Last year, Rabi Kondé made his professional debut in the West End transfer of Clueless playing Murray, and he performed alongside the cast at West End Live, before going on to be part of the recent run of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy at Stratford East. Rabi played Bobby in Choir Boy and was directed by Nancy Medina and Tatenda Shamiso, with the production featuring a cappella versions of gospel music. Whilst a student at Italia Conti, Rabi performed in shows including A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Unreturning, and graduated in 2024. We spoke to Rabi about his recent run as Bobby in Choir Boy at Stratford East, making his professional theatre debut in the West End transfer of Clueless as Murray and his time at Italia Conti.
You have recently finished playing Bobby in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy at Stratford East; was there anything that drew you to the show and how did the run go?
I mean, if Academy Award-winning Tarell Alvin McCraney isn’t a massive draw, then I don’t know what is. If you don’t know, get to know, haha! But on a serious note, I’ve been a massive admirer of his work for a long time. Moonlight (which he wrote and earned him that Oscar!) is one of my favourite films ever. Check my Letterboxd and you’ll see it on my four favourites. So, it was surreal to get the opportunity to be a part of such a special story.
Doing the run was such an amazing experience, and one that I will never forget. I got to cross paths with so many people I admire and really experience how much this story transcended. The response honestly was so mad – audiences, creatives, you name it. There was such an overwhelmingly positive energy and buzz.
Stratford East is also my local theatre, so performing there made it extra special. I made sure to let everyone know I’m an East Londoner born and bred, haha! I remember going there as a kid in primary school to watch panto, so it was a proper full-circle moment. The audiences there reflect the community and faces I see on a day to day, so they made sure we on stage knew it.
How was it performing in a production which featured a cappella versions of gospel music?
Honestly, at first I was like, okay, squeaky bum time, haha. The thought of just having your raw vocals on display, with nothing to hide behind if your voice cracked or you hit the wrong note, did replay in my nightmares.
But it’s rare that you get to experience a show where you have the opportunity to hear the beauty of raw voices blending together, so getting the chance to do that was incredibly exciting and satisfying. On top of that, we were singing spirituals and gospel, which, as someone who grew up in the church and still practices faith, added an otherworldly presence and atmosphere that I can only describe as letting the spirit lift me.
Getting to sing those songs with the guys was definitely a highlight of my time on Choir Boy.
Can you tell us about Choir Boy and your character, and what was Bobby like to play?
Choir Boy is a story set in America about a group of young men at an all-black Christian boys boarding school. We follow these boys’ journey, particularly through the lens of our protagonist, Pharus, as he navigates his faith, identity, queerness and the forever looming question for all; what does it mean to be a young black man in today’s age?
I played Bobby Marrow IIl, who is a legacy student and comes from a lineage of men attending the esteemed Charles R. Drew Prep. He is also the antagonist to our protagonist Pharus.
Playing Bobby was such a great challenge I welcomed, as he was such a layered and convoluted person. He would spout the most abhorrent homophobia, but I was so interested in delving into the why. And as I began to investigate and mine, there was so much pain covered over with this unpredictable teenage rage.
Bobby was grieving the recent death of his mother, and channelling that vulnerability was difficult, but a rewarding privilege to tell his story. People at stage door wouldn’t shy away from telling me how much they loved to hate me as Bobby! But they also came to understand and empathise what he was going through. Guess I did my job, hahahah!
What did you enjoy about working alongside your fellow six cast members, and being directed by Nancy Medina and Tatenda Shamiso?
Again, getting to sing with the guys was definitely something I enjoyed so much. Any opportunity we got, you’d catch us singing together. We spent a lot of our tech just jamming and having our own Tiny Desk session on stage. Big shoutout to our MD Femi Temowo though, who genuinely made me fall in love with singing again!
Also, as a company, we shared so many laughs man. We laughed so much to the point we were actually questioning if we got any work done. Genuinely so much love and admiration for them all. They’re also all ridiculously talented!!! Daon Broni, Martin Turner, Terique Jarrett, Khalid Daley, Freddie MacBruce, Michael Ahomka-Lindsay – if you don’t know, GET TO KNOW!
Working with our directors, Nancy Medina and Tatenda Shamiso, was such a blessing. Definitely the best directors I’ve worked with so far in my very short career, haha! They’re so good at giving notes man, like I’d always come away thinking, “How’d that come out your brain?!?!”.
They just have a way with actors man, and have a beautiful sense and care for them. We’d do check-ins and check-outs every day, which really centered me and cultivated such a safe and beautiful space for us to tackle the many heavy topics of the play. Love you longtime, T and Nancy!
How did you feel finding out you’d booked the role of Murray in Clueless for your professional theatre debut, and how was it joining the cast for their West End transfer last year?
Man booking Clueless was crazy! Specifically because I’m not musical theatre trained and somehow found myself booking a West End musical! I’d also only been out of drama school for about three months, so when I got the call from my agent, I was really in disbelief. I kept saying, “Nah, you’re lying. Nah, you’re lying”.
But I feel very proud and blessed that I had the pleasure of originating a West End role right out of the gates, and made sure I didn’t take it for granted. Big up Olivia Laydon and the Jill Green Casting team!
Do you have any stand-out highlights from your time in Clueless that you can share, and what was it like performing at West End Live?
There were so many highlights. A personal one for me was getting the opportunity to meet Corbin Bleu, who is a childhood hero of mine. He came to watch the show, and the Clueless cast also got to do a joint warm-up with the Gatsby cast for Trans Pride. I wish I’d asked him his rankings for the High School Musical films (if it doesn’t go HSM 2, 3, 1, I don’t want to hear it!!!).
Performing at West End Live didn’t feel real. It felt like Glastonbury or Coachella. I’d never heard of West End Live before, so I was so excited to experience it, as well as be in it for the first time, and it was just as good, if not better, than anyone described.
I was a bit nervous because thousands and thousands of people attend, and seeing the sheer number of people pull up was a MAD TING. I was right at the front as well! But I loved every second of it and hope to do it again one day.
What was it like taking on the role of Murray, and how did you prepare for opening in the musical?
Originating the role of Murray was amazing, and a privilege to step into the shoes of the great Donald Faison, who portrayed him on screen. A lot of the great lines and moments came from his iconic portrayal of Murray, so I was aware that fans of the film would come with high expectations.
I did feel a slight pressure of emulating his performance like for like and bar for bar, but as much as I knew people would come expecting to see the film on stage, I wanted to make Murray my own and add my imprint on it.
In terms of preparing for opening night, I just did what I’d do for a show if it was any other night: listen to a character-inspired playlist, do a thorough warm-up, and, most importantly, make sure I spent some time in prayer.
How different was it performing in Clueless compared to Choir Boy?
I’d say the main difference between doing Clueless and Choir Boy was that Choir Boy required a lot of emotional vulnerability and openness, whereas Clueless was more of a physical challenge.
What was it like being a student at Italia Conti and what encouraged you to apply?
I really enjoyed the training at Conti and I owe a lot to some great people that pushed and challenged me. If it wasn’t for them, I wholeheartedly believe I wouldn’t be the actor that I am today.
To be honest, what pushed me to apply was a feeling. I didn’t know much about drama schools when I was applying, but something beckoned me to apply there. The rest is history, I guess, haha.
Can you tell us about some of the shows you performed in whilst training, which included A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Unreturning?
I had a lot of fun performing as it was a licence to try a bunch of stuff! No role was ever the same, and I was always able to take away something from each production, like doing Shakespeare or exploring new writing.
I had the space to figure out and understand the process in real time, which I loved. There’s that cliché saying that you work the most consistently when you’re at drama school, and I’m glad I was able to explore so many facets in each of those roles.
How did you get into acting and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?
I had no interest in acting at all for most of my life, hahah! I was a classic London boy that had dreams and aspirations of playing footy in the Premier League.
I didn’t get into acting until I was around 17, during my last year of sixth form, and I’m 23 now, so it just goes to show my acting journey hasn’t been very long. By that point, I’d already given up on my footballing dream and was gearing up to do a journalism degree at university while also making music on the side.
But then lockdown happened, which was a blessing and a curse. I started pondering on what I really wanted to do. I’d always been a film buff and took it as an A-level, so being a fan of film was a given. But during lockdown, while in boredom, the crazy idea of giving acting a try became apparent after doing a TikTok. Yep. I know, haha!
I did a lip-sync video of a scene from one of my favourite films called Paid in Full, where I played three characters, and I posted it on my private story on Snapchat. To me, this was just entertainment to pass the time, but a lot of my friends really – and I mean REALLY – enjoyed it.
That got me thinking: if I can act in this little TikTok that wasn’t that deep and people were feeling it, imagine if I actually worked hard at it? And that was the catalyst.
I spent the next couple of months with my best mate researching on the internet how to become an actor. We both found out about drama school, and the rest is history.
What are some of your favourite theatre shows to watch, and are there any you’d most like to see that you haven’t as yet?
Shows that have something to say and do something new with the form are always amongst my favourite kinds of shows. Misty, For Black Boys…, A Raisin in the Sun, and Rebecca Frecknall’s production of Romeo & Juliet (or anything she does for that matter) are just a few examples of my favourite shows.
I’ve never had the opportunity to watch a production from debbie tucker green, who’s like my favourite British playwright. I know she has a play coming out next year, so I’m very excited for that.
How do you like to spend your free time?
Apart from watching an obscene amount of theatre, TV and film, I like to spend my free time reading, listening to podcasts and, of course, going football crazy!
Have you received any advice over your time as an actor so far that has stayed with you?
Consistent output of excellence. Shoutout to my guy and acting coach Ben Woodhall for that one!
What are you hoping this year brings, and do you have any projects coming up that you can talk about?
I’m hoping the rest of the year brings more work that speaks to my “why” as an artist. As the great Sterling K. Brown once said, I want to continue to do work that educates, entertains and edifies.
As for any upcoming projects… you’re just going to have to wait and see!
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