Minnelli cabaret upstaged by split

Actress Liz Flint was due to play Liza Minnelli in the show

An Edinburgh festival show about Liza Minnelli has undergone a last-minute rewrite after the star and her husband separated.

The show, Liza! With Love, featured a Minnelli character who spoke and sang about her love for fourth husband David Gest.

But in real life, the singer and actress announced her split from Gest just one week before the Edinburgh musical was due to start.

"The show has been a year in development and then one week in rewriting," director Andy Locke told BBC News Online.

Actress Liz Flint was due to play Minnelli - but the script has been changed to tell the audience that Minnelli can no longer make it because of her separation.

Flint now plays a friend who takes her place at short notice.

David Gest and Liza Minnelli had been married for 16 months

"We had to change various references to her marriage and we had to cut a song called My Own Space which was going on about how much she loved David," Mr Locke said.

There was slight panic among those involved in the show when the news of the separation was announced on 26 July, he said.

"But as it turns out, it has made the show very current, which means that audiences - even if they're not massive Liza Minnelli fans - all know what's going on."

The show was still "a celebration" of the Cabaret star's life, he said.