'Boom!' turns 15 at 54 Below: Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway

In many ways, sisters Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway couldn’t be more different. Liz, who sang the Academy Award-nominated song “Journey to the Past” from Anastasia and spent five years as Grizabella in the original Broadway run of Cats, is a bright belty soprano. Ann’s career has more often tracked as a recording artist and composer. Her distinct, velvety alto voice is unmistakable. It’s a rare treat to see them together. Their current appearance at 54 Below celebrates the 15th anniversary of their show Boom!, a celebration of music from the 60s and 70s.

Featuring music direction and arrangements by Alex Rybeck, the playlist ran the gamut, from the Beatles and Burt Bacharach to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. The set list—and more importantly, its evolution—offers a window into the Callaway household.

Inside the Callaway household

Anne and Liz’s mother, Shirley, was a celebrated voice teacher. Their father, John, an award-winning TV and radio journalist. The women inherited the best of both worlds: enviable musical talent and a deep sense of the world around them.

Boom! is classic in its cabaret performance structure. Songs and stories stitched together give the audience a peek into what it was like to come of age on the heels of the civil rights movement and the throes of the Vietnam War.

Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway at 54 Below. Photo by Matthew Wexler.

As young girls, the sisters each found comfort and inspiration in different artists, Ann leaning more toward the era’s protest songs while Liz found escapism in the likes of Jimmy Webb and Petula Clark.

Originally performed in 2011 and recorded live at Birdland, the siblings have returned to the rich song catalog, playing to a packed room eager to relive their memories and melodies.

Highlights included Ann’s rendition of Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” accompanying herself on piano, and Liz’s medley of Webb’s “Didn’t We’ and “MacArthur Park.” Both exemplify their wide-ranging musicianship.

But even more compelling than the climactic money notes or tight harmonies is their mutual admiration. After Ann finished a rousing arrangement of Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Liz, who’d been singing backup and watching from the side, said simply, “That’s my sister.”

Limited tickets are still available for Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway: BOOM! 15th Anniversary Concert at 54 Below.