BWW Interviews: CATCH ME's Rachelle Rak - 'Sas' Is Back and Talks Mitchell, O'Brien, Tveit & More

  The "Sas" is back.  Rachelle Rak (better known to the Broadway community as 'Sas'), has had a career as a Broadway dancer to be envied.  Having worked on Broadway for ten straight years in the original companies of Cats, Fosse, Starlight Express, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (among others) and the revival company of monster hits such as Oklahoma!, it seemed Rak had not only "made it," but found a home as the consumate chrous girl. Until 2006.

Following the close of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels that year, Rak took a break from Broadway to, as they say, "get back to the basics," enduring the rigors the intense, old school acting training that theater lore is made of.  And now she's back in new form, in a standout role as the scene-stealing 'Cheryl Ann' in Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman and Terrence McNally's Catch Me If You Can, directed by Jack OBrien, choreographed by Jerry Mitchell and starring Aaron Tveit, Norbert Leo Butz and Tom Wopat at the Neil Simon Theater.

BroadwayWorld last caught up with Rak during her "trashy" Scoundrel days in 2005.  To see where she's been, what it was like building Catch Me, and how she found her way back "home," read on.

The last time we spoke to you was in 2005 when you were last on Broadway in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. First off, welcome back! Tell me about the last five years and where you've been.

Right after Dirty Rotten Scoundrels closed on Broadway, I took a little bit of a pause. I had been performing consistently on Broadway for 10 straight years without a break, and for some reason after Scoundrels, something changed and I couldn't quite figure out what. I was continuing to go out for shows, and just not booking them as I had been. The experience was strange, going back to the very early days of showing every drop of talent that you have and having people say "Thank you, but we're going in another direction" or "You're getting older. It's going to get harder, it's going be different, you're going to be in a different category." I was in denial and did not really believe it.

It was important to me that I not to lose my confidence or sense of dedication and passion for performing, so I decided to go back to my hometown in Pittsburgh and put a bit of distance between myself, Broadway and those exhausting needs, and put my energy into something else. My mother has a dance studio in Pittsburg, which is where I first trained, so when I got back I started a dance group called Va Voom. I had the best time. I had been choreographing some in New York and it was so freeing to be able to decide to put together a show and do whatever I  wanted - make something out of nothing. On Broadway it is completely the opposite. You have a script with rules and a director and choreographer telling you exactly what to do when. Va Voom was really successful and we were booked all over. It was one of the best things for me at the time, as I tapped into a whole new side of myself. It was sort of the beginning of a reinvention.

How is that?

After a few months with Va Voom, I felt that it was time to come back to New York. But I came back with the mind of "what do I need to do to be better?" I had been a singer/dancer my whole career and I wanted to get back to the basics to become more well rounded. It was kind of shocking to realize that I really had accept that I was entering into a new phase of my career. But I was also excited. Instead of worrying about getting older, I was more energized to figure out how to make this transition.

What was the turning point?

I needed new territory. My first audition back was for an off-Broadway musical called Sessions. It was playing the small 70 or so seat Algonquin Theater on 24th St, the opposite of Broadway, which was exactly what I wanted. They were looking for a standby for the role of ‘Lila' for two shows a week and I thought, "why not?" It was a big acting role, a big speaking part, which was such a departure from the big chorus musicals. In Cats, Starlight Express, Sunset Boulevard even, I hadn't done any scene work or had the stage time, acting training and confidence that I absolutely know now that I needed.

I studied acting with a gentleman named Alan Savage in the sunken living room of his Upper East Side apartment for a three-hour class every week. I had to work the hardest at the simplest things - communicating, listening, and not being afraid of speaking. It was such a challenge. I never realized how afraid I was. Alan helped me get the understudy/standby role in Sessions, and not long after that I took over for seven months. That experience absolutely changed me - my confidence, my ability to be present in a scene. Working in the small theaters can be so much more challenging and demanding because it is like you're in the audience's living room. There is nothing to mask you so there is no way out of the story, even for a second. The energy is just different.

Was there ever a point where you considered leaving show business in this transition phase?

Never. This is it for me, from the time I stepped foot on Broadway at 17 in Cats. So it was always more an issue of figuring out what I was going to do and look at my resume that said, on the one hand "here's what I've done and where I've been" and looking at myself and asking "here's where I was and here's what I really need to do to get better." So, I hopped on the "yes train" once I got back to New York, regardless of pay, so long as I was learning something and being creative. While Sessions was happening, I was also asked to do An Evening at the Carlyle, another small, character-driven piece, and I also collaborated with my musical director from Starlight Express on a songwriting project that involved making music videos with a number of my dancer friends - one called "Crazy" and the other called "Sas" (my nickname since Fosse). I also went to Osaka, Japan for 17 weeks to do a musical called The Trip of Love and sing Petula Clark and Grace Slick.

How did Catch Me If You Can and ‘Cheryl Ann' come into your life?

Catch Me If You Can came into my life almost five years ago - right after Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, in fact - as I was just beginning this transition phase. I did a couple of different readings as an ensemble member. Sara Gettelfinger was reading the part of ‘Cheryl Ann' at the time. Back then it was a completely different story - a completely different show - than it is today. And at that point it had been in development several years before that. After those few readings I did, the project seemed to be tabled and I honestly forgot about it. I heard they went to Seattle in 2009 for their premiere when I was Japan. The role was read by many people over the years, but Felicia Finley played the part for the Seattle run. The part was different than it is now - the role had a song and it was much bigger. About a year and a half ago, in June 2010, they decided to do a final reading of the show to test the post-Seattle material before coming into Broadway and Jerry Mitchell, who I had worked with many times, called me in to read the role. It was so nerve-wracking! So much adrenaline. I hadn't been in the Broadway mix for so long and this reading was an industry presentation. I think almost every New York producer was there. It was kind of like an audition in front of a live audience - and an important one. It was a great time, though, playing that part and playing all of the ensemble parts. I guess the audience bought it and the creative team bought it because from then on I've been attached to the project.

Most of your Broadway experiences have been with original shows, so you're well acquainted with the process of developing new material. I know that this show had been gestating for almost 10 years before opening on Broadway. What was unique about this development process?

Sometimes, writers and directors get married to their work. They fall in love with their work and they don't want to let it go. There have been many shows where, as a cast member, you sit back and wonder if they see the issues. And you really, quietly ask yourself: "Don't they see it? They must see it." These guys were willing to be malleable with the material that was meaningful to them in order to make the show better. For such an accomplished team, there was no ego here. So they did all this work prior to us arriving in rehearsal for Broadway with what they learned in Seattle. They cut characters, they cut songs and they were prepared. It was a good lesson in learning to let go.

Looking back, do you have a favorite part of this process?

Notes sessions with Jack O'Brien. He's just such a giver to the talent. He wants everyone to enjoy the experience. His inspirational words and vision that he shared during those sessions are the memories that are coming up from this whole experience. From him, the lesson I learned was that the director and the choreographer must get along, must be a team, and must be able to work together if the show is going to work on its own.

What was the biggest challenge in putting this show together? Was it a particular struggle to build something off of an existing brand?

I think the challenge was fine-tuning how to best tell the story within a musical structure so that you're first learning what happened, then how it happened, and as it happened in flashback. The set up was incredibly important to get right. As soon as the show starts we're at the airport in real time. The lyrics of the opening where Aaron [Tveit] reveals that he has an idea, has to clearly send the audience into this new cat and mouse chase world for most of the rest of the show. The next challenge I observed was deciding how much narrative was needed to keep the audience with us on the ride? How much do you need to tell vs. show in order to be clear but not let the audience get ahead of us. This was especially tricky since most audiences already know the story from the movie.

Why do you think Catch Me lends itself so well to a musical?

Because this real life saga is so fascinating and there are many stories within the story to be told. Our show is not just the retelling of the real life story of how this one man, Franks Abagnale Jr. flew over 5,000 miles as a fake PanAm pilot and con his way into the money that he did from ages 16 to 21 - and go on to have a whole other life thereafter. We're also telling the story about father/son relationships. Our musical is just as much about how a father loves the son that was willing to lie his way through life, and what a boy needs from a father figure. And we're also telling the story of the pain that accompanies the realization that there is disillusion in lying and the promise that doing anything to get ahead is worth it. Jack and Jerry are telling this story through this boy's eyes, with all of the glamour and illusion through which he sees how the world could be in his mind, clad with the girls, bedazzled scenery, the orchestra etc. 

What is your favorite onstage Catch Me moment?

There are two things. I will always be a dancer at heart and there's a moment where they do this big kick line dance set. I was devastated not to be in it, as I needed to be offstage for a costume change. it was one of those things I just had to let go. But that was a Broadway moment - alive, with a life of its own. That's a dancer moment right there. And of course I love flashing Aaron Tveit...there's nothing better than being in a white mink coat, coming up in an elevator and getting to flash the star of the show, and no one else gets to see you.

How did you "discover" the 'Cheryl Ann' we see onstage?

Well, of course you always work with what's given in the script and of course I had seen Jennifer Garner's take in the movie, but it's most important to first put the character in context. Her existence in the piece is just one moment in Frank Abagnale's life. So I'm a memory - one of the things that was impactful enough for him to remember. So for me this was important. ‘Cheryl Ann' was the first person who ever approached him in a serious sexual way and that was kind of shocking to him, even though he wound up conning her. Characters start to develop as you put them into action. And that's what happened for me. At first, you try different things and finesse the situations you're given. How do you go from a massive number to a black stage in an elevator and be real? How do you pick someone up and not be too vulgar? ‘Cheryl Ann' was a Playboy centerfold and she was a model, but she also came from an era where she had some class. She was at a nice hotel, this wasn't like a hooker on the street. So all of that stuff needs to be considered, even if it's a small scene. I should add that there is nothing better than being onstage with Aaron. He's the best as far as I'm concerned. I feel like I can do anything. He's always with you, he'll try something different, he's always listening, and he's with you.

It seems you've come full circle, finding your way back to Broadway but as a whole new actress and a brand new outlook. What has been the most positive takeaway from this reinvention?

I felt like I accomplished more during this few year stretch of my career than my previous 10 years on Broadway combined because it was the first time I had participated in my career for the sake of the process, not the big payoff. Knowing that I have been a part of Broadway is forever, no matter where I am performing. My ears are now open to other worlds, where no one could tell me good or bad - where it doesn't matter. Show business for over a decade decided if I was good enough. They decided if I would be selected, if I was the right look, type, build, if I had the right voice to sing high enough, or kick to my face. And for the first time in 20 years of a career, these past few years I have decided. And it's invigorating, taking back some little bit of control that we never have as an actor and saying, "I like me, I like this, I select me, and I'm going to give this a try because I believe in it." And that's truly life changing.

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Rak began her dance training at the age of 2 under the direction of her mother, Rosalene, at the Rosalene Kenneth Professional Dance Studio in Pittsburgh, with which she is still involved as Executive Director. She has been presented with the award for outstanding achievement in the world of dance from Dance Educators of America. 

She has performed in countless concerts and productions at New York Citys Town Hall, and has been a crowd favorite time and again in many Encores Productions. Her talent doesnt cease at the stage. She can be found on screen in commercials for Ebay, and played a reoccurring role on the soap opera series Another World as well as a feature in the documentry "Every Little Step". You can find her performing on the 1999 seasons of the Rosie ODonnell Show and the Jay Leno Show. She is also the spokes person for Pittsburgh Brewing Cos I C Light, and has had the honor of singing the National Anthem at an Orlando Magic NBA Basketball Game. Rachelle has the pleasure of serving as a teacher and judge for the L.A. Dance Explosion, the National Finals of Access Broadway, and DEA competitions.

Rachelle has also lent her talents to many jobs behind the scenes, including the position of Dance Captain for Starlight Express America, Assistant Choreographer to critically acclaimed On The Twentieth Century, choreographing the Fringe Festival show, "VOTE" , "Evening at the Carlyle", and Additional Choreography for "Sessions". In 1993, she was voted 2nd Best Performer In A Musical in Europe. She has had a substantial contribution to the world of Musical Theatre and dance, and is revered as one of Broadways most talented performers.

For more on Rachelle Rak, visit http://rachellerak.com.

To catch Rak in Catch Me If You Can, visit http://www.catchmethemusical.com.

Photos: Rachelle Rak from music video shoot; Rachelle Rak with mother Rosalene Kenneth and dancers; Rachelle Rak with Catch Me If You Can ensemble co-stars; Rachelle Rak from music video shoot