Singer and actor Raguel Gabriel continues to persevere with his dream to excel on stage. This US-based, Trinidad and Tobago artiste, is at ease with both prose and song, which led him to take on classic leading roles across several genres including opera, Shakespeare and musical theatre.
His quest for success and passion to perform have seen him among finalists in a Chicago vocal competition. He was recruited by a composer, who was impressed with his performance, to sing and act the romantic lead in The Gift, scheduled to open in December. He has also been successful at other music competitions this year in the US.
A graduate of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting NYC, Gabriel has been compared to the likes of Lupita Nyong'o – an observation, he explained, was made by playwright and producer Dr Cynthia Stephens (Sacred Ground Productions) for his lead role in the musical, The Princess and the Golden Yam, at the Broadway venue, Green Room 42 in New York City (2018). The story of this musical takes place in Africa and Nyong'o played the character that is the antagonist of the princess, said a media release.
“This was way before (Nyong'o) went to Yale to study and all that, and was still trying to find her way,” Gabriel said in an interview with Black Collar Creative.
“Dr Stephens remains one of my greatest mentors who applauds my work ethic. She even told me over dinner that my drive and the way I carried myself during rehearsals reminded her of how Lupita was. She has all the faith in me that I will excel on that level one day," he said in the release from Black collar Creative.
At the beginning of 2020, Gabriel was in pursuit of several theatre auditions that had lined up for him in New York, but the covid19 pandemic brought the need to wait or pivot. This was where mental and spiritual fortitude came to his rescue, along with commitment and ingenuity to keep the practice of his craft going, the release said.
[caption id="attachment_967927" align="alignnone" width="683"] Raguel Gabriel: "It was only with crazy faith, hard work and belief in what I can do that helped me through." - courtesy Andres Hernandez[/caption]
This resulted in Gabriel’s virtual, live-stream concert titled, Schwanengesang, which was hosted under RTG Productions (Gabriel’s company) in June 2021. A tour de force of a solo recital, it featured the work of Austrian composer Franz Schubert, in collaboration with accompanist Dr Jeffrey Middleton (Westbeth NYC).
“I have seen many things that seemed impossible, become a reality,” Gabriel shared. “It was only with crazy faith, hard work and belief in what I can do that helped me through. I stay on track as I balance both living in the moment and staying obsessively focused on my passions and dreams.”
When Broadway’s doors reopened in September 2021, Gabriel continued his career with an increased urgency and determination to succeed.
After Schwanengesang, Stephens invited Gabriel to reprise his role as Amadou for repeat perfor
