Review: Love Is In The Air During TO STEVE WITH LOVE: LIZ CALLAWAY CELBRATES SONDHEIM at 54 Below

Early in her show Liz Callaway sings the sentence "I was part of the event," and although the audience is already aware of the history that the singing actress has with Stephen Sondheim, at that moment in time, those six words say all there is to know about TO STEVE WITH LOVE. This show subtitled Liz Callaway CELEBRATES SONDHEIM is more than just a celebration of a great artist's work, it is a celebration of a friendship and an artistic association of which every lover of musical theater is aware, and that many got to witness in real-time.

Throughout the ninety-minute program, Ms. Callaway charts the roads she took with Sondheim, from her first exposure at the age of nine, by way of the original Broadway production of Company, to the moment she learned of his death. Employing songs that she has sung on the New York stage, in regional theater, on albums, and in her dreams Callaway fills the night air with tales of a life made better by a mentor and friend who gave her a youthful Broadway debut in a musical that, while initially a flop, has gained a legendary cult status. From Merrily We Roll Along to the Stephen Sondheim Evening album to the Follies Concert to the Varese Sarabande CDs, musical theater aficionados watched Liz Callaway grow up as a Sondheim baby. This isn't the same as Bernadette Peters, who was already a star when she first began interpreting Sondheim; we watched Liz Callaway grow up, singing Sondheim. This show is personal, very personal - indeed, it is almost like watching a daughter tribute her father... or at least it's like watching a niece tribute her Guncle. The emotion and the devotion are in the air, and they are in Callaway's face, in her eyes, in her smile, and in her voice.

In sixteen numbers, Liz Callaway presents and preserves not only the Sondheim legacy but the Sondheim/Callaway history, and although the iconic Callaway voice is in as notably good form as ever, it is in the personal reminiscences that the audience finds its greatest rewards. Whether an active participant in Callaway's stories (like the one about her all-time favorite Sondheim letter) or an omnipresent energy hanging in the air (like thoughts in Liz's head while sitting and singing, a few seats away from Steve at the Alvin Theater), the legend who gave Liz so much is unveiled for the audience in ways that make them feel like they knew him, or, at least, might have had a chance at knowing him. It's more than just Mr. Sondheim himself that carries so much weight in the expertly crafted script, though - it is Sondheim as he and his work informed Callaway's life. The Tony Award nominee shares stories about her parents and their reaction to the original Follies, her son and the Sondheim songs used to reflect his childhood and adulthood, and her own philosophies about life, the world, and the work of a storyteller. Liz Callaway has worked closely with longtime Musical Director Alex Rybeck (whom she met during the run of Merrily We Roll Along) to create presentations that stay true to Sondheim's original intent but that allow Liz to embrace the acting aspects mandatory to a Sondheim song. Where it is possible, they go creative (a spectacular "What Do We Do? We Fly?") and when essential, they keep it historically accurate (a heartbreaking "In Buddy's Eyes") and when they can, they pull out all the stops (the magnificent "Opening Medley"). Expertly balancing out the pathos with the hilarity, Ms. Callaway holds the audience in the palm of her hand at all times, especially during an Evening Primrose segment that inspired absolute stillness in every single corner of the room, and a "Send in the Clowns" that this writer believes to be the best one since the composition was first sung by Glynis Johns. Inarguably one of the greatest singing actresses of all time, Liz Callaway knows when to go simple, when to let the songwriter's work lead the story, and when to be the vessel for the words and notes, as originally created, and this "Send in the Clowns" is one of those times - it is, alone, worth the price of admission.

Also worth the ticket price are the opportunities to hear Liz Callaway sing her two memorable solos from the Stephen Sondheim Evening album (and hear the accompanying stories), and to see her perform the "Move On" duet from Sunday in the Park with George with her own son, Nick Callaway Foster, to whom she, personally, introduced Sondheim, early in his life. Indeed, the entire program is a family affair since Liz's director is husband Dan Foster, who guides Liz and her tribute show into a home run with great ease, perfected pacing, and absolute honesty. At no point does the evening become self-indulgent or cringey, at every juncture the Callaway family (including musicians Rybeck, bassist Ritt Henn, and drummer Ron Tierno) trusts the material enough to let it do the heavy lifting, so that the Callaway mystique can reach into places both grounded and ethereal, as respectively seen in Liz's simple and direct encore from Anyone Can Whistle, and her finale number, the ever-exciting and dreamy "Our Time" - another of many highlights in the program.

There are many Sondheim shows happening right now. In any given year, there are many Sondheim shows happening. Since the giant's death in November, the club and concert industry has seen a steady stream of Sondheim shows. Each of those Sondheim shows has merit, has value, has a place in the clubs and cabarets. To STEVE WITH LOVE isn't just another Sondheim show, though: it is the most important Sondheim show right now, and it is the one that can not be missed. It is the one that Sondheim devotees will remember, and always feel grateful that they saw. Stephen Sondheim's life was an event, and Liz Callaway was part of the event, and, for the duration of our time in the seats out front, we get to be a part of the event, too.

The To Steve With Love band is Musical Director Alex Rybeck on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and drummer Ron Tierno.

TO STEVE WITH LOVE: Liz Callaway CELEBRATES SONDHEIM plays 54 Below plays through March 26th with a live stream on the 26th at 7 pm. For tickets to the club click HERE and to the live stream click HERE.

Liz Callaway has a website HERE.

Liz Callaway gets a five out of five microphones rating for performing her entire show without the use of a lyric sheet, tablet, or music stand.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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