InDepth InterView: Liz Callaway & BOOM!

Bright, sunny, clarion-voiced leading lady Liz Callaway is not only known for her roles in the Broadway productions of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, BABY, CATS, MISS SAIGON and THE LOOK OF LOVE, but also for her string of highly-successful studio albums - among them, the sensational 60s ode THE BEAT GOES ON and the musical theatre-centric THE STORY GOES ON, in addition to last year's superlative PASSAGE OF TIME - and, she is also well-loved for stunning live stage double-bills with her sister, Ann Hampton Callaway - represented on record by SIBLING RIVALRY and, now, the new live album and show all about baby boomers and their sensational music, titled BOOM! In this all-encompassing conversation, Callaway and I parse her predilection for certain composers - Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Webb, Stephen Sondheim and many more included - as well as her memories of working with some of the most important musical theatre creators of the twentieth century over the course of her thirty-year career, such as legendary director Hal Prince and Sondheim himself on projects diverse as MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, A Stephen Sondheim EVENING and FOLLIES: IN CONCERT. Plus, we also talk about Callaway's various musical influences, her childhood, her first Broadway show and first Broadway onstage experience, revisiting MERRILY twenty years later with the entire original cast, live versus studio performing, as well as what's coming up next for her in the coming months and new year - including the Christmas stage spectacular, YULETIDE - and more!

Be sure to catch Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway's BOOM! at Pace University this Saturday, October 15. More information is available here!

Also, check out this week's previous InDepth InterView with Ann Hampton Callaway here!

Now You Know

PC: What do you think of Stephen Sondheim's legacy now versus thirty years ago when you first did MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG with him?

LC: Well, you know, Pat, it's interesting… but, first of all: Oh, my God! Thirty years?! [Laughs.]

PC: Thirty short years!

LC: Boy, I hadn't thought about that and it being thirty years - that's kind of amazing! But, you are absolutely right - his appreciation has grown. I remember that with MERRILY it was a very bittersweet experience. It was an incredible experience to have that be my first Broadway show.

PC: I can only imagine.

LC: The first Broadway show I ever saw was COMPANY when I was nine or ten, so to work with Sondheim and Prince was just incredible. But, obviously, it was a failed project. But, then, in 1983, Sondheim asked me to do this concert, A Stephen Sondheim EVENING.

PC: Of course. A must-own recording, as well!

LC: Yeah! Yeah. But, in that I got to premiere "What More Do I Need?" [from SATURDAY NIGHT].

PC: And what a fabulous song that is.

LC: That was an amazing concert and a lot of people came, but it was sort of just the pre-pre-Sondheim hysteria, you know? By the time I did FOLLIES: IN CONCERT a couple of years later, I think by then people went, "Oh, my God! This guy is a genius!" And, what is so nice to see is how, now, MERRILY is thought upon very fondly, too.

PC: He has even been mentioned every episode of Season Three of GLEE so far, as well as having WEST SIDE STORY performed.

LC: That is so great! I am just thrilled that he is being mentioned and performed on GLEE, because, you know, there are a lot of composers out there who try to write like Sondheim, but there is only one Sondheim!

PC: The one and only.

LC: He's a true original. I just love, love, love singing his stuff.

PC: What was it like being there at the birth of "Not A Day Goes By" - one of his most classic ballads.

LC: Well, when we did MERRILY, I was originally cast as a swing and then I was put into the chorus - and I understudied the role of Mary. So, I never did "Not A Day Goes By" myself, originally - but, twenty years later, we did a reunion concert of the original cast and they asked me to sing Beth for that. So, I finally got to sing "Not A Day Goes By" for that - which was great. I remember I said, "I'd be happy to play Beth, just as long as I can still do my chorus part, too!" [Laughs.]

PC: Once a gypsy, always a gypsy!

LC: I have very fond memories of singing the very first line in the show and I loved doing my transitions. I actually just did "Not A Day Goes By" at a benefit for Jason Alexander and his theatre company in Los Angeles.

PC: Another original MERRILY cast member!

LC: Yes! Yes. So, yeah, he introduced me and I talked about working with him in MERRILY. But, to be a part of the creation of that show was thrilling. I was very, very young and it was a thrilling experience - and, it was an interesting experience to work with the best people in the business on a piece that ultimately… [Pause.]

PC: … didn't really work.

LC: Yeah. You know, I thought it was wonderful - I mean, it's not a perfect piece and it wasn't then - but, I thought we had solved many of the problems. But, also, it was great to be a part of something that, ultimately, wasn't successful, because it taught me a great lesson and kind of prepared me for the ups and downs of a life in this business.

PC: Another of your MERRILY co-stars, Lonny Price - who is doing a documentary on the show, actually - has recently done this column and of course just won an Emmy for directing the SONDHEIM! Birthday Concert…

LC: I didn't know he won the Emmy! How fantastic!

PC: And he also just directed the COMPANY film starring Neil Patrick Harris. Have you seen it yet?

LC: No, I haven't. But, my mom went to it live - I was out of town and I can't wait to see it.

PC: A lot of the finest performers who have done this column have an affection for the MERRILY material and the cast album in particular - and, with good reason!

LC: Well, you know, we recorded the cast album the morning after we closed. There was a lot of emotion behind that album. It was not an easy thing to do, because we were so sad - and so tired! [Laughs.]

PC: What a rough preview period MERRILY had.

LC: You know, but, that's so nice! It's as it should be. I think MERRILY is a very special piece and I am looking forward to it at Encores!

PC: Do you have any ideal casting in mind?

LC: Oh, I don't know! It's going to be really… I don't know how they are going to cast it - because the original concept, of course, was young people playing the roles so that they were the correct age by the end of the show, since it moves backwards in time. So, I don't know if they are going to play it that way or not. I have no idea, but I can't wait to see it! It will be a very outer-body experience for me because I have never seen another production of it.

PC: Indeed.

LC: I just have incredible memories of the show, though.

PC: The show really did change a lot in previews and it got significantly tighter and dramatically more cohesive - and overall much better.

LC: Yeah, I really thought it did - I think we all did by the end. You know, we were like, "We did it! We turned it around!" But, back then, the word of mouth was so bad from the beginning - and, this is pre-internet! I can only imagine how it would be much more brutal today. But, back then, the word of mouth hurt it and it never quite recovered - it sort of like planted the seed that this show had all of these problems, and, then, by the time we turned it around it was like the damage had already been done. I mean, we didn't solve everything. But, as I said, it was pre-internet, and it was highly anticipated and a lot of people just didn't know how to take it.

PC: It was ahead of its time - somewhat ironically, given the show's conceit.

LC: It was! But, doing the reunion concert was just… I mean, you never get a chance to do that; to go back and do it one more time! I always tell the analogy that instead of people standing up and leaving like they did originally, people were standing up and cheering.

PC: Time finally caught up to it.

LC: It was a total love fest. And, it was so great for all of us, years later, to get to do it again. Many of us have kids and we were all very young back then, so to get to see each other again was really special.

PC: FOLLIES similarly did not receive its proper due until FOLLIES: IN CONCERT, more than a decade after the original production premiered on Broadway and did marginally good business.

LC: Right.

PC: Did you find the FOLLIES: IN CONCERT experience electrifying?

LC: Oh, my God! It was two nights and it was just incredible! It was just… the audience response was so unexpected to me - and, I think, to all of us!

PC: You can even hear the excitement come through on the live album.

LC: It was just one of those great highs, you know?

PC: Yes.

LC: Then, I remember Frank Rich wrote this review - we did it Friday and Saturday night and then it was over - and he wrote this fabulous review on Monday.

PC: A true rave review.

LC: Yeah. I cannot tell you how depressed I was afterwards! I was like, "Oh, that's what it's like to be in a hit!" You know, the audiences loved it and the critics loved it. So, I had that high for two days - so, it's this high of highs and then this, [Sad.] "Oh." [Laughs.]

PC: The comedown.

LC: Yeah, but, again, that's what it's all about! When I talk to young people who want to go to Broadway or whatever, I say, "The highs are very high and the lows are very low and then there is a lot in between." But, what is funny to me is that - as I was just saying to my husband, "I have to see this production of FOLLIES." I've never seen a production of FOLLIES except for FOLLIES: IN CONCERT!

PC: No way!

LC: No! I've never seen the show. I've never actually seen the show with the whole book - I mean, the concert had little bits of the book, but not the whole book because it was a concert version. So, I am really looking forward to seeing the full production that's on Broadway now.

PC: Since you've already played Young Sally, I have to ask: Would you consider playing Sally in this production or at some point in the near future?

LC: Sure!

PC: It seems fated. You are the right age for the role, too.

LC: I know, I know! It's really interesting, because I have been doing a lot of Sondheim recently - in San Francisco this year I did this solo, two-act concert of all Sondheim. I've also done it in Barcelona, too. So, I have gotten to delve into some of the music of FOLLIES - and Sally's music, specifically - so, I would love to do the whole show onstage. Absolutely.

PC: I just re-read the MERRILY chapter of Sondheim's book before I spoke to you…

LC: Oh, God, I loved reading that! I really, really have to pre-order the next one [LOOK, I MADE A HAT]! The first thing I did when I got the first one was read the MERRILY chapter.

PC: It's fascinating. Maybe the best chapter in the book.

LC: Oh, yeah! I agreed with a lot - I was like, "Oh, yeah, you know? I felt some of that same stuff." And, just knowing that he also thought that was some of the most fun he had despite all the difficulties of it made me very, very happy.

PC: Wasn't that interesting?

LC: Yeah. But, I have to say: I am a huge SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE fan so I cannot wait to read about that in the new book.

PC: Me, too! You've played Dot onstage, as well. What was that experience like for you, having done MERRILY and FOLLIES?

LC: Oh, it was great! It was quite a long time ago and it was very quick - I think it was maybe only a one- or two-week run - and I would love to do that role again.

PC: Melissa Errico just did this column and we spoke a lot about the tenth anniversary concert she is doing of that show with Raul Esparza at the Kennedy Center next year.

LC: Oh, I know Mellissa! I heard that was a really great production.

PC: The best. Even better than the original!

LC: I can't believe that was ten years ago!

PC: 2002.

LC: Wow! It all goes by so quickly! You'll see, you'll see - you're still in your twenties, so you just wait! Ten years from now, you'll go, "Oh, my God! Where did the time go?" [Laughs.]

PC: I bet you're right! Make every moment count.

LC: Definitely.

PC: Speaking of time passing - I loved your most recent album PASSAGE OF TIME, especially the duet with your sister, Ann, on Carly Simon's "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be".

LC: Oh, thank you.

PC: She just did this column, as well.

LC: Yeah, yeah, yeah! I know!

PC: Your schedules are nuts - she's in Toronto and you're…

LC: And I'm in Ohio! I forgot she's going to Toronto before the show.

PC: I can't believe you're jet-setting so close to the concert!

LC: [Laughs.] Oh, Pat, that's nothing! That's the tip of the iceberg!

PC: I bet!

LC: It's funny you say that, though, because, you know, when I did some show a couple of years ago - maybe three years ago - I went to Shanghai for 24 hours. Four days of travel and then the next day I had a job in New York so I had to get back.

PC: That's insane. What was the gig?

LC: It was some TV thing in Shanghai - just one of those: they call me; "Will you do this?"; "OK. Yes." things. [Laughs.]

PC: If only all aspects of show business were that easy.

LC: Yeah, that's something I really love about my freelance life - I mean, I love theatre; it is my first love - but, I get to do albums and shows with Ann and solo shows…

PC: You get to do it all! As you can - and should.

LC: Actually, Monday night I am going to LA to sing at Hal David's 90th birthday concert.

PC: And that must hold really special meaning for you considering Bacharach & David are your all-time favorite songwriters, as you say in BOOM!

LC: Oh, yes! I love them! I love him! And, Burt Bacharach is going to be performing - and Dionne Warwick!

PC: As a fan, you must be freaking out.

LC: I am just like, "Oh. My. God."

PC: Singing for the songwriters themselves? Wow.

LC: Yeah. Yeah. I am gonna be a little nervous, I think! But, I am so, so excited.

PC: Are you performing "There's Always Something There To Remind Me"?

LC: That's the plan. That's the plan.

PC: What about the PROMISES, PROMISES material?

LC: Well, they told me to have something else prepared because someone else might not be able to perform. If so, I might do their song, so I don't know. But, yes, the plan is to definitely do "There's Always Something There To Remind Me".

PC: Your version on BOOM! is sublime.

LC: When the BOOM! CD came out, I sent it to Hal David - who I had worked with when I did THE LOOK OF LOVE on Broadway - and he wrote me the nicest note. And, he came to see me in LA a few weeks ago. So, I was very touched that, having just seen me and heard the CD, asked me to come to do this.

PC: What a thrilling privilege that must be.

LC: Yeah, and it's just this amazing group of people that are from a different side of the music business than I have kind of been in, you know?

PC: I can imagine.

LC: I mean, Smokey Robinson and BJ Thomas and all of these amazing, original performers from the pop world - and me! [Laughs.] It's gonna be really fun!

PC: I consider your "Knowing When To Leave" and "Promises, Promises" definitive.

LC: Oh, thank you! Thank you.

PC: Looking back on THE STORY GOES ON and your albums, do you think you could even do those albums today - even ten years later - given the recording industry's collapse?

LC: [Sighs.] It would be difficult. I mean, I was very happy to do PASSAGE OF TIME. It was a long time in between albums.

PC: Indeed it was - THE BEAT GOES ON until then.

LC: Because of the music industry now, it's a different world. So much of it is iTunes, but a lot of people want a product - something they can hold in their hands that is not just an audio file. But, you do have to go with the flow. And, I love, love recording - it's one of my favorite things to do.

PC: And your voice records so phenomenally.

LC: Working on the arrangements with Alex - who arranges everything and we do it all together - is such a great, great creative outlet and I hope to do more albums. But, you know, it's not something you can do every couple of years anymore - that's not what the business is now.

PC: Donna Lynne Champlin recorded her first solo album in her bathroom - and the album is great!

LC: Yeah, that was amazing! That was so amazing how she did that. And, I know some people now, too, who are using Quickstart. Or, they are finding other ways of releasing music. I am really lucky that I was able to do PASSAGE OF TIME - and Ann I were so lucky to be able to do BOOM!

PC: It is such a great album.

LC: And, again, it is live! To do a live recording was so much fun - I mean, a studio album would have been great, but I think so much of what we do, I think, is best appreciated when we are together and it is live.

PC: Totally.

LC: There's just something that is kind of magical that happens when we sing live. You know, in this day and age, so many who record do so much to their voices that you don't really know what their voices are because it is all so studio-produced and auto-tuned and all of that stuff. So, I think a live album is very pure and we were thrilled to get to do that with PS Classics.

PC: Ann and I talked extensively about live singing versus studio singing and how you wanted BOOM! to go back to the live energy of SIBLING RIVALRY. She called it the electricity factor of the live audience and how much that adds to the entire collective experience. Do you agree?

LC: Yeah, it's true. That's the thing when you are recording, I have learned - to not go for perfect because you want the right performance. I mean, a lot of my albums that I've done, a lot of the songs have been the first take. It's before you mess with it too much - you can take away all the spontaneity and the emotion of something by trying to make it sound perfect. So, on the other side of it, you do the live album, and then, you know, you kind of go, "Hmm. I wish I could have done that one over!" [Laughs.]

PC: That's so funny - and true.

LC: But, there is a real excitement about it, though! Totally.

PC: I wish you did the full "Wedding Bell Blues" or more Laura Nyro songs in the concert - my only complaint!

LC: [Big Laugh.] Well, you do have my 60s album, don't you? I do it there.

PC: What about doing a whole Laura Nyro album in the future?

LC: Oh, that would be great! Actually, I would love to do an all Laura Nyro show. Ann and I have talked about doing "Save The Country". But, "Wedding Bell Blues" is definitely my favorite.

PC: "Stoney End" is one of mine. You'd do it so well.

LC: Oh, that's a great, great song.

PC: Are you a Barbra Streisand fan?

LC: Oh, God - are you kidding me? I am a huge fan! I don't know if you know this, but when she did her last concert, I was hired during the rehearsal process to be her stand-in. So, I sang all her songs with the orchestra when she wasn't onstage and worked with the orchestra.

PC: Did the legendary Richard Jay-Alexander make that call?

LC: Yes! Richard Jay called me to do it! He is actually one of our most vocal supporters! He came to Birdland when we did BOOM! He was like the greatest audience member in the world - and he always is anytime he comes to anything of mine! You know, you just want him in your audience! What more can I say? He is so supportive.

PC: The best.

LC: Yeah, but, he called me and asked me to do that and it was an amazing, out-of-body experience. Actually, I did get to sing "Stoney End" with the orchestra at one of the rehearsals, so that's what must have made me remember that!

PC: Oh, of course! She finally did it live in the last tour that he directed for her - thank goodness. At least a little bit of it.

LC: Yes. Yes.

PC: I know we've already discussed Sondheim, but you are the only performer I can think of to have lead roles in properties by five of the most significant musical theatre songwriters or teams in the last few decades - Boublil & Shonberg with MISS SAIGON, Maltby & Shire with BABY, Ahrens & Flaherty with ANASTASIA and Andrew Lloyd Webber with CATS. How can you possibly compare them side-by-side? Can you?

LC: Oh, no! I can't! You know what? They are all fabulous for different reasons and why I am so lucky is that I can do them all. And, over the course of doing their material in concert, I can sing them all in one night! I can and I do!

PC: How cool is that? You are so versatile.

LC: I know them and I am, like - with the exception of Andrew Lloyd Webber, who I have met, but I don't really know - I am just amazed that I know all of these people. I am amazed that I can shoot an e-mail to someone and say, "Hey, I am thinking of doing this," or, "What do you think of this?" And actually get an e-mail back, you know?

PC: Yes, I do.

LC: It's a wonderful thing that it just happens in my career that I can and have been able to sing all of them - and, I love them all for different reasons. And, I want to continue to perform their stuff - and, I'd love to do something new of all of theirs, too. I love originating shows and originating songs - there is nothing better than being the first one to get to do a song.

PC: Are you familiar with Andrew Lloyd Webber's new score, LOVE NEVER DIES?

LC: No, I am not. I have not heard it yet. I'd like to hear it, though.

PC: It's his best score in my opinion. Unbelievable. It was just filmed for Blu-ray in Australia. Your voice would be so perfect for some of the Christine songs.

LC: Oh, thank you for that! I am always happy when someone says, "Hey, you should sing this! Have you heard this yet?" I am always looking for suggestions, so I will definitely look into that.

PC: Premiering the SATURDAY NIGHT song, "What More Do I Need?" was such a perfect marriage of voice and music. Are there any particular songs - like how you just did "Children Will Listen" and "Being Alive" on PASSAGE OF TIME - that you especially want to do?

LC: Oh, there are so many I haven't recorded! It would be a huge list of songs that I'd like to record that I haven't done yet, but I like to feel that I have a lot more albums ahead of me.

PC: So do I.

LC: I am toying with putting together a show of all-Maltby/Shire songs, though. I am in the process of doing that and possibly recording all of that stuff soon. So, I guess I'm not going to give you a straight answer! [Big Laugh.]

PC: That's OK.

LC: I guess I couldn't possibly pick one or two. I mean, there are so many great songs. And, it's different when you record a song, too - you record songs for different reasons. I have performed songs and never thought of recording them, you know?

PC: I think your "Goodbye For Now" from REDS is exquisite.

LC: Oh, that's such a beautiful song - and that's one song I've never performed live!

PC: So, there you go!

LC: Isn't that interesting? I really should do that, too! You know, that's one of my problems is that there are so many songs to sing that I sort of get indecisive about what I want to do in a show - because there are so many possibilities! There are so many great songs out there.

PC: You can say that again.

LC: It's awfully nice - and I like - when I get an assignment; you know, "Liz, sing this song." Or, "Learn this song," or, "Do a show of this music," and, in some ways, it makes it easier for me because it narrows it down a little bit. And, I like the challenge to learn a specific song and sing a specific song - otherwise, I am overwhelmed by the number of great songs there are.

PC: I can't believe you have not done an all-Bacharach album yet. Or, SONGS FROM LOST HORIZON!

LC: [Laughs.] Yeah! Yeah. You know what song from LOST HORIZON that I like that is really kind of weird?

PC: Which one?

LC: [Sings.] "Living together / Growing together / Living together…"

PC: The big hit song from that bizarre score!

LC: [Laughs.] It's a really cool song.

PC: Are you familiar with the Bacharach/Elvis Costello collaboration, "God Give Me Strength"?

LC: Oh, that is a great song! I love that song.

PC: So, you'd consider singing that, then? I'd love to hear it.

LC: Yeah! Now that you've mentioned it, I should really try that one! I like your suggestions.

PC: What special surprises can we expect from the Pace show on Saturday that aren't already on the BOOM! album?

LC: Yeah, there will be a few surprises that are not on the album. But, most of what is on the album will be there. And, we are just really excited to be back in New York doing it again.

PC: Your version of "The Way We Were" reinvents the song. It is absolutely magnificent.

LC: Oh, thank you so much! We just love it.

PC: Are you a Marvin Hamlisch fan? He has done this column, too.

LC: Oh, yes! I worked with Marvin Hamlisch a few times in the last year and I just adore him. I sent him the CD, too, so I hope he hears it.

PC: Could you define collaboration in terms of your professional relationship with Ann?

LC: Well, we basically bully each other into doing it each other's way. [Pause.] Just kidding! [Laughs.]

PC: You had me going for a minute, there! Is it just fate, then?

LC: It's a total give and take. But, there is something about when we perform together that something very intuitive and magical happens. Like, for instance, if one of us is going to forget lyrics, it's like we almost know it before it happens?

PC: That psychic connection.

LC: Yeah, we almost know it before it happens. There have been times where we both sang a different lyric because we know the other person was going to do that - it was just some kind of sisterly connection. And, my favorite thing to do is to sing with Ann. It's just a joy. And, BOOM! is very personal for us because a lot of it is about growing up together and our differences and how close we are now - there is just something that happens when you sing together that is just… I don't know how to describe it…

PC: Harmoniousness!

LC: [Laughs.} It is, though! It really is. It's kind of amazing. It's a joy - a total joy.

PC: It's the perfect time for this album with the MAD MEN 60s craze and everything mod being back in vogue.

LC: Sure! Yeah. Definitely.

PC: I have to add that I absolutely love the album cover, as well.

LC: [Laughs.] Thank you!

PC: This was absolutely fantastic, Liz. You are divine.

LC: It was so great talking to you, Pat. Thanks so much. Bye bye.