Review: Liz Callaway’s ‘Home for the Holidays’ Concert

WATERBURY, CT – The Palace Theater presents Broadway star Liz Callaway's Home for the Holidays is a virtual concert that premiered on December 11 as part of BANK OF AMERICA'S Virtual Holiday Series. I was able to enjoy this magical holiday concert from the comfort of my home. It was a pleasure to watch and listen to Tony nominee and Emmy winner Liz Callaway perform what she called a “little bit of everything,” a musical mix of holiday favorites, Broadway showtunes and songs written for movies. Between the music, Ms. Callaway shared some fun stories about the holidays and her career, and that it felt “amazing" to be performing on a stage again.

“We need a little Christmas, right this very minute…”

The concert was directed by Dan Foster and included a preview of music from her upcoming holiday album, Comfort and Joy – An Acoustic Christmas, a last minute ten-song album that she decided to make in October. This new album features Ms. Callaway’s new friend and neighbor Peter Calo on guitar; this marked the duo’s performance debut to sing “Merry Christmas Darling,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/Carol of the Bells” and “Hard Candy Christmas” from THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS, the last piece a social media suggestion from her fans.

The singer/actress’ first Christmas CD, Merry and Bright, includes the number with my favorite arrangement of the entire concert, a mash-up of the traditional hymn “Joy to the World” and the contemporary version with a hint of classical church music sung in lovely harmony.

In keeping with the title of the concert, the singer performs the iconic “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” but also the lesser known but beautiful “A Place Called Home” from “A Christmas Carol The Musical.” The finale was a New Year’s wish entitled “Perfect Year” with “Memory” from CATS. Her encore? “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS with the original lyrics; the piece appears on both of her Christmas CDs.

For the majority of this concert, Ms. Callaway with her beautiful singing voice is accompanied by the talented musician Joseph Thalker, not on a spinet, but what looks like a baby grand piano. Of course, the two performers were at socially distant positions on the stage.

Ms. Callaway, who dubbed “A Cockeyed Optimist” as her personal philosophy, made her Broadway debut in one of my favorite musicals, Stephen Sondheim's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. She received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Lizzie in BABY, and for five years, won acclaim as Grizabella in CATS. She also starred in the original casts of MISS SAIGON, THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE LOOK OF LOVE.

She sang the Academy Award-nominated song "Journey to the Past" in the animated feature ANASTASIA; one of my favorite sections of the concert was definitely when she performed two pieces from the film, “Once Upon A December” and the beautiful “Journey to the Past.” She mentions that being the singing voice of Anya in the film was one of her favorite jobs. Other film work includes Jasmine in the two ALADDIN sequels, THE SWAN PRINCESS and THE REWRITE with Hugh Grant. She performs regularly with her sister Ann Hampton Callaway, as well as composer Stephen Schwartz, and has had the great pleasure of singing with Jimmy Webb, Paul Williams and the legendary Johnny Mathis.

This concert was filmed at the Bedford Playhouse Home of the Clive Davis Arts Center, a former movie theatre in Bedford, New York. The stage, the first one that the singer has performed upon in nine months, is festively decorated in red and green. The only scene change, jokes Ms. Callaway, is the addition of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree to the top of the piano for “Christmastime is Here.” It was fun to learn that “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is one of her favorite holiday specials that she used to watch with her son Nicholas (my oldest son’s name!) and that she begged the pianist to perform the jazz classic “Linus and Lucy,” for the audience but mostly for her.

The stream of Home for the Holidays will be available for viewing until December 19. Your ticket purchase will allow you to enjoy the concert for up to 24 hours after you begin watching.
I highly recommend that Broadway fans purchase tickets through the Palace official website at www.palacetheaterct.org to save $5 on tickets and support Waterbury’s Palace Theater.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.