Feeling Hopeful

And a song with my sister!

Hello Friends,

Happy August. I hope you have been having a nice summer. 

I’ve wanted to send out a newsletter for the last six weeks, but despite putting “Work on my Substack newsletter” on my daily to-do list, I just couldn’t sit down and write anything. Honestly, I was feeling a little burnt out and depressed about the upcoming election. But that has changed. For the first time in a long time, I am feeling cautiously optimistic and…hopeful. And I want to sing about it!

When I started Between Flights, it was my goal to share a new song in each issue. Last weekend I made a list of songs I might sing to express my current mood, including “Joy to the World,” “Happy Days Are Here Again,” and “Cockeyed Optimist,” but the ones I couldn’t get out of my head were Cass Elliott’s “New World Coming” and “A Brand New Day” from The Wiz. 

I practiced singing them in my car, but I realized it’s way more fun to sing them with my sister! Ann was staying with me this week, and in between some fun sister-bonding day trips, we decided to shoot an at-home duet for this newsletter and capture how we’re both feeling now, during this pivotal moment for our country.

The high-tech filming setup in my dining room.

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But first, a little background

In 1972, our family lived in Riverdale, NY. After school, Ann and I would go door to door at the apartment buildings in our neighborhood campaigning for George McGovern for president. We were so passionate about the election and couldn’t believe that just because we were 11 and 14 years old, we weren’t allowed to vote. So unfair!

In 1980, I was eligible to vote for president for the first time. And do you know what I did? Nothing. I forgot to vote.

Unlike my son, Nicholas, who voted for the first time in 2012 when he was a senior at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

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My first experience isn’t unusual though, and I wasn’t alone in not voting. In the 2020 presidential election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 66.8% of eligible voters cast their votes—and that was a record!

Can you imagine if that remaining one-third of the country decided to vote this year, some probably for the first time?

That’s why I feel like the most important thing we can do to “make a difference” in the upcoming election is to encourage people to vote and help them register to vote if they haven’t already done so. 

You can check your registration, register to vote, and get election reminders at Vote.org.

Here’s another way I like to encourage people who might be Anastasia fans to vote. I shot this in 2022 for the midterm elections. 

I’ll be making another video for 2024. This time, I’ll sing “Don’t stay home, go and vote…on the 5th of November!” I’m very tempted to learn how to do TikTok so I can reach a larger number of people with this message. If anyone would be willing to help me, I’d be very grateful!

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A few weeks ago, I went to Denver with Nicholas for a little mother-son bonding trip. I spent over an hour at an incredible independent bookstore called The Shop At MATTER. They have a tremendous collection of inspiring books, gifts, and letterpress prints made in their studio next door. I fell in love with this one by Rick Griffith and had to bring it home.

I love that their letterpress prints are “pay what you can.”

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But what about the song with Ann?

After months of texting and talking to each other about our fears about the upcoming election, it was wonderful to be able to express our newfound hope together in this song. Here is our mash-up of “New World Coming” and “A Brand New Day” from The Wiz.

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Some Happy Memories

One of the most thrilling experiences of my life was singing “What the World Needs Now Is Love” with Ann, Nicholas, and 50+ of my Broadway colleagues at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. 

This video includes some of the most intense microphone sharing ever attempted!

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In 2017, I sang at a Democratic fundraiser at a townhouse in Georgetown and had the great honor of meeting President Obama. I got to speak with him briefly, and I mentioned my Dad, the renowned Chicago television journalist, John Callaway, and he told me he was a big fan of my Dad’s.

I remember watching the 2004 Democratic Convention on a visit with Dad. When Obama, who was then-Senator of Illinois, made the keynote speech, Dad said to Nicholas: “He’s going to be president someday.” I’m excited to see what this year’s convention, which starts tonight in Chicago, might hold. PS – Barack and Michelle are speaking on Tuesday!

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Where in the World is Liz?

Amid all this excitement, I have some fun gigs coming up, including shows in Provincetown, San Francisco, and Philly. And to my friends in the Boston area, in October, I’m giving a free concert in a gorgeous church in Nashua, NH. 

• Aug 20 FLUSHING, NY. National Anthem at the Mets vs Orioles game

• Aug 30-31 PROVINCETOWN, MA John McDaniel’s Broadway Series: Liz Callaway in Broadway and Beyond

• Sept 27-28 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Screen Gems: Liz Callaway Sings the Movies

• Oct 14 PHILADELPHIA, PA Broadway the Calla-way! (with Ann Hampton Callaway)

• Oct 20 NASHUA, NH Liz Callaway Live

• Oct 28 NEW YORK, NY Bound for Broadway Liz Callaway, Host

• Nov 7-9 FAYETTEVILLE, AR Liz Callaway: Broadway and Beyond

   

  Click here for my full schedule, which includes holiday concerts in Kentucky and Florida and a Broadway cruise in January with Seth Rudetsky, Tony Yazbeck, and Leslie Kritzer!

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Thank you for reading this issue of Between Flights. I don’t usually write about politics, but I do believe this is the most important election in our lifetime—not just for our country, but for the world.

I hope you are, like I am, inspired to make your vote count.

xoxo Liz

PS If you enjoyed this issue of Between Flights, I’d love it if you would share it with your friends and family!