New Hope proves that the shows must go on in 2014 with the opening of The Rrazz Room, the cabaret room formerly known as Harlan’s at the Nevermore.
The space was dormant for a while as the hotel was bought and upgraded into a Ramada. Enter Rrazz Room owners Robert Kotonly and Rory Paull, who were looking to open a new incarnation of the venue of the same name that they ran for more than a decade in San Francisco.
Kotonly, who knows quite a bit about the history of that particular piece of entertainment real estate, said the Rrazz Room definitely fills the void for intimate performance spaces in New Hope left by the closing of the cabaret rooms that came before it.
“For the longest time there was a place called Odette’s,” he said. “They closed many years ago because of flooding. When they closed, it was a shame because they had been around for so long. Then a year or so after that Bob Egan opened a club at the Nevermore Hotel. That’s the room we have now. It lasted a couple of years. For some reason it didn’t take off. The history of live entertainment in New Hope was there. Once Odette’s was gone I don’t think there was a club to pick up that slack. I believe that the Rrazz Room will become that just based upon the variety of talent that we’re bringing in. I think it’s really important to have a diversified schedule. We really look for something for every taste. We’re not the conventional cabaret. We always try to push the envelope a little bit.”
Kotonly said he and Paull have the same vision for their new home in New Hope as they did when they were running the club in San Francisco.
“When I went into running a club for the first time 10 years ago in San Francisco, I liked the concept of an intimate performance space,” he said. “But sometimes it wasn’t enough artistically to keep my interest. I have very eclectic tastes when it comes to talent. If I asked myself if I have more than one need for entertainment, then I’m sure other people do. I love R&B music and jazz and that was one of the things that I really wanted to put into the programming. You’re going to see that we’re going to be bringing more of that kind of thing in because that is really our passion.”
Kotonly added that the professional relationships he and Paull developed with cabaret singers, jazz and R&B groups and comedians while operating in San Francisco mean they can attract performers to New Hope who normally wouldn’t be too familiar with the small town.
“Had I not had the history with these artists and managers and people who like working with us, it would be a little hard to convince them to come out to a destination that isn’t a major city,” Kotonly said. “But once they get here, these artists are saying, ‘Oh my God, this is beautiful.’ There aren’t a whole lot of places that give you the very warm feeling that you get in New Hope. And it’s a gorgeous area.”
Judging from the Rrazz Room’s upcoming summer schedule, which includes appearances and performances by TV and Broadway star Linda Lavin, comedy legend Dick Gregory, international comedian Pam Ann, Pia Zadora and Deana Martin performing a tribute to her famous father and Rat Pack member Dean Martin, the club is well on its way to delivering on its promise to bring a dazzling and eclectic array of shows to New Hope.
But the opening of the Rrazz Room hasn’t happened without some bumps in the picturesque roads of New Hope.
The room’s opening coincided with a season where historic snowfalls and frigid temperatures forced many to reconsider whether or not they wanted to venture out for a night on the town.
“We didn’t just open in any winter; we opened in the worst winter this area has had in a long time,” Kotonly said. “It was a little discouraging. When you run a club or any type of venture, you get to know the area better with each and every month that goes by. I’m getting better at programming just because I know what it has been like working these last couple of months.”
Kotonly also said that being somewhat removed from the main streets of New Hope and on the fringes of the town has some drawbacks — as well as some advantages, including a solution to New Hope’s often-frustrating parking problem.
“The bad thing is, the tourists, when they come in for the weekend, they don’t think to go outside that strip where the [Bucks County] Playhouse and all those restaurants are,” he said. “Even when I used to come to New Hope before I had a business here, one of the things that was difficult was parking. We’re on a major road and we have our own parking lot. We are appealing to residents of the area, not just day-trippers. It’s more convenient for them to have a parking lot here than to struggle to find a spot.”
For more information, including a full list of shows coming to the Rrazz Room, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope, visit www.therrazzroom.com or call 215-862-5221.