The program was delightfully sprinkled with tunes from the Big Apple and Hollywood, plus American Christmas numbers, and a few European favorites that required audience participation. In the midst of it all, Callaway, one of the most consummate entertainers on the planet, charmed listeners with her singing and personal tidbits that were topped with nuggets of self-deprecating humor. In her own way, she turned the 1,150-seat venue into an intimate club – albeit with a 65-piece orchestra.
“I like to think of this song as my personal philosophy,” said Callaway before singing her first number, “Cockeyed Optimist” (by Oscar Hammerstein II) from “South Pacific.” She followed that by recalling her start on Broadway, doing numerous auditions and surviving five callbacks before landing a part in Stephen Sonheim’s “Merrily We Role Along,” She delivered her two very brief solos from that show, which closed after two weeks after it opened. She told us about her work with Sondheim and her love for his music, captured in her Grammy-nominated album, “To Steve With Love, and then sang “Send in the Clowns” from his musical, “A Little Night Music.”
We also learned that Callaway plays tennis with Stephen Schwartz, the composer of “Godspell” and “Pippen.” She asked us to imagine her a little green and gave a thrilling rendition of Schwartz’s “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked.” To close out her first set of songs, she dialed back to her five-year stint on Broadway as Grizabella and conveyed a heartfelt “Memory” from Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s “Cats.”
Delving into the holiday treasure chest, Callaway sang “Joy to the World” in an arrangement by William Holford and Lowell Mason that allowed her to slip in a phrase from the rock group Three Dog Night. With a quintet of musicians from the orchestra – guitar, flute, bass, piano, and trap set – Callaway perched herself on a stool and crooned Frank Loesser’s “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve.” Next came “Once Upon a December” and “Journey to the Past” (Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens) from the animated movie “Anastasia.” Callaway’s final number left a warm glow with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (in an arrangement by Ryan Nowlin, Hugh Martin, and Ralph Blaine).
The orchestra launched the concert with a spirited performance of the Overture to Rossin’s opera “William Tell.” The accelerando and crescendos into the finale got concertgoers hearts pumping, but the Johann Strauss Jr's “Auf der Jagd Polka” (On the Hunt Polka) turned out to be a surprise hit. That’s because everyone got a small paper bag to blow up and pop at when Brotons cued them. Brotons divided the audience into three areas from left to right, and folks really got into the noise-making. The paper-bag smashing was in lieu of a stage gun (watch this ensemble on YouTube use a rifle fired by the conductor), and the participation was totally enthusiastic.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Snow Maiden Suite” ushered in the second half of the concert with enchanting melodies. Brotons relinquished the podium to bass trombonist Douglas Peebles for Leroy Anderson’s beloved “Sleigh Ride.” It would have been conducted by Colleen Duggan, who won the opportunity to lead the orchestra at its annual gala. But she was ill and designated Peebles to take her place, and he did a fine job.
It was noteworthy that Callaway didn’t quickly exit the stage after she concluded her portion of the program. Instead she remarked how she “loved the sound of the orchestra,” and she helped Brotons to lead the clapping portion of Johann Strauss Sr's “Radetsky March” to close out the concert. Her genuine enthusiasm added to the exuberant atmosphere, and that sent everyone home with a smile.
P.S.: Peter Frajola, recently retired from the Oregon Symphony, was the concertmaster for this performance, and seated next to him was another fine violinist, Lily Burton.
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