Broadway’s Seth Rudetsky keeps the ghost light burning for his fellow Jews
By Matt Robinson
No matter what time of day or night, whether there is a show in production or not, there is a tradition that, in every theater, one light must remain lit.
It is called the “ghost light,” and it is there to keep evil spirits away (and, more practically, to keep people from falling into the orchestra pit).
Some say it resembles the ner tamid that is kept burning throughout the year in synagogues.
In any case, it goes to show that one light can save lives.
In today’s Broadway, Seth Rudetsky is that light.
Known to millions for his ”Big Fat Broadway” show on Sirius XM (and his even bigger personality), Rudetsky recently launched a new broadcast that features Jewish and gentile actors and celebrities who take time out each week to light candles, say the prayers, and offer a blessing of healing to their family, friends, and the world. Among past participants have been comedian Judy Gold, her friend Susan Lucci, cast members from “The Outsiders” and “The Baker’s Wife,” and a mi sheiberach regularly sung by Lorna Patterson, who was the singing stewardess in the hilarious film “Airplane” and is now a cantor!
“People said there are so many sad things about Jews in the news,” Rudetsky recalls when asked about the birth of “Broadway Shabbat.” “We wanted to spread some Jewish joy!”
While positive Jewish vibes may be refreshingly new to many Jews today who have been facing or hearing about tsuris from around the world, for Rudetsky, it is apparently part of who he is!
Raised by art-loving educators, Rudetsky came to music at a very young age.
“It was before personal headphones,” he notes, “so whatever my parents played, I listened to.”
Fortunately, Rudetsky’s parents had diverse tastes, and he had many tastes of everything from classical to rock.
“I became obsessed with Broadway,” Rudetsky recalls, citing Frank Loesser’s “The Most Happy Fella” as a family (and personal) favorite. “I have a recording of myself at two…singing along!”
Following his older sister to the piano at age five, Rudetsky has bene tinkling (been tickling) the ivories and championing Broadway (especially Jewish Broadway) ever since.
“Probably my favorite composer was fellow Jewish man, George Gershwin,” he offers, suggesting that, as a gay man in a straight world as well as a Broadway lover who was in a classical music conservatory, he “identified” with the contrasting classical-jazz mashup of “Rhapsody In Blue” (which he is playing as part of his own Carnegie Hall debut on November 25as part of a star-studded revue!).
“My Dad LOVED when I played it,” Rudetsky reminisces. “If he were still alive and able to see me play it at Carnegie Hall, his photo would be able to be in the dictionary next to kvelling!”
While music was clearly an early passion that has endured, Rudetsky says that, when he was asked as a child what he wanted to be, he often replied “weatherman.”
“I loved tornadoes and hurricanes,” he explains, crediting this obsession to the disaster films that were popular when he was young like “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Avalanche,” “Flood,” and “Earthquake”.
Combining his passions, Rudetsky penned “Disaster!” another musical mashup that combined the disaster genre with popular songs of the time and earned a NY Times Critics Pick.
“Since I loved all the disaster films from yesteryear,” he reasons, “I decided to put them ALL into the musical!”
“I always dreamed of doing a musical on Broadway surrounded by my longtime friends,” Rudetsky says, “and that’s what this was. I met my co-writer and the director Jack Plotnick while doing my first off-Broadway show in 1991. I’ve known Rachel York who played my girlfriend since we did Victor/Victoria in 1995 and [I’ve known] Jennifer Simard…since my first sketch comedy show in 1993 and Tony Award winner Faith Prince from spending every Monday with her in group therapy all through the 90s!”
These days, Rudetsky is combining music and potential disaster in another way, as the host of his popular Broadway Cruises, on which he not only presents intimate concerts with stars like Tony Award winners Priscilla Lopez and Lillias White (who are coming on his February Caribbean Cruise), but also master classes and tapings of his SiriusXM radio show.
“I work with my passengers all week,” he says, “and they wind up performing alongside my stars in the variety show!”
Speaking of variety, Rudetsky has always been eager to showcase fellow performers from a wide range of backgrounds. His upcoming Carnegie Hall show will feature Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller belting Carole King and also singing a high soprano song from The Music Man as well as the legendary Norm Lewis, who was the first African-American actor to portray the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.
And while he has been able to assemble an international cadre of friends and fellow artists on his show, his cruises, and his Shabbat evening services, Rudetsky knows well from whence he came and is darn proud of it!
“I’m definitely proud of being Jewish,” he maintains. “I know that it was the luck of the draw,…but it’s so cool to know that I’m part of a group of people who helped to create my favorite thing ever; BROADWAY!”
From Rogers and Hammerstein to Lerner and Lowe, Leonard Bernstein to Hal Prince, and Jason Robert Brown to Stephen Sondheim, Broadway has long been the domain of the Jews (so much so that many Broadway shows have poked fun at the fact, including “Spamalot” claiming that “You won’t succeed on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews!”).
As seems to be his way, Rudetsky has seen fit to combine his love of Broadway with his love of the Jewish principle of tikkun olam (“repair of the world”), both of which are involved in his weekly Shabbat broadcasts and nearly everything else he does.
“So much of my life has been working for social justice,” he observes, noting how hearing stories of the Holocaust as a child inspired him to be sure that people always have a safe place to be, whether that be his studio or Israel.
“I’m so thankful there is a country that will protect Jews,” he avers. “We’ve been waiting thousands of years to go back!”
When even Israel was broken open on October 7, 2023, Rudetsky was frightened for his fellow Jews there, but was even more frightened by the onslaught of inappropriate blame and hatred that erupted like a 70’s disaster movie.
“I saw so much misinformation being posted online,” he recalls, “Most devastatingly, it was from people I had worked side-by-side with to promote social justice!”
Turning to his colleague and friend Schele Williams (who was a co-founder of Black Theatre United) for help, Rudetsky took her advice and formed The Jewish Broadway Alliance (JBA) to provide his fellow Jews (and others) a safe place to be and a strong sense of solidarity.
“My main goal is to educate,” he says. “I truly believe if people know the facts, they wouldn’t have such…anger towards Jews and Israel.”
Unfortunately, some of that anger has been directed toward Rudetsky himself.
“I’ve definitely received horrible comments,” he admits. “It’s been very difficult…. But I try not to engage, because when people are that hateful, they aren’t looking for a back-and-forth with facts. They just want to attack.”
Using the fear and hate to fuel his fire, Rudetsky continues to grow JBA and to reach out to other artists of all religions to expand the learning and hopefully overcome the hatred.
“As JBA grows, I’m hoping that we can change the majority of the world’s thinking about Jews and Israel,” he says. “I’m learning more and more!”
