Raissa Recommends - week of 11/28/09

Hello Friends:


I hope everyone had many things to be thankful for this week. Garrett and I were grateful to be surrounded by good friends and family and our pups, Brandy and Otie, and especially grateful that Brandy is healthy and spunky after a health scare earlier in the week. I'm also very grateful to Jenna Esposito, for helping me to get this blog functioning again - I've been unable to post, but Jenna's got me back on track. If you haven't had a chance yet, check out Jenna's column at http://www.broadwayworld.com/ and enter Cabaret Chronicles in their search. You can subscribe to her articles and I really recommend it.


It's a busy couple of weeks coming up, and I hope you'll join me for these great events. First off, we are celebrating the return of THE SALON hosted by Mark Janas (pictured) this Sunday night, 11/29 from 7 to 10:30 pm at our new location, Etcetera, Etcetera, 352 West 44th near 9th Ave. There is a $10 cash cover and a $10 food/beverage minium, and the food and drinks are great and very reasonably priced for big portions! The theme this week is "We Gather Together", but you are always invited to sing off theme. Sign up for the open mic begins at 6:30.

At 7 pm, Wednesday 12/2, I'll be appearing in Jenna Esposito's All-Star Birthday Bash show at the Metropolitan Room, along with Rob Langeder, Tony DeSare, Jeanne MacDonald , and Richard Skipper.


Then Richard and I dash off to the VIP Lounge at the Iguana (240 W. 54th St. between B'way & 8th) for the show he hosts with the lovely and funny Dana Lorge, beginning at 8 pm. I'll be one of their special guests doing a short set along with some of my best friends and most talented colleagues: Cynthia Crane, Hector Coris, The Marquee 5 (Mick Bleyer, Adam Hemming, Vanessa Parvin, Julie Reyburn, Sierra Rein), Jaron Vesely, with Barry Levitt on piano, and Saadi Zane on bass. My Musical Director for my recent Feinsteins show, and great pal, Mark Janas, will be playing for me, Cynthia and Marquee 5. There will be some other surprises, so I hope you will come join us, especially if you've never experienced Richard and Dana at the Iguana - it's a fun night, a modest $10 cash cover and no minimum, but having gone several times, I suggest you save your dinner to eat here. Great food, great prices, great service and a fun, comfortable atmosphere. RESERVE EARLY because this show often sells out. 212-765-5454 for reservations.




Thursday, 12/3, I'll be sitting in the audience of the eagerly awaited, SPECIAL KAYE, starring Gretchen Reinhagen at the Metropolitan Room at 7:30. I've been seeing "snippets" of this show for a few months now, and it promises to be great. If I could be in two places at once, I'd also be at WATT'S HAPPENING

hosted by the irrepressible Lennie Watts at Don't Tell Mama's at 8:30 pm. Maybe I can run really fast and still make it in time...or at least I catch it next month, since Lennie is hosting this new variety show every month! A must see....



Wednesday, 12/9, I'll be at the Metropolitan Room, once again, in a benefit performance hosted by Susan Winter at 7 pm, and then I get to relax and watch Marquee Five at 9:45 in the same place - perfect!
Ok, that's it for this week's posting - hope to see you at the shows!





Love and light,

Raissa

Raissa Recommends - week of 10/26/09

Hi Friends:

No time for fancy pictures this week - I'm on the run!

I'm not sure if I ended a great week, or began it, with the debut of Kathleen France's show, THE BOOK OF LOVE, last night. All I know, is that she is a gem, and reminded me, once again, of why we perform - because it is a gift to the audience and she gave and gave and entertained the heck out of us. Moving, funny, well-paced and directed by Lina Koutrakos and MD'd by Tracy Stark - this is a collaboration made in heaven. And is there ANYTHING Kathleen can't sing? I think not! Let's make her run this show over and over again.

Tonight, I'll be at the premiere of PINOCCHIO OF CHELSEA at 9:30 at the Beechman, a benefit for the worthy CABARET CARES/HELP IS ON THE WAY TODAY. Written by Mark Janas and Peter Napolitano, and starring a bevy of incredible talent, too numerous to list here - see my blog from last week!

Tomorrow night, Tues. - I'll be at the Iridium at 8 for TERESE GENECCO'S show and I have at least 2 friends coming with me. Two of my band members, Sean Harkness and Mayra Casales, will be joining T again - very excited.

Wed. night - DAVID COLBERT in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY ITCH at New World Stages!!!!!

Thurs. night - DANNY LEARY as Patti Lupone at the 92nd St. Y Tribeca, 200 Hudson Street - I can't wait to see this.

Come with me - and bring friends - there's lots of other stuff too, but there's only so much one woman can do....

Love and Light,
Raissa

Raissa Recommends - Thanks and Pinocchio

Dear Friends:

THANK YOU for sharing last night with me, both in person at FEINSTEINS and for all the good wishes sent via phone, email and Facebook! We were sold out - thank you! Once I get them downloaded, I'll post some pictures here of all the fun. My deepest thanks to my director, ERIC MICHAEL GILLETT, my musical director, MARK JANAS, and my amazing band: MAYRA CASALES, SEAN HARKNESS & RITT HENN.

I'm still resting after not sleeping all night after the show, due to excitement, but I just had to remind you all of the premiere of PINOCCHIO OF CHELSEA, next Monday night, 10/26/09, at 9:30 pm at the Beechman. Call 212-695-6909 for reservations. I will surely see you there.

Would love to post more, but I've messed up my blog editing, so until I have a minute to ask Jenna Esposito, queen of all these things, I will have to wait.

Love and Light,
Raissa
"Just keep coming home to yourself - you are who've you've been waiting for." Byron Katie, Loving What Is.

Raissa Recommends Reservations - 10/14

Hello Friends!

I'm happily preparing for my debut at FEINSTEINS, on October 19th. I have a lot of "first's" happening on October 19th: I am honored to report that I will be performing a brand new song, written for me by Tony Award Nominated Composer, Michael John LaChiusa! As if that isn't exciting enough, my director, Eric Michael Gillett, will be making a special guest appearance with me, in this show. And, for the first time, I will be featuring a band full of my favorite musicians - Mark Janas, my Musical Director and arranger, on piano, the irrepresible Ritt Henn on bass, the stunning guitar work of Sean Harkness, and the soulful Mayra Casales on percussion. I'm so thrilled about this, AND the fact that they will all be playing on my new CD, too!

Tickets are on sale now, by the way, so make your reservations soon by going to the website or calling 212-339-4095. If you are planning on coming to Feinsteins on 10/19 for my show, I urge you to make reservations soon. The management sets up the room according to the number of reservations on the books, and they can't set up extra tables too close to show time. I'm happy to say that we are over 1/2 reserved at this point, but I would hate for anyone to be turned away. There is a $30 cover (plus additional service/handling charges) and a $25 food/beverage minimum. Premium seating is available.

Last week I was able to take a break from rehearsing and see some pretty incredible shows, which you should all be on the lookout for. Some will be returning, and others are on-going. In the former category, Valerie Lemon wowed them at Feinsteins with her fantastic Hamlish show! It was SRO, and Garrett and I were grateful that we had made our reservations early. Be sure to catch Val the next time she graces the NY Cabaret stages with her presence.

Earlier in the week, I experienced the wonder and talent that is Roger Anthony Mapes, in what may have been his first cabaret outing of this sort in Manhattan. It was his CD release performance, and one of the most fun, life affirming shows I've ever experienced. Oh, and, in addition to that, Roger can SING! His band was incredible - fantastic musicians all - keep your eyes open for a return engagement.

I attended the 20th Annual Cabaret Convention last week, too. It was my first time and I was blown away by the talent, and the love that Donald Smith has for this community and the artform. We owe him and his staff Mabel Mercer Foundation a huge debt of gratitude for keeping their tireless work in keeping the artform alive.

At the Cabaret Convention, I became a huge fan of Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael, amoung others. I wish I had the chance to meet them after and tell them how great they were, but I didn't so I'll do it here! They are visiting us from the Windy City and will be performing one night only, at the Metropolitan Room on, you guessed it, Monday, October 19th, at 7 pm. The bad news is, I can't go see them, because I'll be getting ready for my show at Feinsteins. However, YOU all can go see them, then pile in a cab and make it to my 8:30 show at 61st and Park in plenty of time. I highly recommend you do, and be sure to make reservations!

2 more shows to recommend: I was in the house for the opening of How To Be A Good Italian Daughter (In Spite of Myself) at the Cherry Lane Studio Theatre on Columbus Day (fitting!). Run, don't walk, to see the amazing Antoinette LaVecchia in this one woman show, that I believe she wrote herself! It will especially ring true if you are Italian - or Jewish - or a daughter - or married to a daughter - or divorced from a daughter - you get the idea. Google the show to read the great reviews.

Finally, reserve now and save the date, Oct. 26th, 9:30 pm, 212-695-6909 at the Beechman, for the premiere concert version Pinocchio of Chelsea, written by Peter Napolitano and Mark Janas. This MAC award winning team, (for the song from the show, "Come Home") is being presented as a benefit for Cabaret Cares. The show will feature the talents of Eric Michael Gillett, Nick Cearley, Lennie Watts, Christopher DeProphetis, Mick Bleyer, Stephen Wilde, Marcie Henderson, David Vernon, Tyrone Robinson, Kyle Hines, Brian Fahey, and Jeff Biering. You can bet I'll be there.

Hope you are all having a great week and see you at the shows!

Love and light,

Raissa

"Live simply, love generously,
care deeply, speak kindly." Rev. Shay St. John

Raissa Recommends - week of 9/23/09

Hi Friends:

Busy, busy after the final Concert at Tudor City Greens 2 weeks ago! Needed a little down time - those shows take a lot out of me! Miss Brandy Alexandra Bennett turned 15 years old on Sept. 17th (so she's about 75 years old in human years!) and Garret and Otie and I were very busy celebrating her birthday - she still runs like hell down the hallway and does "race track" in the house in CT where she has traction - hope I'm moving that well when I'm her age!

Now onto working on my own debut show for Feinsteins, doing a guest spot in Phil Bonds, "My Friend, the Cat", at the Beechman as a benefit for Zani's Furry Friends(see last blog posting) and letting you know about some great shows to see.

My dear friend and long time Musical Director, David Caldwell, has a fantastic opportunity to musical direct a world premiere of a new musical. However, it takes him out of town for the whole month before my show, so my good friend, the incredibly talented Mark Janas, has agreed to take the helm as my Musical Director for the Feinsteins gig! Mark and I have done many shows together, and we're excited to see where this new show is taking us, with Eric Michael Gillett directing the project! We'll be joined by a band comprised of Sean Harkness, Ritt Henn and Mayra Casales. So excited to have this Band!

Pictured here, thanks to Ted Story, are the cast, crew, musicians, and alumni of the final Tudor City Greens Concert of the season. (Forgive me for not putting in all the performers links.) Pictured L to R Back row: Karen Oberlin, Sean Harkness, Peter Napolitano, Mark Janas, Dr. Garrett Bennett, Bill Zeffiro, Marcus Simeone, Hector Coris, Lennie Watts, Chris Caswell, Jim Followell, Brad Parks, Steven Ray Watkins, Maureen Taylor. Front row - L to R - Cynthia Crane, Maria Moncado, Rita Gardner, BOROUGH PRESIDENT SCOTT STRINGER, Raissa Katona Bennett, COUNCILMAN DAN GARODNICK, Baby Jane Dexter. Missing from photo: Peter Haas, John DePalma, David Gurland.

It was a pretty awesome night, filled with Broadway and cabaret stars, 350 + people in attendance, and then, because it was the season finale with special guests, BP Scott Stringer and Councilman Dan Garodnick (who were a blast to play around with!) honoring us with their presence, real stars came out on the balmy, breezy night, and the old fashioned lamplights illuminated the singers in the most beautiful way! Many thanks to all who came and all who participated!

"Lovely" is one of my all time favorite cabaret shows. It'll be playing this Friday, 9/25 at 9:15 pm at Don't Tell Mama, and it stars Kelly Briggs and Jerry Christakos as "Christy Van de Camp" and "Dar Williams". I go EVERYTIME I can - I can't go this week, but you can. Reservations are a must! 212-757-0788.

"Lovely" is also the way to describe Maureen Taylor - she's bringing her brand new show to the Metropolitan Room and she described it to me this way: "From the simple to the sublime, Bob Merrill celebrated the "ordinary" man. Rediscover How Much Is That Doggie In The Window, Mambo Italiano, Love Makes The World Go Round, Funny Girl and more....and celebrate THIS "extraordinary" man! Oct.25, 26 & Nov.8,9. 2 Sundays@ 4PM / 2 Mondays@ 7PM. Musical Director: Matt Castle, Director: Peter Napolitano. (Discounts for MAC, Cabaret Hotline, AEA, AFTRA, SAG ) Reservations: 212.206.0440

Now, I don't want to miss anyone, but other TCG alumni who still have fantastic shows coming up, and who come to mind, (because they've recently sent out emails to me) and all of which I've seen, are Karen Oberlin, Sarah Rice, Spider Saloff, Hector Coris, Lennie Watts and Sue Matsuki - click on their links/names and their sites will give you the info - I highly recommend them all!

Oh, and I hope you come see me too, on Oct. 19th at Feinsteins - call 212-339-4095 for reservations!

Love and light,

Raissa

Raissa Recommends - week of 9/12/09

Hi Friends:

Holy Cow! What a finale to the outdoor season of the Concerts at Tudor City Greens. We had over 350 people in attendance, and in addition to our fabulous cast and musicians (see previous blog), we also were honored by the presence of Borough President Scott Stringer and Councilman Dan Garodnick. Both of these men have been very active in helping to preserve the Greens. They were blown away by the concert and totally let me "play" with them - I asked when they had shows coming up, etc., and they went right along with it! The weather was comfortable and cool, and as the concert was almost 2 hours this time, the lights came on in the park, and it was magical.

It's taken me two days to recuperate! Pictures will be posted when I get them from Cynthia Crane's wonderful hubby, Ted Story.

And on we go! Tomorrow night, join me at Sue Matsuki's show at the Beechman, and Monday night at Sarah Rice's show, same place!

Not sure what else I can get to this week, as I'm deep into rehearsal for my debut show at Feinsteins on Oct. 19th. Reserve early! I have a band this time! My Musical Director, David Caldwell on piano, Sean Harkness on guitar, Mayra Casales on percussion and Ritt Henn on bass! Directed by Eric Michael Gillett and my associate Musical Director is Mark Janas - it doesn't get cooler than this for me!

Before that, I'll be co-hosting the Algonquin Salon on Oct. 4th, lobby of the Algonquin Hotel from 7 to 10 pm. Stay posted, there may be a special feature that night.

Then, on Oct. 10th, I'm honored to guest in a benefit for Zani's Furry Friends - a special performance of My Friend, The Cat, by Phil Geoffrey Bond, at the Beechman. If you know me, you know what a HUGE fan I am of this piece, as well as being very active in animal rescue. (as I write this, my two rescue dogs are napping in and around my lap!) Bonus, getting to work with old pals Phil, Julie, Mark, and getting to finally work with Johnathan and Lisa!

Time for bed - hope to see you at the shows this week!

Love and light,

Raissa

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. - Mother Teresa

Raissa Recommends - week of 9/1/09

Hi Friends:

Just back from an amazing retreat with Unity Center for Practical Spirituality in CT with Rev. Shawn Moninger, Rev. Carlos Anderson, and David Friedman facilitating his "Thought Exchange". I actually let myself treat it as a real "retreat" and had no real contact with the outside world. I highly recommend it.

But now it's down to work! First, if you can catch Eric Michael Gillett's show at Feinsteins this week, do! I'll be there on Wed. 9/2. It's the debut of his new show WIDESCREEN which I was privileged to get a preview of and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Here's the latest poster for THE CONCERTS AT TUDOR CITY GREENS, courtesy of Hector Coris on graphics, and Feinsteins for printing!

What a line up we have for our final show of the outdoor season: Hector Coris, Cynthia Crane, Baby Jane Dexter, Broadway's Rita Gardner, David Gurland, Cabaret Scene's Peter Haas in a rare public performance, Marcus Simeone, Uptown Express, and Lennie Watts.

The Tudor City Greens FREE outdoor concert series resumes on Wednesday, September 9th at 6:00PM. (Rain date: Thursday, September 10th @ 6PM). This event will feature performers from Broadway and the New York City cabaret scene. The concert will be hosted by Tudor City resident, Broadway and cabaret performer Raissa Katona Bennett (Phantom of the Opera, Chess). Raissa’s guests scheduled to appear are MAC Award nominees Hector Coris and Cynthia Crane, Baby Jane Dexter (MAC Award winner, 5X Bistro Award winner), Rita Gardner (original “Louisa” in The Fantasticks, Broadway’s The Wedding Singer), David Gurland (MAC Award winner, 4X Bistro Award winner), ASCAP Award winner Peter Haas, multiple MAC Award winner Marcus Simeone, Uptown Express (Bistro Award winners) and multiple MAC and Bistro Award winner Lennie Watts. Accompanists are David Caldwell, Sean Harkness, Mark Janas, Jim Followell, Steven Ray Watkins and Bill Zeffiro.

In addition, Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer will speak. Stringer was a strong advocate for the Tudor City Greens Park and he will speak to the crowd there during the concert. Scott M. Stringer, a native New Yorker, is the 26th Manhattan Borough President. Since taking office at the start of 2006, he has dedicated himself to making Manhattan more affordable, livable…and breathable – preserving the sense of neighborhood for the 1.6 million residents of what is best known as a world capital of culture and commerce.

The event will take place in the South Park of Tudor City Greens Park – enter at Tudor City Place between East 41st and 42nd Streets, between 1st and 2nd avenues.

I'm also excited about a brand new venue that Miss KT Sullivan inaugurated last week. Garrett and I went to see her opening night show at City Hall Restaurant down on Duane Street, in the Granite Room. This exciting new room, used to be used for storing coal, and it is literally underneath the sidewalks of NY, making it a perfect place for cabaret, both acoustically and aesthetically! KT sang "sans mic" featuring songs that were pre 1930, and therefore, never intended to be sung on mic. It was a gorgeous trip down memory lane for us, as we watched and listened to KT wrap her magical presence and voice around songs I heard growing up. The incomparable Jon Weber accompanies KT and also treats the pre-show dinner crowd to his delightful renderings of pre - 1930's songs, as well. The prix-fixe menu was fantastic and really, compared to other places, $90 for a 3 course gourmet meal, fantastic service and lovely show, is a very good deal. You have one more chance to see KT, on Sept. 10th - I highly recommend you do!

Hope to see lots of you soon, at one of these events.

Love and light,
Raissa