On Monday evening, April 15th, 2024, I was very excited to cover The York Theatre Company Gala with a One-Night-Only Concert and reception featuring Liz Callaway accompanied by her longtime musical director Alex Rybeck. The concert, Liz Callaway: Their Story Goes On: A Musical Celebration of the York and the reception were held at The Theater at St. Jeans which is the temporary home of The York and is located at 150 E. 76th Street. The show was directed by York’s Associate Producing Director, Joseph Haywood.
Jim Morgan, York’s Producing Artistic Director shared that “We are delighted to welcome Liz Callaway back to the York. Liz is a longtime friend of the company and made her York debut in 1987 with Sondheim’s Marry Me a Little, co-starring John Jellison. In 2020, she appreared in An Evening with Sheldo9n Harnick, and she’s performed with us in any number of Oscar Hammerstein Galas and developmental readings. With the estimable Alex Rybeck at the piano, Their Story Goes On promises to be a spectacular evening , covering Liz’s personal relationship with all sorts writers who have been associated with the York, including Sondheim, Ahrens and Flaherty, Schwartz, Maltby, Shire and many more.”
And indeed, it was a fabulous performance by the incomparable Liz Callaway! Truth be told I had never seen Ms. Callaway perform but indeed it was a joy to experience. Ms. Callaway’s performance was both a story about her own theatrical experiences and her relationship with The York for which at the end of the performance she became an honorary Board Member.
Ms. Callaway’s performance was solid, vibrant and extremely professional. She’s very comfortable with the audience and her confidence was just awe-inspiring.
Along with a slide show that accompanied her song choices here were her song choices!
Opening
It’s Today (Herman) / Celebration (Jones and Schmidt)
Sign of the Times
You Don’t Own Me (Lesley Gore)Alan Menken:
Somewhere That’s Green (Ashman / Menken)
Sondheim:
What More Do I Need (Sondheim)
Marry Me a Little (Sondheim)
Cryer & Ford:
Old Friend (Cryer & Ford)
Sheldon Harnick:
Will He Like Me? (Bock & Harnick)
Ahrens & Flaherty:
Dog Song (Ahrens and Flaherty)
Journey to the Past (Ahrens and Flaherty)
Jones & Schmidt:
Soon it’s Gonna Rain (Jones and Schmidt)
Simple Little Things (Jones and Schmidt)
Muftis
Night Song (Strouse and Adams)
Doug Cohen
One of the Beautiful People (Doug Cohen)
Shaina Taub:
Room (Taub)
Maltby and Shire
Starting Here, Starting Now into Stop Time (Maltby and Shire)
There’s Nothing Like It (Maltby and Shire)
Finale:
With So Little to Be Sure (Sondheim)
The Story Goes On (Maltby and Shire)
Encore:
I’m Still Here PAROD
After the performance we delighted in a buffet reception with two great cakes that reminded us of this special occasion.
So in cake format, this was a true celebratory evening as again identified by these two sheet cakes…
I’m so grateful that I now know about The York Theatre Company because it is the only theatre in New York City and one of the few in the world that is completely dedicated to developing and fully producing new musicals and preserving notable shows from the past. So if you’d like to learn more about The York Theatre Company click HERE and discover the joy of new musicals for a very lightened heart.
