Episode 198: Interview with Riki Kane Larimer

From revolutionizing the wine industry with an iconic corkscrew to producing acclaimed theatrical productions, Riki Kane Larimer has lived a career defined by creativity, intuition, and bold reinvention. In this episode of The Savoir Faire Audio Experience, Robert White sits down with the accomplished producer behind the new dance production Gotta Dance! to discuss her fascinating journey from entrepreneur to theater producer, and the vision behind a show that celebrates the legacy of Broadway’s greatest choreographers.

Riki’s story begins in an entirely different industry. Long before she became a recognizable name in theater production, she was the founder of Metrokane, a housewares company that would go on to create one of the most recognizable wine tools in the world—the Rabbit corkscrew. What started with a simple idea quickly turned into a massive success story. “We started the company with manual juicers,” Riki explains. “I wanted a juicer like my mother used to have when we had fresh-squeezed orange juice.”

Her entrepreneurial instincts led her to Mexico in search of the right product, where she discovered a small hand juicer that she redesigned and brought to market. The product quickly gained traction with major retailers like Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s and even found its way into the Museum of Modern Art. From there, Metrokane expanded its product line and entered the wine accessory market—where the company would ultimately strike gold.

The Rabbit corkscrew transformed the experience of opening a bottle of wine, replacing the cumbersome twisting motion of traditional corkscrews with a simple lever mechanism that made the process effortless. “Right away that became successful,” Riki recalls. “I think because of a terrific review in the New York Times, and boom—everybody had to have it.”

For 31 years, Riki ran Metrokane, growing the brand and building a reputation for innovation. Eventually, she made a strategic decision that would change the trajectory of her career. Recognizing the company had reached its peak value, she sold the business and began looking for her next chapter. That chapter would lead her to the world of theater.

“I ran the company for 31 years and it was a terrific run,” she says. “Then it came time that we were at the peak, and I said, you know what? I think it’s time now to sell the company.”

With the financial freedom from the sale, Riki pursued a long-time passion—Broadway and theatrical production. She began co-producing shows including On the Town and Memphis in London, immersing herself in the world of live performance. What she quickly discovered was that theater is both exhilarating and unpredictable.

“Theater is a very risky business,” she explains candidly. “It’s not easy to be successful because it’s very costly and it takes a lot to be able to succeed.”

Despite the risks, Riki thrived in the creative environment. She joined the board of The York Theatre Company and began developing projects that reflected her love for storytelling and stage performance. One of her early successes was Cagney, a musical based on the life of legendary film star James Cagney. The show ran for 15 months off-Broadway and received strong reviews, solidifying Riki’s role as a serious producer within the theater community.

Now, she is bringing audiences a completely different kind of stage experience with Gotta Dance!, a production designed to celebrate the choreography that defined generations of Broadway and Hollywood musicals. The show captures the original choreography from beloved classics such as West Side Story, Singin’ in the Rain, and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, presenting them together in a single production that honors the artistry of dance history.

“The mission of this show is to preserve the work of these iconic choreographers,” Riki says. “Like Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, Susan Stroman, Michael Bennett.”

What makes Gotta Dance! unique is that it does not focus on one choreographer or one musical. Instead, it presents multiple classic dance numbers from different productions, performed exactly as they were originally choreographed. According to Riki, preserving the authenticity of these routines is critical.

“There are no changes allowed,” she explains. “Not even the slightest little bit of a hand wave or anything. It’s all exactly as the original choreography.”

The production features 16 different dance numbers, each representing a different choreographic legacy. Rather than following a traditional storyline, the show unfolds as a dynamic theatrical revue that flows from one iconic performance to the next. As each piece begins, audiences are reminded of the choreographer responsible for the work, allowing the production to function both as entertainment and as a celebration of Broadway dance history.

For younger audiences and aspiring dancers, the show serves as a living museum of choreography. “It appeals to young people who are studying dance,” Riki says. “It’s Broadway dance history.”

Interestingly, the concept for the show originated with Nikki Feirt Atkins, founder of the American Dance Machine. Riki first encountered the idea during a performance event and immediately felt it had the potential to become something bigger. She describes the moment as instinctive.

“I don’t fall in love with things very easily,” she admits. “But something inside me said this has to happen.”

After seeing a small preview performance, Riki pushed to expand the concept into a full production. The show was first presented at The York Theatre Company, where it quickly became a sold-out success. That response helped propel the production toward its next stage—moving into Stage 42, one of New York City’s premier off-Broadway theaters.

Securing a theater in New York is no small feat, but Riki managed to get the attention of the Shubert Organization, one of Broadway’s most influential theater owners. After seeing the show, they offered her a contract for Stage 42.

“It’s not easy in this day and age to get a theater,” she says. “But the Schuberts came to the show and they loved it.”

Behind the scenes, however, producing Gotta Dance! has been far more complicated than many traditional shows. Because each dance number originates from a different musical production, the creative team must secure permissions from multiple estates and rights holders.

“We have to get all the rights from the different estates,” Riki explains. “And it’s not just the choreography—it’s the music too.”

This means every routine requires two separate layers of approval, making the production process far more complex than a typical musical. Yet for Riki, the challenge is worth it. The payoff comes in the form of a theatrical experience that blends nostalgia, artistry, and historical preservation.

The long-term vision for Gotta Dance! is equally exciting. Riki hopes the show will evolve over time, rotating choreography and performers while keeping the concept fresh for audiences. “My hope is that the show will be as successful as it was at The York and then we will continue to change it and put new numbers in,” she says.

For a producer who began her career designing kitchen tools, Riki Kane Larimer’s journey into theater may seem unexpected. Yet the same instincts that helped her identify a market-changing product have clearly translated into the creative world. Her ability to recognize a winning idea—and then bring it to life—remains at the heart of her success.

As Gotta Dance! prepares to captivate audiences, Riki’s story stands as a reminder that reinvention is always possible. Whether designing a tool that changes how people open a bottle of wine or producing a show that preserves Broadway’s most iconic choreography, she continues to follow the same guiding principle: trust the instinct when something feels right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0xgZPX86bU

🎧 To hear the full conversation with Riki Kane Larimer, tune in to her episode on The Savoir Faire Audio Experience, streaming now.