Page 13 - Phil Bacharach program digital book
P. 13
GUEST ARTIST
Kelli Rabke
Kelli Rabke got her “big break” playing the role of Dorothy
in Paper Mill Playhouse’s acclaimed production of The
Wizard of Oz. Shortly thereafter, she was handpicked by
Andrew Lloyd Webber to play the lead role of the Narrator
in the Broadway revival of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (U.S.
Cast Recording). Following that, she played her dream role: Eponine in Les
Miserables on Broadway. She went on to perform in regional theaters across
the country in such roles as Mabel in Mack and Mabel, Christine in Phantom,
and back to Paper Mill Playhouse in Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden as
Yonah (American Premiere Recording). She is one of the only Broadway
stars to originate a role in both a Stephen Schwartz and an Andrew Lloyd
Webber musical — a distinction for which she is incredibly honored. She has
been seen and heard in tons of TV commercials and voice-overs, and was the
voice of several animated characters, including Kat in the Discovery Kids
series Kenny the Shark. She also played the recurring role of Bernadette on
The Young and The Restless.
After leaving the bright lights of the stage to start a family, Kelli is now a
staple in the NYC cabaret world. Her first solo cabaret show debuted to a
sold-out crowd at Feinstein’s/54 Below and since then, she’s been featured in
shows ranging from Sondheim to Streisand to Bernstein. She now performs
regularly with symphony orchestras stretching from Calgary to Mazatlán
and all across the country. Recent highlights include debuting an original
song written by David Friedman and Kathie Lee Gifford on the Today Show
and recording the PBS American Songbook segment Stephen Schwartz and
Friends, featuring the composer himself at the piano and Kelli singing one of
his signature songs from Wicked, “The Wizard and I.”
She is most proud of her biggest “productions” to date: Her son, Joseph, and
daughter, Abigale! kellirabke.com
11
S eason 2 0 2 3 / 2 4 11
Season 2023/24