Interview: Liz Callaway Talks Streaming Concert 'Home For the Holidays'

Enjoy a magical holiday concert from Tony nominee and Emmy winner Liz Callaway - the original voice of Anastasia - from the comfort of your home. Well known to Broadway audiences for her leading roles in Merrily We Roll Along, Baby, Cats, Miss Saigon and many more, Miss Callaway sang the Academy Award-nominated song "Journey to the Past" in the animated feature Anastasia, and has an extensive recording and concert career as well. Read on to hear what inspired her to create this all-new holiday show, Liz Callaway - Home for the Holidays.

The concert is available now through January 4 only. Get your tickets HERE.

With the concert now available on demand, BroadwayWorld caught up with Liz Callaway to discuss the show! And check out the trailer for the concert at the end of this article!

BWW: Tell us about the show - what brought about its creation?

LC: I was approached by the Bedford Playhouse to perform a holiday concert for a small audience that would also be streamed for people watching at home. I was very excited at the prospect of finally doing a concert outside my home! Eventually we found out that there couldn't be a live audience, but I was very happy to have the opportunity to still bring some holiday cheer to those at home, and at the same time help raise money for theatres around the country.

BWW: How did your approach to creating the concert change knowing it would be for a streaming environment?

LC: Once we found out there wouldn't be a live audience, that became the biggest challenge of the show- deciding whether to imagine I was singing for a theatre full of people, or sing directly to everyone at home, which is what I chose to do. When I do concerts, whether in a large hall, or an intimate cabaret setting, I like my audiences to (in addition to hearing me sing), feel like they just had dinner with me. For this concert, I tried to keep it loosey-goosey, so it felt more like I was singing from my home to theirs, instead of something more presentational.

BWW: Did anything unexpected happen while it was all coming together?

LC: I had no idea how gorgeous the set would be, and that we would in essence be making what felt like a Christmas TV special. Very cool.

BWW: What should audiences expect?

LC: A very fun concert of great songs, and stories too, some quite humorous.

BWW: Tell us about your album - "Comfort and Joy - An Acoustic Christmas" - what prompted you to make it?

LC: This was a somewhat crazy, last minute venture. Originally I had planned to just record a holiday single, and thought it might be fun to do something with guitar. I asked for song suggestions on social media and the response was overwhelming. As luck would have it, the renowned guitarist, Peter Calo lives in my town, and although we'd only met once, I got in touch with him and asked if he would be open to getting together (socially distanced!) and trying some songs. (He said yes!), and after listening to what we did, I decided I didn't want to just do one song, but rather an entire album. Fortunately, Peter, who has a recording studio in his home, was game, and we somehow recorded the album in 3 weeks! I'm thrilled with the response to the album- it seems to have struck a chord with a lot of people.

BWW: What is your favorite number that you perform in the concert? What, if any, of your iconic roles do we get to hear you revisit?

LC: Its difficult choosing a favorite from the concert, but I did love singing "Grown Up Christmas List" from my first Christmas CD, Merry & Bright with Joseph Thalken at the piano, and getting to sing songs from my new album with special guest Peter Calo on guitar. For Broadway and animated movie lovers, you'll hear songs from Baby, Sunset Boulevard, Cats, as well as two songs I sang in Anastasia.

BWW: You have achieved so much in your career - a Tony nomination, an Emmy win, on Broadway, the West End - what keeps you motivated?

LC: I've been very fortunate in my career, but I like to think I'm just getting started!

Tickets available HERE.