I have rid myself of the iPhone. Not only was it impossible for me to type on (because my fingers aren't as thin as the plot of the "Mamma Mia!" movie), but it had a faulty battery, so it lasted as long as August: Osage County.
Yes, three-and-a-half hours is long for a play but not for a cell phone battery! I tried to get it fixed and was told to talk to a "genius" at the "genius bar," which is the first thing that sent me into a rage. Why can't they say "Go see one of our workers over there" instead? Genius?!? Why do I have to be intimidated by the very people who are supposed to help me? Speaking of which, when did I become a "guest" at a store? I've had it with various cashiers saying, "next guest, please." If I'm a guest, I shouldn't actually be paying for anything! Anyhoo, I went online to make an appointment with one of the "geniuses" and saw they had openings that very day. At 1 AM! What chutzpah! That was it. I returned it and went back to my Treo phone. Then I went to Starbucks and did some writing 'til around 11:30 PM. James and I walked around one block, and I realized I was missing my phone. I went back to Starbucks…and it disappeared! It had just been on the table, and then it was gone. I wanted to sing "McCavity's not there!" but was too busy searching everywhere. I don't think it was stolen. I think I did one of those things where my mind is wandering, and I threw out the old Venti cups, the Sweet'n Low wrappers and my phone. The next morning I hightailed it to the phone store and got a Blackberry. Or, as they call it on "Entourage," a "Crackberry." Crackberry is wackberry?
This was a week of running into Broadway people all over the place. On Monday night James, Juli and I went to the Boat Basin Café, which is in Riverside Park right next to the Hudson. Beautiful! We were told we had to wait a half hour for a table (which then became an hour), and while I was shaking my head in annoyance about having to wait, I heard a loud "Seth!" All I saw were two incredibly attractive people smiling at me. I then realized that it was Laura Osnes and her cute husband! She just finished playing Sandy in Grease and told me that Max Crumm has gone back to California, but she and her hubby have decided to stay in New York. Juli was really excited to meet her because that CD was her alarm for half of the school year. It would go off at 7 AM, and I knew that by the time I heard "Mooning," I had to get the h*ll up.
Then, James and I went out with Andrea Burns from In the Heights for a dinner between shows on Saturday. We were sitting outside on Ninth Avenue and 46th Street at Yum Yum Thai restaurant. Suddenly we saw Gavin Creel on the corner. Then, walking down the block from the other direction we spotted Norm Lewis! They both came over to our table to chitty chat, and I felt like we should elect an Equity deputy. I complimented Norm on looking so buff. He blew off my comment and said he wanted a "chubby." I was uncomfortable slashintrigued but before my mind could land in the gutter, he asked us if we liked chocolate. The next thing we knew, he had run over to delicious Amy's Bread and gotten us two Chubbys, which turns out, are chocolate brownie cookies. Yes! It put the "Yum" in Yum Yum. Speaking of chubby, look at the picture of us below…Why do I look like I'm tipping the scales at 210? Should I not have taken the photo after eating the chubby and becoming its namesake? PS, Norm's solo CD is about to come out, and we were brainstorming where he should do the release concert. I cannot wait! It's about time he had a record career. He needs to start working on his next CD asap.
Speaking of In the Heights, last week I got an email from Lin-Manuel Miranda asking me if I'd partake in an internet film he's doing based on "Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for the Next Elle Woods" called "Legally Brown: The Search for the Next Piragua Guy." I showed up at 37 Arts (where we filmed the TV show and where In the Heights played Off-Broadway) and filmed a "rehearsal" with each of the "contestants": Telly Leung from the upcoming Godspell, Derrick Baskin from The Little Mermaid, Noah Weisberg from South Pacific and Hunter Bell from [title of show]. It was so much fun, and I was such a horrible person. My improv with Derrick was especially mean: ME: Are you in a show now?
DERRICK: Yeah! I'm in Little Mermaid.
SETH: Little Mermaid? You are? Who do you play?
DERRICK: I'm one of the eels.
SETH: Really? Because I saw it…and…I don't really…
DERRICK: I'm always next to Ursula. One of the two eels.
SETH: I don't think so….
DERRICK: Maybe I was out the night you saw it.
SETH: I guess so…
DERRICK: When did you see it?
SETH: Opening night.
DERRICK: Oh…well I was definitely on that night.
SETH: You're in it? (pause) Huh…
Lin was planning on doing one episode for YouTube, but I think he got so much great material from everyone that's it's gonna be multi-episodes!
Still speaking of In the Heights, I interviewed Chris Jackson (who plays Benny in the show) at my Chatterbox (www.SethsBroadwayChatterbox.com). He's such a sweet guy and so fantastic in the show. He's from the Midwest and came here when he was 18 to go to AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Arts Academy). He had no real training, so it was super-helpful for him.
I worked again this week with the Broadway Artist Alliance. Those kids are good! Check out when Nick Oliveri sings the word "Hooray" at the end of this song. His spin is amazing!!!! (he's only 16!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Qrkc_X1YE
Marc also said that Scott Rudin asked him to write the score for Hairspray, and he said yes. Then, ten years passed. Margo Lion got the rights and asked him to do it. He said he wanted Scott Whitman to write the lyrics with him, and she was nervous because they were partners and what would happen if they had a fight. She asked him to write some songs on spec, and they wrote four songs…all of which stayed in the show: "Good Morning, Baltimore," "Welcome to the Sixties," "I Know Where I've Been" and "Big Blonde and Beautiful." Every time he started playing one, the kids all immediately started singing and knew every lyric. At the end of the interview, he was asked by one of the kids what the most rewarding moment was in his career. Someone made a joke and said that it was today. But then Marc said it was amazing. He asked, "Can you imagine how thrilling it is for me to go to the piano and start playing a song I wrote… and suddenly have you all singing at me? That's as rewarding as I can ever imagine." Brava!!
All right, people. This week my sister Nancy is coming in! She's hilarious (see proof at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs6a7MW1pgY). We're going to see [title of show] (I think it's my seventh time!), and I'm taking my nieces to see Legally Blonde. And then Wednesday and Thursday night I'm playing for Andrea McArdle's act at the Metropolitan Room (Metropolitanroom.com) and then driving up to P-town to play for Varla Jean Merman (www.Varlaonline.com). Peace out and put a bra on!
* (Seth Rudetsky is the host of "Seth's Big Fat Broadway" on SIRIUS Satellite Radio and the author of "The Q Guide to Broadway" and the novel "Broadway Nights." He has played piano in the orchestras of 15 Broadway musicals and hosts the BC/EFA benefit weekly interview show Seth's Broadway Chatterbox at Don't Tell Mama every Thursday at 6 PM. He can be contacted by visiting www.sethsbroadwaychatterbox.com.)