Liz Callaway

Broadway and Beyond

Palm Springs Plaza Theatre, Palm Springs, CA, January 20, 2026

Reviewed by Joel Vig

Liz Callaway’s Broadway and Beyond began as house lights dimmed and Scott Coulter, the executive director/producer of this musical series, came out on stage to welcome the packed house. The newly renovated Plaza Theatre (which opened with a Cynthia Erivo concert on December 1, 2025) was buzzing with excitement. Coulter told us that we were in for an unforgettable evening with his friend of many years, Liz Callaway, calling her “one of the great voices of Broadway and beyond.” As the audience welcomed her with enthusiastic applause, Callaway made her entrance. She wore a tailored black pants outfit with a black chiffon blouse that had dash of sparkle at her wrists and neckline. Simple and elegant, she was clearly at home on stage, and we knew we were in the hands of a master.

Perhaps the easiest way to sum up this singer is to label her with the title of the sixth song in her terrific program. Callaway is a “Broadway Baby” at heart. A wizard at weaving her stories and songs into a glorious musical patchwork quilt, she shared her earliest Broadway memory: attending, with her parents, the original Broadway production of the musical Company at New York’s Alvin Theatre. That musical was directed by Broadway legend Hal Prince, and its songs were written by Broadway’s most iconic composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. This very adult-themed musical about romantic relationships in New York City might seem a peculiar choice for such a young girl, but Callaway was hooked. Her parents bought her the original-cast recording LP recording, and she told us about learning every song and singing along with the record. The image of a pre-teen Callaway using a hairbrush as a microphone and belting out the Elaine Stritch-sung anthem “Ladies Who Lunch” will be forever etched in my memory.

For any Broadway baby, a move to New York City would be inevitable. But once there, the reality of how difficult it was to get onto a Broadway stage would sink in. Callaway got a job as a singing waitress (she admitted that she was a terrible waitress) while she auditioned and prayed for her big break to appear in a great big Broadway show. It finally happened, and how could it miss? Just as with the production of Company she had seen as a child, her Broadway debut would be at the Alvin Theatre directed by Hal Prince and with songs by Stephen Sondheim. The show, Merrily We Roll Along, was sadly a legendary Broadway flop which almost made Sondheim want to leave show business. Luckily, both Callaway and Sondheim continued in Broadway’s musical-theater world with great success

Callaway’s wit and dry sense of humor helped frame each musical selection. The sweetness and sentimentality of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Something Wonderful” was offset by her story of her being courted by her future husband. She shared her that in the early stage of getting to know her beau, there was a fine line between his being a “stage door Johnny” and a stalker. Although her patter seemed to be effortless and off-the-cuff, each story was carefully crafted to move the show forward to the next musical number.

Callaway’s musical arrangements were perfect, and they supported her amazing voice in the soft and sweet melodies as well as in the full-volume powerful ballads she chose. Alex Rybeck, her longtime accompanist, flew in from New York City to play the Plaza Theatre’s grand piano. Like the pairings of Julie Wilson with Billy Roy and Barbara Cook with Wally Harper, the team of Callaway and Rybeck made an ideal musical partnership. Having worked together for decades and having producing concerts, cabaret shows, and memorable CDs, they clearly love making music together

The newly formed Palm Springs Pops Orchestra, created specifically and exclusively for musical events at the Plaza Theatre, performed splendidly. During its renovation, the Plaza would provide work for and showcase local artists from the amazing talent pool in the desert, and the Palm Springs Pops does just that. Sixteen local musicians provided a great sound to support but never overpower Callaway’s vocals. Conductor Jacob Yates, whose wild physical vitality is reminiscent of a young Leonard Bernstein, exuded his excitement and his joy in making music. One hopes that Yates, with his busy New York conducting schedule, will be able to come back to conduct the Palm Springs Pops Orchestra for its upcoming shows.

Other local artists showcased in Callaway’s concert were the 18 singers from Coachella Valley Classical Voices who raised the roof with backup vocals during her powerful rendition of Stephen Schwartz’s anthem “Beautiful City” from Godspell. CV Classical Voices, a multi-racial and multi-generational chorus made up of local men and women, was founded by opera star and educator Doug Nagel, and this chorus quickly gained an enthusiastic and loyal following.

Callaway appeared to falter mid-concert. As Rybeck played the intro to Sondheim’s “Another Hundred People,” she seemed to forget the tricky lyrics. She crossed to the piano to look at the sheet music. It turned out this was a setup for the spectacular mashup parody of that song written by San Francisco singer-songwriter Lauren Mayer called “Another Hundred Lyrics Just Flew Out of My Brain.” With amazing breath control and exquisite diction, Callaway brought the audience to its feet as she finished this fantastically funny showstopper. She did confess that years ago she asked Sondheim for permission to sing this parody, which he gave her with pleasure.

Two particularly haunting moments came out of the blue. The first was a pop hit from the 1960s entitled “You Don’t Own Me.” As Callaway sang it, I could not help but think of an evening about 15 years ago when I sat in the Plaza Theatre watching Lesley Gore, who made the song famous, sing her signature hit as a headliner in the legendary Palm Springs Follies. Both Ms. Gore and the Follies are now long gone, but the melody lingers on. The other moment came when Callaway sang an exquisite rendition of an Academy Award-winning song by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer. The night of this concert, January 20, 2026 was exactly the 100th birthday of my dear friend Patricia Neal. Hearing Callaway’s sweet, delicate version of “Moon River” brought to me a sentimental reminder of my late friend who appeared Breakfast at Tiffany’s, one of her most beloved films.

Near the end of the concert, Callaway asked us to sing along with her on her rendition of “Downtown.” I doubt that she has ever had a better and more enthusiastic audience for a singalong anywhere in the world. To close the concert, she chose “Memory” (Andrew Lloyd Weber from Cats). Having sung the song for five years when she played Grizabella on Broadway, she brought a depth and understanding to the lyrics that mesmerized us. The audience was on its feet as she finished her bows and exited. The crowd clapped, cheered, and demanded an encore, and she came back to sing one more song. She chose the Act One closer from the Broadway musical Baby by Maltby and Shire (for which Liz was nominated for a Tony Award). That song, “The Story Goes On,” was exactly the right choice to end the show. It was a fitting tribute, both to the Broadway musical it came from and to the Plaza Theatre itself. Renovated with love and care, this artistic heart-and-soul building in the center of downtown Palm Springs is back and better than ever, and so, “The Story Goes On.”