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Filtering by Tag: Stephen Sondheim

CONVERSATIONS|PicksInSix Q & A - Liz Callaway

 
 

To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim
CONVERSATIONS|PicksInSix® Q & A |
Ed Tracy

Liz Callaway returns to her hometown of Chicago for a one-night only concert performance of her Grammy-nominated album “To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim” at the Studebaker Theater on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Recorded live at 54 Below in New York City and released in November 2022, “To Steve With Love” weaves personal reflections and entertaining stories about Callaway’s professional career with intimate touchstones and featured performances from Sondheim’s extraordinary songbook.

Callaway’s Broadway debut in “Merrily We Roll Along” launched a string of stellar theatrical roles—and established a forty-year association with Stephen Sondheim—that included, “Follies,” “Baby” (Tony nomination), “The Spitfire Grill (Drama Desk nomination),” Sunday in the Park with George,” “Evita,” “Miss Saigon” and acclaimed animated Disney projects including “Anastasia” and “The Swan Princess.” A busy concert schedule, that often includes memorable appearances with her sister, Ann Hampton Callaway, has taken Liz Callaway to intimate cabaret clubs and major concert venues across the U.S. and abroad.

In advance of the Studebaker show—her first performance here in recent years—Liz Callaway joined in an email exchange to share some thoughts about the development of the show, the impact her parents had on her music career, and some essential advice for early career vocalists about Sondheim’s songs, all from one of the finest pure singers working today.

Ed Tracy: It’s been a minute since you were last in Chicago. It must be exciting to return home to familiar territory, old friends and a community where the Callaway’s—your Dad, John, sister Ann and you—have such a longstanding presence. How are things coming together and what’s on your Chicago agenda while you are here?

Liz Callaway: I’m counting the days until I come to Chicago! I’ve wanted to do my Sondheim show in my hometown for so long—in fact, it was at the top of my New Year’s resolutions—and I’m so thrilled it’s finally happening. One thing that makes it especially meaningful is that my sister Ann is flying in from Tucson to see the show. She’s never seen me perform it live, and it means the world to me that she’ll be there.

I haven’t been to Chicago since the pandemic, so I plan to walk around, stop at favorite haunts, and catch up with friends. I’m also coming in a day early to appear on WGN-TV for an interview and to sing a song. Sadly, I’ll be rehearsing while the Pope is at Rate Field—a lot is happening in Chicago on June 14!

ET: “To Steve With Love” began as a live 2022 concert at 54 Below in New York City, received a Grammy nomination and you are now playing in major venues all over the country. How special is it to know that following the uncertainty of pandemic you were able to tap into Sondheim’s extraordinary catalog and create such an enduring experience for audiences everywhere?

LC: It’s incredibly special. I never dreamt this show would have the life it has. In 2022, I was originally scheduled to do a movie music show at 54 Below, but after Sondheim passed away, I decided what I really wanted to do was pay tribute to him—to sing his songs and share stories for people who were missing him, like I was.

I did four nights, and afterward, a lot of people urged me to record a live album of the show. It hadn’t crossed my mind, but I realized it would be nice to capture the moment. So, I put on my record producer hat, added two more shows, recorded them live, and released the album in November 2022. The next year, it was nominated for a Grammy—something I never expected.

To share Sondheim’s incredible songs in concert—and to know this album will live on for future generations—is something I’ll always treasure.

ET: This project is as much your story as it is a celebration of Stephen Sondheim—a beautifully curated journey of your experiences together. Talk a little about the process of selecting the songs and how the live show has matured over time?

LC: When I decided to create this show, I started by making a list of stories I might tell, important moments in my career, and all the songs I might want to sing. I also jotted down phrases and lyrics that came to mind: “I was younger then”… “I was there”… “Forty years ago.” The most challenging part was finding an opening number. I went back to my list of phrases and lyrics, and realized it needed to be a medley and include the song “Someone in a Tree.”

The more I’ve performed the show, the more the songs have become a part of me. At first, I was nervous—so many lyrics! It took so much concentration. It still does, but now I feel a greater sense of ease. And over time, I’ve honed my stories. In the beginning I rambled quite a bit. Dad would be proud.

ET: It’s not lost on anyone who knows the special relationship that you and your sister Ann Hampton Callaway have with your dad, John Callaway, that your Chicago concert at the Studebaker Theater on June 14 is during Father’s Day weekend or that you have paid a special, and very touching tribute, to John on the album. John was a longtime personal friend, mentor, and a beloved broadcaster in Chicago for over fifty years. So, whenever you and Ann perform together in your various concerts, it feels like a family reunion for everyone in the audience on many levels.

What influence did your parents have on developing you and Ann’s unique, but very complimentary styles, and how have you managed to work so seamlessly with Ann while both of you maintained long-term—and extraordinarily successful—careers across the entertainment industry? 

LC: Our parents exposed us to all kinds of music growing up—jazz, classical, Broadway, pop—and they encouraged us to explore our own tastes, which ended up being very different! We always say that the one album that united us as kids was Carole King’s Tapestry.

Though Ann and I have had wonderful, diverse solo careers, we cherish every chance we get to perform together. Singing with my sister is my greatest joy.

ET: Suppose you are conducting one of your masterclasses or speaking to a talented newcomer who wants to dive into the Sondheim catalog. What is a short list you could offer as a starting point… key resources, people to watch, and listen to, and a few pieces to build confidence or, perhaps, a few to save for later down the road?

LC: Great question. There are some wonderful interviews available on YouTube—Steve’s conversation with Adam Guettel is a favorite, as is Inside the Actors Studio (which I appeared on along with my Merrily We Roll Along castmate Jim Walton). There’s also a terrific Substack newsletter called The Sondheim Hub, which features excellent interviews and deep dives into his catalog. Highly recommend.

I would suggest listening to cast albums. Hearing Pamela Myers sing “Another Hundred People” on the Company cast album when I was a kid had a huge influence on how I sing.

I think it’s also important to choose age-appropriate songs. One of the benefits of getting older is that I can now sing—and truly understand—the incredible material Steve wrote for older women. But there are so many great songs for younger performers to start with: “What More Do I Need?”, “I Remember,” and “Anyone Can Whistle,” to name a few. I’d save “Being Alive” and “Losing My Mind” for down the road.

ET: “To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim” is your eighth solo album. What’s up next? Perhaps another collaboration with Ann and your son, Nicholas, who shares a featured duet on this one?

LC: I’m working on a new album and heading into the recording studio this summer to record a number of songs. A duet or two is a strong possibility!

PHOTO: Michael Hull

To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim
The Studebaker Theater
Fine Arts Building
410 South Michigan Avenue

Saturday, June 14, 2025
7:30 PM

Website
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PicksInSix Review: Into The Woods - Kokandy Productions

 
 

Ensemble Vocals Dazzle in Kokandy’s ‘Woods’
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

This was the very first time in all the years I have worked in the theatre that I have seen a full production of “Into the Woods,” the Sondheim/Lapine creation from 1997, currently produced by Kokandy Productions and presented at the Chopin Theatre in Chicago through December 22. It’s a show of far-reaching ambition and clever story and character. Drawing from the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, the authors have brilliantly created a place that is mostly referred to as ‘the woods,’ and every Grimm story one can remember is weaved throughout the plotline. “Into the Woods” purports to show what happens when a fairy tale ending isn’t really that happy in the face of real-life situations that affect such feelings and moments.

You name it, it’s there—Cinderella and her stepsisters and mother… Jack and his beanstalk, with his mother constantly trying to keep the boy in line. Oh, and giants not seen but certainly heard. Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Rapunzel and her long golden hair. A Witch who moves in and out of all the tales. Two young, full-of-themselves Princes, whose total delight with themselves eventually take them on separate journeys. There are even two characters that Mr. Sondheim and Mr. Lapine create out of thin air—a Baker and the Baker’s Wife. At least I don’t know what story they are in, but they are smartly used to plant the image of magic beans into Jack’s mind as he sells them the family cow, Milky White. And throughout the action, there is a Narrator who plays a Mysterious Man, guiding the players and the audience through the minefield of ‘the woods,’ learning lessons about life and death and how to survive.

And that’s just Act I. Act II takes an entirely different turn, as all the characters realize that life is not at all the happily ever after ending offered by the Brothers Grimm. Cinderella marries one of the princes, who turns around and has a quick tryst with the Baker’s Wife. After killing one of the Giants, young Jack discovers that the Giant’s wife wants revenge and intends to kill him for the death and thievery he has caused. Meanwhile, the Baker and Wife have had a child and discover just how difficult parenthood can be in maintaining a loving family. And on and on the story goes as one character after another learns different, but appropriate lessons on growing up. Taking responsibility. Realizing (painfully at times) that they can be better people than they might have been in the past. As a lyric goes: “children will listen.”

The plot and background are being laid out carefully here, because this is how thick the storytelling has to be to get everything told that the authors wish to include. The Lapine book is articulate and, despite all the plot twists, highly entertaining to watch. The Sondheim score is one of the most challenging ever written for the theatre, with intricate lyrics and music stylings that draw from the Romantics and patter songs a la Gilbert and Sullivan and even a jazz turn or two. His brilliance can never be overstated.

Kokandy Artistic Director Derek Van Barham and music director Nick Sula have taken over the lower level of the Chopin space in a stylish manner and, with single colorful lights augmenting the G Max Maxin IV lighting design and the posts in that space decorated to be imagined trees in the forest (also Maxin IV), the cast moves about with ease and energy.  My favorite idea in the entire production was the placing of two pianos at centerstage—the staging is in the round, by the way—and the two musicians Ariana Miles and Evelyn Ryan almost stole the show as they showcase their two-piano arrangement of one of the most formidable scores in the Sondheim canon flawlessly, all while reacting to characters approaching them with personal charm and grace.

“Into the Woods” is truly an ensemble piece, much like the great “Sweeney Todd,” and the actors need to be on their game to compliment each other doing the same. The vocal work is quite dazzling. There were standout moments – Madison Kauffman offers a simultaneously vulnerable and strong Cinderella who becomes a Princess not always willing to rule; Kevin Webb’s Baker is achingly tender and confused and ultimately learns his lesson well about fatherhood; Stephanie Stockstill as the Witch lovingly chews every bit of scenery as a proper witch should; and August Forman’s Narrator is a calming, sometimes even charming influence amid all the chaos that boils up in ‘the woods.’  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO|Evan Hanover

KOKANDY PRODUCTIONS
presents
INTO THE WOODS
Chopin Theater
1543 West Division

through December 22, 2024

WEBSITE

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PROGRAM

CHOPIN THEATRE

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PicksInSix Review: Merrily We Roll Along - Blank Theatre Company

 
 

Now You Know ‘Blank’ Means Business.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

Edgewater was admirably gifted with a mosaic of melodies and lyrics when the one-month run of Blank Theatre Company’s “Merrily We Roll Along” opened at the Reginald Vaughn Theatre this week. As the audience filled into the impressively intimate venue, who would have guessed that this most modest staging space would so capably present the multi-dimensional musical work of “Merrily.”

Stephen Sondheim (music/lyrics) and George Furth (book) have devised a complex, time-traveling musical, setting its audience on a backwards rollercoaster ride of character development as old friendships become new again and careers unexpectedly careen from finish to start. It’s like watching a trainwreck—set to music—backwards. Acutely fascinating of “Merrily We Roll Along” are the intricate parallels that pop up as the plot unfolds, creating mirrored moments, where once a character’s text meant heartbreak, later, those same words celebrate growth and new beginnings. Moreover, “Merrily” proves to be especially relatable as its audiences can too look back on their own rollercoaster journeys to ask: ‘How did we get here?’… if they dare.

Blank’s Co-Artistic Director & Founder Dustin Rothbart brings a brash and driving wit to writer Charley Kringas, markedly poking knowing holes into the wet rag role of Franklin Shepherd, played by Christopher Johnson. Johnson doesn’t give into the villainized role of Shepherd; instead, he presents us with a convincing underdog charm and passion, while maintaining attention to mixing chest and head voice throughout. And Brittany Brown bears the tragically spiraling novelist Mary Flynn with tortured limerence and vocal confidence. But it’s Justine Cameron’s Beth Spencer that truly shines. Starting with a showstopping rendition of Sondheim fan-favorite “Not A Day Goes By,” Cameron gently layers in subtext while sharing a vocal command of a range that seems limitless in all directions. With a continuously captivating stage presence, Cameron’s Beth delivers a notable range, from gut-punches of pain to subtle perceptive glances, inviting you to fall in love with her at first sight. And providing the most natural execution of musical comedy humor is Blank Managing Director Aaron Mann as producer Joe Josephson, who, with the slightest raise of an eyebrow or sideways look, plays a multitude of nuanced intentions. Mann has also cracked the witty wordplay of Furth’s book, making his scenes alone worth catching “Merrily.”

Boldly kicking off their 2023 Season with “Merrily We Roll Along,” Blank Theatre tackles one of Sondheim’s most mixed musicals. Though often lauded for its score, the original, short-lived, Broadway run proves its lukewarm acceptance by critics and audiences alike. But in the hands of director Danny Kapinos, also a Blank Co-Artistic Director & Co-Founder, the show takes on a bolder, more relatable energy when crunched into the narrow thrust-meets-in-the-round staging. Instead of putting on the Broadway-style overproduction of past productions, Kapinos hones in on the humanity of the characters, refreshingly welcoming us into the up-close living-room drama of their lives. Furthermore, delightfully ironic are Sondheim’s catchy melodies, tricky and almost unnaturally unhummable, that follow us out the door, for the fictional team of Kringas and Shepherd’s songs are so often rapped for taking on non-hummable forms themselves. Ah, the perpetual genius of Sondheim.

Although the skillful band, led by Aaron Kaplan and Sachio Nang, was tucked away in the neighboring cubby of a room, the balance between instrumentation and vocals was impressively set overall, never overcoming the pitapat of lyrics. Spotlight on trumpeter Michael Leavens who kicked things off with a sparkling start in the show-opening overture. Utilizing a very limited light plot, lighting designer Benjamin Carne clearly delineated scene focus with minimal adjustment, swiftly honing in on monologued flashes, while also shining emotional washes across the larger ensemble moments. The buffet of character apparel by costume designer Cindy Moon was visually delicious, brilliantly spanning so many decades of fashion trends with darling dresses and handsome suit options. And Tony Pellegrino expertly choreographed pushes and falls within the compact performance space, tightly yet unforced.

Blank Theatre Company embodies the true essence of Chicago storefront theatre that’s drawn so many aspiring artists to Chicagoland for decades. Presenting a challenging work as Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” not only proves that Blank Theatre has what it takes, but they are in it for the long haul.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | SCOTT GRYDER received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for his performance in the one-man show BUYER & CELLAR. www.thescottgryder.com

PHOTO | Eli Van Sickel/VanCap Images

BLANK THEATRE COMPANY
presents
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

The Reginald Vaughn Theater
1106 W. Thorndale Ave.
through July 23, 2023


WEBSITE

TICKETS


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PICKSINSIX Review: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

"Porchlight ‘Merrily’ Turns Back the Clock"

Reeling in the years... let’s turn back the clock and find out exactly how we got here from there. That’s the premise of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, Porchlight Music Theatre’s brilliant new offering at Ruth Page Center for the Arts. There is a lot to unravel and it’s all done with surgical skill by Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber and a cast that sings the daylights out of this score.

What it’s about... let’s begin at the ending, shall we? Franklin Shepard (Jim DeSelm) has all the trappings of success, but no one really likes him much, including his old friend, bestselling author, admirer and alcoholic Mary Flynn (Neala Barron), his wife, Gussie (Keely Vasquez) to whom he has been unfaithful and just about everyone else at his Los Angeles pool party. Tick. Tock. Turn back the clock and Frank and Mary’s partner, Charley Kringas (Matt Crowle), frustrated and hurt by Frank’s actions, implodes on national television. Drilling down, we find that Frank’s world is fraught with temptations that ultimately ruin his marriage to his first wife Beth (Aja Wiltshire) and other twists and turns that lead, to where we all truly start out at one time or another – young, reckless and hopeful.

The story of our lives... this is one of the iconic musicals that Sondheim fans savor. It is the story of our lives. In the more than four decades that have passed since its inauspicious Broadway debut, this show continues to technically evolve with every passing year, something Weber has tapped into in an ingenious way, this being 2018 after all. It’s a clever use of media, staging and that all makes for great storytelling, or is it 'un-telling'?

Who stands out... Of the three amigos in the middle — Jim DeSelm, Neala Barron and Matt Crowle — DeSelm gets the difficult assignment of being the heartless, success-at-all-costs riser you need to like and you will. Barron is a powerhouse - charming and vulnerable, with a depth of feeling that is up to everything the versatile Crowle, one of Chicago's most gifted talents, dishes out. Keely Vasquez sizzles as Gussie. And, I’ll wager we will be seeing alot more from the terrific, multi-talented Wiltshire. 

What to watch and wait for... Crowle’s show-stopping ‘Franklin Shepard, Inc.’ and 'Good Thing Going'…’Old Friends’…Wiltshire’s touching ‘Not A Day Goes By”…’It’s A Hit’

What life is all about... Friends like us. Damn few.

PHOTOS|MICHAEL COURIER

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Stephen Sondheim|George Furth

Directed by Michael Weber
through March 11th
RUTH PAGE CENTER
FOR THE ARTS
1016 N Dearborn St.
773-777-9884


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