Review: Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway Doling Out The Good Stuff With YULETIDE REVELRY at 54 Below

The year was coming to a close and I had my last two shows/reviews scheduled.  I was so excited, too, that they were shows being performed by artists I love and adore that I have written about many times in the past.  On the 23rd I would be seeing Orfeh and Andy Karl at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, and on the 24th, I would close out the year with the opening night of YULETIDE REVELRY!, the new holiday show by The Callaways.  And then it happened.  I was felled by flu.  I woke up sicker than a person has any right to be, and a quick trip to the doctor yielded a finger wag and a stern directive to get in bed and stay there.  Fortunately, the Broadway World Cabaret team is a family where everyone has each others’ backs, and Rebecca Kaplan jumped in on the Orfeh and Andy show (read her review HERE) and Conor Weiss covered me at 54 Below (see his photo flash HERE) and I could let go of the guilt and sorrow I felt at missing my final two shows, and letting down the artists.

But then something miraculous happened.

I got a livestream ticket to see YULETIDE REVELRY!.  And while I was watching Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway do their opening number on the livestream last night (while sitting at the dinner table with my family), I grabbed a pen and started scribbling notes on my napkin (ok, it was a paper towel).  I just had to write about what I was seeing.  So even though Broadway World Cabaret stopped reviewing livestreams and recorded content two years ago, I would like to end 2023 with a write-up of my experience watching Liz and Ann and their amazing band put on a fantastic new musical cabaret for the holidays… and I might have a few words to say about the 54 Below livestream experience, too, while I’m at it.

First off, it must be understood that the Callaway sisters are the best in business, and never disputed, for it is the truth and can be taken on faith.  This is meant as no slight to all of the other artists who excel in the field of cabaret and concert, for there are many bests in the business, all of whom deserve their due.  But after having sat in a nightclub several times to watch either Ann or Liz in their solo shows, and then sat in the same clubs to see their sister acts, I could safely put my hand on the bible (which I recently finished reading, and it is titled My Name Is Barbra) and swear to this: Liz Callaway and Ann Hampton Callaway are special, and any opportunity to see them in the act of musical storytelling is not to be wasted.  Even though there may be preconceived notions of what a Christmas show might look like, Ann and Liz are not rote, not remotely, and their brand-new musical cabaret reflects that.  There is a fine mixture of levity and profundity, there are laughs and there are tears (ya hafta know that there are tears), and there is the greatest singing on earth.  

Whether dueting on something bright like “Sisters” (a given) or harmonizing on spiritual music like “Silent Night” melded with “Mary Did You Know,” the vocal abilities of each woman are off the charts.  Although the basic timbre and tone of each sister’s voice is extremely different, the noise that they make when harmonizing is among the most sublime (and sublimely perfect) sound you will ever hear in your life.  Whether in person or on screen, the sounds of the sisters are so glorious as to make a person shake their head and utter words and phrases like, “Wow” and “Oh my GOSH” (or, at least, those are the words and phrases heard at my house last night).  Liz Callaway’s voice is so crystalline clear and pristine that it sounds like an instrument that has been created by a craftsperson and sold to a proficient for untold amounts of money, to be played at Carnegie Hall.  And Ann Hampton Callaway’s voice is so range-y, so rich and mellifluous, so velvet and honey-toned, that it seems, at times, as though it is from another world, altogether.  To have these two voices together, harmonizing on a joy-themed medley that mixes spiritual and pop music, performing an epic (and epically famous) Barbra Streisand Christmas song, or singing to each other on Ann’s self-penned “God Bless My Family” (remember the tissues), the entire program is, from start to finish, a fabulous Christmas present for all.  

Particular highlights for this (very obvious) fan of the sisters were Ann’s jazz-infused “Winter Wonderland” (it’s mind-blowing), Liz’s dance-infused and joy-filled version of Chuck Mangione’s twelve-minute tour de force “Land Of Make Believe,” and a spectacular arrangement that puts Joni Mitchell’s “River” in Ann’s voice and Carol Hall’s “Hard Candy Christmas” in Liz’s voice - all female composers and singers, by the way: attention must be paid.  Ann and Liz aren’t just the best singers in the business, they are best friends, something that they remark upon but that is plainly visible as they tease each other, play with one another, and support each other (Liz is quick to point out which songs Ann has written, and Ann proudly promotes her sister’s recent Grammy Award nomination for her Sondheim album).  This isn’t just a Christmas show, it isn’t only a sister act, it’s a family outing, and that includes their insanely gifted band.  Ron Tierno’s work on the drums is electrifying, and Ritt Henn singing back up while playing his bass is a real treat, and, of course, Ann and Liz have their longtime Musical Director and dear friend, that gentle genius Alex Rybeck, at the piano.  The quintet are on the 54 Below stage making magic happen, and they are all guided seamlessly by director Dan Foster, who knows what he is doing and what looks best on his headliners. 

And on the subject of the 54 Below stage, it has to be said, quite finally, that Lighting Designer KJ Hardy and Sound Supervisor Amanda Raymond are treasures, not just at this festive season of the year, but all four seasons, for they make every act look and sound like works of art ready for MOMA.  They deserve all the praise possible, and so does Ashley Kok, the Livestream Director, who makes the online event look like a Christmas special for NBC.  Thank goodness for the 54 Below livestreams, for they really do bring the stars of New York City nightlife and the art form of cabaret right into our homes - homes outside of NYC, homes where the elderly and bedridden seek out entertainment and human connection, and homes where the under-the-weather can still participate in that which they crave but cannot reach.  If there is a list of good things to come out of the quarantine, the 54 Below livestream option belongs on it.  May the company continue to do them and may more and more artists come on board with the modern technology, for it is a blessing, to be sure.  But then, everything about 54 Below is a blessing, and one of the biggest blessings is that The Callaways keep coming back to the basement, over and over again.  It is their New York City artistic home away from home, and when the patrons walk in the door, Ann and Liz always treat them as guests in their home, one of the reasons YULETIDE REVELRY! is the smashing success that it is.  The great news (for New Yorkers) is that the program has three more nights of performances - so let us all keep the season, the levity, the peacefulness, and the party going for a little while longer, right up to the last day of the year.  Take this reviewer’s advice one last time: get a ticket and get into a seat at 54 Below to see Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway - two gifts that really keep on giving.

Information and reservations for YULETIDE REVELRY! can be accessed HERE.

Visit the Liz Callaway website HERE and the Ann Hampton Callaway website HERE.

Photo of Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway by Conor Weiss.

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