Liz Callaway – Courtesy of Robbin Wilson. Used with permission.
Guaranteed when you see a Liz Callaway performance is that you will not only be entertained, but you will also be charmed by her low-key affability and inspired by her story telling. Such was the case when I saw the Emmy Award winning and Tony nominee perform her newest cabaret show, “Screen Gems: Liz Callaway Sings the Movies” which the singer-actor-recording artist premiered at Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael Friday night. Accompanying Callaway on piano was her longtime music director Alex Rybeck.
I have seen Callaway numerous times over the years during Indy performances with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Cabaret and at Feinstein’s and am fairly certain she has developed a local fan base, so I was surprised that the venue was only partially filled. Happily, for the world-class entertainer, However, I understand that her Saturday night show was. It would appear that Feinstein’s still has a way to go in marketing its upscale club ensconced in the opulent boutique hotel located directly west of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.
Making Callaway unique as a singer is the purity of her tone, a quality which made her famous on Broadway as an ingenue in “Merrily We Roll Along,” and “Miss Saigon” and which she still possesses, and which still generates power and control. Active in show business for nearly 44 years, age has not deterred Callaway’s singing capabilities; it has only made her a more seasoned entertainer. The same goes for her talents as a raconteur.
As far as her “Screen Gems,” show, who better than Callaway best known for singing voices of many female characters in animated films such as Anya/Anastasia” in “Anastasia,” Jasmine in the “Aladdin sequels,” Kiara in “The Lion King II,” and others, to sing a program of songs from her favorite films. A bonus was her sharing of fascinating personal and stories related to her career that she connected to each tune.
Liz Callaway – Courtesy of Robbin Wilson. Used with permission.
I am hard pressed to choose my favorites in a show filled with memorable movie songs but those I enjoyed the most included “When You Wish Upon a Star”/ “Let the River Run,’ from “Pinocchio” and “Working Girls,”; “Moon River,” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s; “Over the Rainbow/You’re Going to Hear from Me,” from “The Wizard of Oz” and “Daisy Clover” ; “ “It Goes Like It Goes,” from “Norma Rae”; “Once Upon a December/Journey to the Past” from “Anastasia”; and “The Way we Were.” From “The Way We Were.”
The first time I saw Callaway was in 2008 when she performed at The Cabaret which was then located at the former Connoisseur Room. Meeting her afterward in the club’s lobby where she met fans and signed CDs I was struck by how kind and approachable she was and how much her demeanor matched her stage persona. Fast forward to Saturday night where I spoke with her in the lobby outside Feinstein’s I couldn’t help but be reminded that no one fits the description of “what you see is what you get.” more perfectly that this gifted performer and why she connects with audiences the way she does both on stage an off.
How fortunate we are to see Callaway light up the stage again when she performs with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Pops Series, led by maestro Jack Everly in “A Sondheim Celebration,” May 12 &13. For tickets and information visit indianpolissymphony.org.
