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Rhonda Liss, Soprano, Gives a Great Performance
Apr 02, 2018
Posted by Dale Jensen
Sarasota Music Club
The Sarasota Music Club’s March meeting/program was treated to a cabaret show given by a lady who really knows how to give a
cabaret show. Rhonda Liss was the performer, and what a performer she is! A singer with training in opera as well as Broadway, after
a full career in both, she still has the chops to sell a song of any type. So, it was a pleasure to hear her ‘take’ on this collection of songs.
She has an affinity for songs by Stephen Sondheim, as do I, and she included two extremes from his pen: “Everybody Says Don’t” calls
for rapid-fire enunciation and exacting rhythms, while “Children Will Listen” is slow, quiet and soul-searching. Every quick syllable was
there in the former, and the deep-thoughts of the latter were given time to take hold in our minds, demanding relating to our world
today. In “You Could Drive A Person Crazy” (Sondheim again), I was reminded of the wonderful singer of an earlier era, Peggy Lee,
who excelled at minimalist gestures as she sang...a slightly raised eyebrow, a faint shrug of a shoulder...all expressing a world of
emotion as she told the story of the song. All morning, Liss demonstrated this story-telling ability – a master at work. A wonderful
treat came near the end of the morning, when Liss did a spot-on impression of Marlene Dietrich, singing one of her signature songs,
“Je Suis Fatiguee.” Liss’ body sagged into the Dietrich slouch as she pantomimed the cigarette holder and sang deliciously flat,
demonstrating the truth of the lyrics, “I’m Bored.” Singer, actor, impressionist – Liss has it all. And such a trouper! This was the very
first performance of a brand-new show written by Liss, and it rolled, nearly flawlessly, across the footlights, to our great pleasure. If
you weren’t there, you missed two great performers at their best.
All of the Rhonda’s seem to have come home to roost —even a bit of Mata Hari in the woman and the diva. Her voice is truly the
master of the songs she sings. with a thrilling vocal range that delights and excites, singing in many languages with complicated or
simple lyrics, the Gypsy
has found herself a home, at least for now.
Lysbet Rogers, East Hampton Star
The valiant Rhonda Liss makes a real woman of Mrs. Alexander, the
police superintendent’s wife who rescues Gandhi from a mob.
William R. Braun, Opera News
Rhonda Liss triumphed with rousing blues numbers.
Sid Adelman, The Toronto Star
Rhonda Liss was a potent, bronze voiced Mrs. Alexander (the scene in which she rescues
Gandhi from a mob drew salvos of applause).
Robert T. Jones, Musical America
…her voice swells in a righteous wrath that chills to the marrow.
Kay Larson, New York Magazine
The Heartache and Sorrow Show is a brilliant parody of a woman’s image in society… Rhonda performs its music so wittily, so
humorously that views can’t stop laughing about it when they see it and
thinking about it later.
Emma Magazine, Germany
The Heartache and Sorrow Show is a splendid two women satire… Rhonda sends up the schmaltz behind the old songs and sings
them brilliantly.
“Time Out, London”
The American mezzo Rhonda Liss make a strong impression with her unusually warmly colored voice.
Twentse Courant, Holland
…Rhonda combines concentration and excellent musicality.
New York Magazine
The Audience Speaks:
“The Many Faces of Love” is her best show yet — her performance is captivating! Personal, funny, thoughtful, and rich in emotion,
the program of songs from musicals taps Rhonda’s many talents.
CABARET PERFORMER WANTS TO TOUCH HER AUDIENCES
To say cabaret singer Rhonda Liss has sung all her life isn’t an exaggeration. “My mother said I sang before I could talk.”
At five years of age Rhonda was singing Shirley Temple’s “On the Good Ship Lollipop.” Next came wedding gigs, conservatory
training, and then on to performances in the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, as soloist with the Netherlands Opera and as
Madame Giry in Phantom of the Opera.
When she was 15, she joined the New England Conservatory of Music. That summer she won a TV contest that gave her the chance
to do summer stock throughout the northeast. Her professional career was taking off.
From then it was “classical” - she joined the Metropolitan Opera chorus and Radio City Music Hall. Then she moved to “kitch,” putting
together a nightclub act in the Catskills. There she sang songs such as “You Gotta Have Friends,” “Oh, My Man, I Love Him So,” and a
variety of Barbra Streisand songs.
Cut to today, as Liss performs her one-woman cabarets “Moonlight Becomes You,” “My Favorite Year,” and her latest show “The
Many Faces of Love,” all of which she wrote. Varying widely from her classical training, her cabarets offer a chance to reach out to
people in an intimate setting.
“I like to bring the audience in by singing with me some of the songs they know and love. Singing for me is pure joy. I love it when
people say I’ve touched them in some way, whether I brought them to laughter or tears.”
For Baby Boomers and older, Liss sees her cabarets as nostalgic and healing with a special brand of humor that transforms. “It lifts
us onto another plane and soothes. It can bring back memories that have been dormant for years.” Her performances are geared
to cabaret clubs, women’s organizations, retirement communities and nursing homes.
“Singing for me is as necessary as eating and breathing. I can’t imagine my life without it.” I want to lift people up and take them out
of their ordinary world and of course make them laugh.”
Q/A WITH RHONDA LISS.
Q. Given your classical training, why do you like singing cabaret?
A. I like the freedom that cabaret gives you. The palette you choose offers
more colors than you would use in a Broadway show. You can sing in
varying styles. You can interpret a song differently than it has ever been
done before.
Q. What are your audiences like?
A. People really come to listen. It’s not like performing in a club or
restaurant where other things are going on. They’re interested in the real you
and what you have to say.
Q. Do you get butterflies before you perform?
A. Yes, I get the jitters. Sometimes on an opening night my mouth gets dry.
However, as soon as I begin to sing that’s gone. I’m sailing on a wave and I
simply enjoy the experience.
Q. What is your most vivid moment in your career?
A. I was an understudy in “Phantom of the Opera,” but had never rehearsed
it on stage. On the third night the vocalist became ill and I got my chance. I
had to run up a ladder and over scaffolding in a long dress. Thankfully, there
were no mishaps and I showed the director what I was made of.
Q. What are some of your favorite cabaret pieces?
A. I like “Will There Really Be a Morning” and “Stars and the Moon.” The
latter is about a woman who always chose men for their money and missed
out on romance and love. Stephen Sondheim’s music is wonderfully clever
and can be surprisingly touching, such as “In Buddy’s Eyes,” about growing
older and still being loved. The song “Here’s to Life” speaks to my belief in
Joyce Kilmer’s words that our brief sojourn here is a trembling opportunity
for joy.
Q. What did you do before you became a performer?
A. Nothing. I was always a performer!