Callaways Sparkle Up Yuletide
By Tom Alvarez (The Examiner)
Sparklejollytwinklejingley is a song from Broadway’s Elf the Musical that is performed during the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration. That title is an ideal description of what one can expect to find at the ISO’s 26th annual holiday show, led by its principal pops conductor, Jack Everly. The show opened Friday and continues through Dec. 23 at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown Indianapolis.
The sparkly song title also is an apt description for Ann Hampton Callaway and sister Liz Callaway, two marvelously gifted and appealing divas whose sincerity and warmth shone through as hosts and performers.
With production values that rival anything Broadway has to offer, Executive Producer Ty Johnson and his team created a scrumptious extravaganza filled with variety and spectacle, and they have infused it with a magical quality that touched both young and old.
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Contributing to the high entertainment value of the show was a cast of singer/dancers whose talent, presence and energy made for a production that was exciting and thoroughly engaging.
The well-paced two-hour program includes sacred, Broadway and pop music woven together and nicely bridged with scripted banter for the Callaways that, unlike in years past, sounded more spontaneous.
Framed by a snow-covered, fairy-castle-like proscenium, the orchestra set created anticipation with a celebratory medley of Joy to the World, The Christmas Waltz, Let It Snow and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year at the beginning of the concert. The orchestra was positioned upstage, with the horn section ensconced above, allowing maximum room in front of them for the performers to execute Jennifer Ladner’s excellent choreography and follow Jacob Brent’s effective stage direction.
The Callaway sisters, dressed throughout the show in multiple glamorous gowns designed by Clare Henkel, showed off their equally distinctive voices yet displayed their individuality during Act 1, when Ann sang Mary Did You Know and Liz sang I’ll Be Home for Christmas. They also demonstrated a rare quality they have in common: their shared ability to deeply connect with the audience.
The stage was awash with bugle beads and sequins when the Callaways and company, carrying an oversized garland of tinsel with ornaments and wearing costumes that personified the glitz of the season, sang the aforementioned Sparklejollytwinklejingley. Later, the Callaways sang There is a Santa Claus, also from Elf the Musical.
Mariah Carey’s catchy All I Want for Christmas is You was performed with infectious sprit by the Yuletide company, catering to those in the audience with more contemporary tastes.
Not disappointing those who look forward every year to seeing the perennial Yuletide attractions were the puppeteers, all dressed in black, who carried “flying” reindeers and Santa Claus onto the stage during the re-enactment of Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Also making an appearance was the crack precision team of delightful tap-dancing Santas in Santa Claus is Coming to Town. As always, they ended their routine with their customary kick-line homage to the Radio City Rockettes.
The opening of Act 2 featured a mesmerizing and wondrous new Yuletide attraction called The Enchanted Toy Shoppe, which featured Cirque de la Symphonie, a group of aerialists and acrobats. It told the story of toys that come to life one night in the shop of old craftsmen who created them.
A bear, soldiers, a rabbit and a monkey playing cymbals were just some of the toys that came to life, as well as toy ballerinas and others who entertained the toymaker. Also performing were Cirque members, several of whom played jesters while another hung from silks suspended above the stage.
Throughout this enchanting interlude, the orchestra played selections such as Stephen Flaherty’s Once Upon a December, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Dance of the Little Swans from Swan Lake, Russian Dance from The Nutcracker, Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter, and others.
Ben Crawford, who starred in Shrek The Musical on Broadway and will be appearing in a January ISO pops concert version of Hello Dolly (featuring Sandi Patty in the title role) next sang a compelling rendition of Believe by Alan Silvestri.
No doubt appealing to all the baby boomers in the audience, the company then paid tribute to The Beach Boys, The Jackson Five, The Four Seasons, Elvis and others in both attitude and song during a snappy segment called Yuletide Jukebox.
A stirring performance of Angels We Have Heard on High by the Callaways and the entire company closed the concert. It was a fitting reminder of what Christmas truly represents. (12/05/11)
Ann Hampton Callaway Artist Page
