way she told a story, whether in a song or just standing there talking, was magnetic.”

And visiting Whidbey Island during Pride month festivities?

“Performing on South Whidbey has just added to the magic. It’s the kind of place where people say good morning to you just because they’re happy you exist. We’ve felt totally embraced by the community— and not just by people who love jazz hands (though that helps).”

Regarding Pride events, Saffert said, “It’s important to have voices like ours be heard. Pride is about representation. About seeing yourself in someone else. If we’re homogenizing, we become afraid to be who we are. When you see all walks of life you say this is OK to be me. I’ve had a lot of experience in this.”

For more information on upcoming South Whidbey Pride events this June visit southwhidbeypride.org.

To learn more about David Saffert and Lisa Snow Harris, visit liberaceandliza.com.