Anyone who is a serious Broadway fan or a fan of Sirius XM’s On Broadway (www.siriusxm.com/onbroadway) knows the name Seth Rudetsky. In addition to being nominated for three Emmy Awards for his comedy writing, Rudetsky has also written for the Grammy and Tony Award shows and has penned the opening numbers for multiple events for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. When not hosting “Seth Speaks” and “Seth’s Big Fat Broadway” on Sirius XM, he takes showtune fans on his popular Broadway cruises and performs his one-man show Rhapsody in Sethat venues around the world. He also co-wrote and co-starred in the musical-comedy spoof Disaster!on Broadway and in London’s West End.
On January 26, this dramatic force of nature will be joined by another stage legend when Rudetsky mans the piano for two-time Tony winner Christine Ebersole at the Huntington Theatre’s Calderwood Pavilion in Boston’s South End (www.huntingtontheatre.org) in a show that will combine blockbuster showtunes with backstage stories.
When asked what got his Broadway lights shining, Rudetsky recalls his parents always playing Broadway albums in his North Woodmere, NY home.
“This was in the days before people were wearing those annoying earbuds that everyone walks around with nowadays to completely tune out the world around them,” Rudetsky is keen to point out, hinting at his ken for keeping his ears open for great music and great gossip.
Among his early favorites was Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella, which included the popular hits “Standing on the Corner,” “Abbondanza,” and “Big D.”
“I actually found a recording of myself singing the opening song when I was a little less than three years old,” Rudetsky reveals, offering evidence for an early obsession with great stage songs. In second grade, Rudetsky used vacation funds to go to Broadway, where he reveled in a slew of shows, including a short-lived revival of The Pajama Game.
“It’s what made me want to work on Broadway,” he maintains.
As he observes an obsession with culture among his people, Rudetsky sees his youthful yearnings for great music (which also included liturgical songs in shulwhich he belted with the best as well) as completely in keeping with his Jewish upbringing.
“I specifically [loved] Anim Z’miros,” he recalls. “Such a great melody!”
Citing the Broadway smash, Spamalot, Rudetsky agrees with the idea that Jews have played an integral part on Broadway and in the larger world of musical theatre.
“It’s a fantastic legacy,” he cheers, “and I’m proud to be a part of it!”
Rudetsky credits his heritage with spawning his own career, as it was at a Hillel Jewish summer camp that he had his first role- as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.
“Going to Jewish summer camp determined my theatrical career,” Rudetsky reasons, recalling a long period when the only Hebrew he remembers remembering was the song title “Machar.”
These days, Rudetsky is well known for the thousands of Broadway songs and stories he knows.
“People say I have an encyclopedic memory,” he observes, “but I think everyone has that kind of memory for things they love. There’s nothing more fun for me than sitting around and talking about Broadway. And my family is really into story telling, so I think I learned early on to remember specifics because I would need them for later on in the day when we had dinner and had to one-up each other in terms of who had the funniest story.”
For the Huntington show (which is similar in format – but never in results!- to others Rudetsky hosts with various Broadway stars), Rudestky serves both as music director and also interlocutor, dropping provocative questions amongst his partners’ favorite numbers (including many from shows they had wished they had appeared in!).
“I love hearing Broadway singers perform in concert,” Rudetsky explains, “but I hate hearing scripted patter…. So, I do a style where the Broadway star sings a ton of music, but instead of pre-planned chitter chatter between songs, I interview them.” If you want to learn those singer’s secret, that information is continued here.
Rudetsky particularly relishes opportunities to recall a favorite story to the star who told it to him. And as Ebersole has had such a storied career, there are sure to be juicy tidbits among the Broadway hits.
“A part of me has always wanted to be a therapist,” Rudetsky admits, “so I guess I sort of put on my doctor/patient privilege voice and trick people into blabbing their innermost personal thoughts!”
Rudetsky and Ebersole first met at an early reading of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” (a show many do not know she was in, Rudetsky notes).
“She had been working in LA and told me that she wanted to get back to Broadway,” Rudetsky recalls, noting that Ebersole had been on Broadway in the 1970’s in shows like On The 20th Century and Oklahoma. “Well, a few years later, she had her first Tony Award!”
Coincidence? Come to the Huntington and decide for yourself!
