Broadway actress-singer, MAC and Bistro Award winner, Raissa Katona Bennett, returns to the cabaret stage in November with her celebration of the Great American Songbook, Can’t Help Singing —The Music of Jerome Kern. The show plays on November 1st at 7 pm and November 2nd at 8 pm at Don’t Tell Mama in the heart of the theater district. Kern chestnuts like “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” “All the Things You Are” and “The Way You Look Tonight” will make an appearance in what Katona Bennett typifies as a varied and entertaining repertoire that is fun and romantic.
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) celebrates Raissa Katona Bennett (RKB) with Six Questions
NiteLife Exchange: When did you realize you have the gift of singing and what were some of your early influences?
Raissa Katona Bennett: I just always sang from as early as I can remember, and at some point, folks other than my parents started telling me I had a gift. My Mom was one of my earliest influences—she had a beautiful voice and always sang to and with me. My parents had several Broadway albums and I used to imagine that our picture window was a stage and sing along, pretending to be ALL the characters. Barbara Streisand, Barbara Cook, Shirley Jones and Jane Powell were early influences—still are!
NLE: How did you get your start and how did you eventually get into cabaret?
RKB: I got my degree in Music Education and taught for several years. My fiancée (later my first husband!) asked me to drive him to the NETC’s for summer stock auditions; I did and was able to also audition. We got offers from all the same places and chose the Boothbay Harbor Dinner Theatre. That summer we did A CHORUS LINE, PIPPIN, EVITA and SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM. We rehearsed during the day and voluntarily rebuilt the theatre that had been torched by a local arsonist, days before we arrived, at night! We moved to NYC after that summer with three of our castmates, and I never went back to teaching. Fast forward several years and after stock and regional jobs, I did the first National Tour of CATS and soon after, joined the Broadway cast of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
I first experienced performing cabaret as a guest in shows while in PHANTOM, and fell in love with the art form. After being in Craig Carnelia’s acting class, I was inspired to share the incredible material that I was learning there. One of my classmates was Eric Michael Gillett. He agreed to direct me in my debut show, and subsequent others. He taught me a great deal, which I am so grateful fo— I’ve been in the community ever since!
NLE: Which is the most memorable experience you’ve had in your career?
RKB: Taking my first curtain call on Broadway as “Christine” in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and watching my little brother almost fall out of the opera box because he was so overcome with emotion.
NLE: How do you source material for your shows?
RKB: I get it from everywhere. Lately NPR has been a big inspiration of ideas and music from very different sources.
NLE: Do you have anything in mind in regard to future shows?
RKB: Definitely. I’ve started work on a new show for 2020! And I’m currently in rehearsal for STEEL MAGNOLIAS at the Music Theatre of Connecticut. I’m playing “Truvy,” the role Dolly Parton played in the movie. We open on November 8th and run for 3 weekends.
NLE: You have been a great supporter of other cabaret artists over the years; what has that experience been like for you?
RKB: When I was asked to run the concert series at Tudor City many years ago, I realized it would be a great opportunity to expose the art of cabaret to a whole new audience, while also promoting the greening of our cities. All of the almost 200 artists presented over the nine-year run of the concerts donated their time and talent. It was also a great chance for those artists to hang out with each other afterwards, outside of the clubs—a real bonding time for all of us. We continue to send out a monthly email to the mailing list created during those concerts (over 1,900 contacts) letting people know where and when those artists are appearing. It’s rewarding to help keep the art form growing—and the recipients and artists have let us know how grateful they are to stay connected.
NLE: What would you say is your current motivator?
RKB: To stay fresh and explore who I am at this point in my life and career. I’m always asking the Universe to reveal my next path to me and I try to stay open for the answer. It comes from the most interesting places and I know I’m on the right path when I get very excited about an idea. I don’t do shows every year. I haven’t done a new solo show in over 8 years—this Kern is a reimagining of the one I did at Feinstein’s in 2011. Time of life family commitments kept me from the cabaret stage for longer than I would have liked. Now that those chapters are closed, the creative floodgates have re-opened and I have at least two ideas I’m working on for the near future.
NLE: What do you like to do on your spare time?
RKB: Spare time? Haha! Not much of that, but when I’m not onstage, rehearsing or auditioning, I love spending time with my husband, Garrett, and our two tiny rescue dogs, Otie and Molly. We are also obsessed with horseback riding and we have become pretty decent equestrians, complete with jumping and competitions. I have the ribbons to prove it! And we have always been passionate about animal rescue, specifically dogs. A a portion of all proceeds of my shows and CD sales always go to www.stfbr.org, Shih Tzu and Furbabies Small Breed Dog Rescue. We do a lot of fostering, adoptions counseling and training to help save more dog lives. So, please opt to adopt and do your homework before getting a dog! Reach out to me if you need any help at all! Lots of dog rescue info can be found on my “Dog Blog” at www.raissakatonabennett.com
Leave a Reply