Six Questions with Liz Rubino

NLE: When did you realize you had the gift of singing/acting and what were your early influences?

LR: Funny enough, at around 9, I sounded like quite the frog and would wake up the entire neighborhood each Saturday morning singing “Tomorrow.” Our poor neighbors! But I ALWAYS sang. I’d sing with my Dad’s stereo and microphone—anything and everything from Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand to Julie Andrews and Renee Fleming. And then, at 11, I sang Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” for our school talent show and suddenly a VOICE emerged! I began studying voice (musical theatre and classical) not long after with the late Phoebe Alexander who became my first major influence. When we met I was a “nun”—at age 12 and 5’11″—and she was the Mother Abbess. I was OBSESSED with the theatre. I did show after show after show in my teen years. The theatre really became my second home.

NLE: What is the most memorable experience you’ve had in your singing/acting career?  

LR: The most memorable performance in my professional career was in 2007. I was working in rep with a small professional musical theatre company in Cleveland—Kalliope Stage, founded by the late Paul Gurgol with John Paul Boukis. I was at the height of battling debilitating stage fright and was currently playing a smaller featured role in Jerry Herman’s Dear World. 48 hours before opening, Paul had to let go of the actress playing the Countess and asked if I wanted to step in. It was a huge moment because of the stage fright and how confident he was in me. He offered me my equity card, and we opened two nights later to excellent reviews; but what was most life changing was the support, his belief in me, and overcoming the stage fright in SUCH a huge way. I was 27, playing an elderly French madwoman, with 72 pages of dialogue and 14 songs. What a truly rare, one-of-a-kind moment. I was very grateful.

NLE: You’re a national performer, teaching artist and drama therapist; how did you get involved in Cabaret?

LR: My “type” professionally, in theatre and musical theatre, due to my height, stature, qualities, etc., is really more suited for when I’m a bit older. Paul always said I’d work like crazy in my 50s and beyond, but when I moved to NYC at 28, he encouraged me to try my hand at cabaret. He realized I would fit in very well there, especially as a recording artist. So that all manifested and I pitched my first show, If Only… to The Duplex and thereafter began performing at The Metropolitan Room as well. I also began to do some work with Stephen Cole, as I had recorded a song on my first jazz album by him and Jeff Saver. We reconnected and have done several projects since. And of course, I have performed at Don’t Tell Mama and  I do several national concert or cabaret engagements in various states yearly (or try to). My show, Woman Under The Covers, became an album back in 2015!

NLE: What is the most rewarding character in a show you’ve worked on?

LR: Well certainly the Countess Aurelia in Dear World, but also Gertrude in Hamlet and Madeleine True in Lippa’s Wild Party. That was not one answer, sorry, lol!

NLE: With regard to the future,, are you working on anything new? How do you go about sourcing material for your shows?

LR: This current show, Spring This Year, is definitely a story show with a direct message from my experiences over the last year. I really enjoy letting life uncover music that speaks to me and then usually I create from there.

NLE: What do you like to do in your spare time?

LR: I love going to movies, yoga, kayaking, spending time with family and friends, and just BREATHING! Lol.

Click here for tickets and more information on Liz Rubino’s Spring This Year, at Don’t Tell Mama, Saturday, May 18th at 7:00pm