An opera-trained pop singer whose musical repertoire covers 11 languages, N’Kenge has sung “God Bless America” for an L.A. Dodgers opening game and for her hometown Mets and has also sung for President Bill Clinton, in London’s West End at the Theatre Royal, Carnegie Hall and many more major venues nationally and abroad. She was a “Miss Manhattan” in the Miss America Pageant, and has also won the Lena Horne Singing Competition Scholarship, the ASCAP Leiber and Stoller Award and the Leontyne Price Vocal Competition. On Broadway she debuted in Sondheim on Sondheim and was Mary Wells in Motown; regionally, N’Kenge was seen in Aida and 3 Mo’ Divas among many other credits.
N’Kenge was poised to star in the Roundabout Theater revival of Caroline, or Change as The Moon when the pandemic shutdown arrived. We shelved the scheduled Six Questions column for the reopening. Now that this is questionable we decided to run the column with an added first question.
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) asks N’Kenge (NK) Six Questions:
NLE: What was your reaction to the Broadway shutdown? How have you been spending your quarantine time?
NK: It’s been a barrel of mixed emotions since we got the notification that Broadway was shutting down in March on the day we were about to do our final dress rehearsal. The Roundabout Theater has been wonderful in assuring us that Caroline, Or Change will be postponed to the Fall. A date has not been solidified until the Broadway officially opens. As artists in this industry, we have no choice but to take it day by day.
I have been doing my part in staying home and wearing multiple hats as mom, wife, teacher and artist. It’s been quite busy at home with online schooling for my daughter as well as teaching my voice and piano students through Zoom. I also rolled out master classes that I’ve been co-hosting with MAC winner Dawn Derow as well as family music and story time classes. I have even had the pleasure of doing Zoom concerts for corporations and other events. It’s a whole new world and a new normal. The producers and creative team of the Dorothy Dandridge musical continue to have Zoom meetings as we develop this show. Director Tamara Tunie, writer Trey Ellis and composer Shelton Becton and I have been working really hard in bringing out the magic of this egend. I honestly feel that keeping busy and having these outlets to express myself creatively has really kept me sane.
NLE: Your Broadway debut was in Sondheim on Sondheim: can you describe the process and preparation you undertook as a performing artist to win this role?
NK: When I received the call of Jim Carnahan casting wanting to bring me in, I was in LA and literally dropped everything to fly back to NYC. I spent many hours reworking repertoire that I already had in my book so that I was absolutely prepared for any legit piece they wanted to hear. When I arrived to the audition, there were maybe two other singers waiting. I went in and sang two legit songs and then James Lapine came from around the table and walked over to ask what else I had in my book. He noticed I had some pop selections and some belty musical theatre songs. He asked for several more songs. It felt like I was giving a concert showcasing all the styles I do and I loved every minute of it. I initially went in there thinking that I was only going to do a certain few selections but you never know what else they want to hear and you have to make sure that you are prepared and ready for anything. By the time I was finally done with my audition and I walked out, I realized there was a HUGE line of singers waiting to be seen. Needless to say, I was over the moon lwhen I got the call three days later that I was about to make my Broadway debut.
NLE: What was it like the first time to step onto a Broadway stage and perform? Was the experience all you’d hoped for?
NK: The experience was very overwhelming because my dad had passed away right before my debut. I remember the many days he would come by to visit me and even got a chance to sit in one of the rehearsals thanks to James Lapine. He was very sweet to my Dad and I’ll never forget that.
When I made my debut I had most of my family in the audience because everyone was in town for the funeral. There were a lot of feelings happening in my head and my heart and it really felt that my Dad was right on stage with me. It was amazing and absolutely magical.
NLE: How are you preparing for your role as The Moon in Caroline, or Change? What is your take––your interpretation––of the role in relation to the total musical and its concept.
NK: The Moon has a connection to every single character in one way or another. The Moon is warm and welcoming and grounded. The Moon foresees the future but doesn’t control the future. She’s a vessel that oversees the journeys of each character—that’s how I look at The Moon.
NLE: You’re also a multi-talented concert artist, cabaret performer and more. What brings you the greatest joy and satisfaction in these areas?
NK: What brings me the greatest joy and satisfaction in these areas is being able to seamlessly switch from one arena to the other. I love the intimacy of the cabaret world and being able to create shows that are inspired by my personal experiences.
Then you have the bigger than life arena performing with symphony orchestras. In the theater world you’re so used to the orchestra being in the pit and don’t really seen the conductor. I’ve been blessed to be able to share the same stage with orchestras and perform music that spans through opera to pop. It’s super thrilling to literally be standing and sometimes dancing just a few steps from the violins or cellists.
NLE: You’re a wife and mother to a delightful little daughter. How do you balance personal and professional lives?
NK: It’s hard work to balance and juggle the personal and professional but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My schedule changes all the time and with that change I have an amazing husband that has a flexible schedule to accommodate a lot of those changes so that he could be home when I’m not. My daughters extracurricular activities are changeable so that I can move things around if I know that I want to spend more time with her and bring her to the theater. It’s so wonderful to have a family that truly loves the music world that I’m in.
NLE: What is your ultimate goal as a performer? Where do you see yourself in five years?
NK: My ultimate goal is to be able to share my music with every person that I can possibly reach worldwide. I want to create a legacy that my daughter can be proud of. I want my music to be healing and to bring love and happiness to people. There are lots of projects that I have my hands in currently so in five years I see the following: my Dorothy Dandridge musical running on Broadway, releasing a follow up album to the album that I’m currently working on and actively writing episodes for a musical comedy TV show I’ve written that would have been picked up by a major network.
Enjoy a sample of N’Kenge’s diva prowess in this video, a promotional piece for the Miss Germany Pageant Gala at Europa Park.
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