A performer’s family heritage unlocked
Aurora MacKrill is bringing her love for Liza Minnelli to the stage once more in her tribute show, Liza and All That Jazz for Ella's Music Club.
Aurora MacKrill has loved Liza Minnelli’s music since she was a child listening to her mother’s records.
“Cabaret was my personal soundtrack, sending me to a place where life was beautiful,” she said.
This adoration would lead MacKrill to perform in Liza Minnelli tribute shows for over 20 years. She even looks like Liza!
Asked what she loves about Minnelli, MacKrill said, “I love her authenticity, her energy, her light that shines so brightly.”
MacKrill will be performing a rendition of Minnelli’s 1972 TV concert Liza with a Z in Liza and All That Jazz for Ella’s Music Club at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club on March 29, alongside the Craig Schneider Trio.
MacKrill grew up in Elwood near the bagel belt, but it was only in her mid-30s after her mother Ann Robyn Acfield passed away, that she discovered she was Jewish.
“Looking back, the signs were always there, tucked into the words, food and traditions of my family. It was the women in my life – my mother, auntie, grandmother and great-grandmother – who shaped me, even before I understood the full scope of my heritage. My father passed away when I was young, so it was these women who were the biggest influences in my life. From a love of music to a passion for costumes, they left their mark on me in ways that I still carry on stage today,” she said.
MacKrill said her grandmother Regina Siegal-Acfield and great-grandmother Julia Siegal kept their “cards very close to their chest” and did not talk about their heritage. Perhaps she should have guessed from her grandmother’s chicken soup and the smattering of Yiddish words used effortlessly, but the revelation only came to light when she found out that her family carried the BRCA gene and understood it was often an Ashkenazi trait. MacKrill said she asked her aunt if they were Jewish who replied, “Well, of course you are! Didn’t you know?”
She didn’t.
Sadly, her mother passed away from ovarian cancer and a few years later MacKrill was diagnosed with breast cancer at 36. MacKrill underwent chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction but went on to suffer from breast implant illness until she had the implants removed.
How did it feel to find out she was Jewish? “It gave me a deep sense of belonging and comfort, which made a huge difference in my life. I’m especially grateful for the kindness, generosity and unwavering support I’ve experienced from the Jewish community,” MacKrill shared.
MacKrill said her family story is part of her show. “These women and the pieces of my heritage that I was unaware of for so long, are the foundation of who I am as a performer. Their eccentricity, their strength, and the cultural undercurrent that ran through our lives shaped my love for jazz.”
Liza and All That Jazz aims to create an evening of joy, warmth, and laughter. “I want to transport everyone away from the outside world to a place that feels inviting and uplifting, where familiar songs bring back memories, and laughter comes easily.
To book visit ellasmusicclub.com/venues/liza
comments