ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: Autumn . . . and Bailey . . . and [title of show] in New York
By Seth Rudetsky
Seth with Bailey and Bardlee Hanks.
A week in the life of actor, musician and Chatterbox host Seth Rudetsky.
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When did it become the end of July?
I started leaving town at the end of June, first to go to San Fran for Andrea McArdle, then Texas with Betty Buckley, then the Rosie cruise, and the next thing I know, a million shows have closed, we have a new Elle Woods, and I'm buying back-to-school outfits. Speaking of which, I still remember some of my favorite September outfits. Remember the T-shirts that had a different color inside so you could fold up your sleeve and see it? It was a 1983 special…that wound up in a 1984 garbage heap.
All right, people, updates. Last Monday night I hosted and played piano for a NYCLU benefit. It was star-studded. Julia Murney gave a hilarious tip about performing in benefits. She said that she loves to go to the audience and watch her other friends perform, and she and Jen Colella have developed a way of doing it that still allows them to warm up. As they applaud their friends, they also add a loud Whoo! or Whoo-hoo that seems like extra cheering but is in actuality a vocal warm-up! Judge it if you will, but it's deliciously subtle and much better than applauding and chanting "Red leather, yellow leather." Watch Julia demonstrate it (and sing an amazing version of "Back to Before" on www.SethRudetsky.com).
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Seth with John Gallagher, Jr.
At rehearsal I chatted with John Gallagher Jr. who, of course, I didn't recognize at first. He looks
nothing like he did in
Spring Awakening . I hate the mortification of seeing someone and having no idea who they are, so I told him from now on he has to be recognizable to me; i.e. walk around with an Eraserhead hairstyle, lederhosen and commit suicide. Anthony Rapp also performed and sported a beard rendering him unrecognizable. Stop already! Why can't people retain their signature looks? And why can't Liza ever change hers?
Right after the NYCLU benefit, I rushed to the fabulous apartment of Amanda Brown Lipitz, the executive producer of the Legally Blonde reality show. She had tons of people there watching the final episode. I got there late, and while I was walking over, I got a text from Bernie Telsey busting me for the way I ran onto the Palace stage. When I got there, I informed him that I already dished myself in that week's video blog. I commented that my run informed the audience of two things: a. I was not popular in high school and b. I need a sports bra.
Bernie was trying to bust me because I spent so many previous vlogs busting him. On one episode he told Autumn that at her previous audition, she "literally hit it out of the park." "Literally"? They had an audition at Shea Stadium? Then he said he was nervous about whether one of the girls could perform that well "eight days a week." Hmm… I commented that maybe Bernie was confused by the ubiquitous commercial from years ago stating that "Sunday is Funday at Carvel" and informed him that "Funday" isn't an actual day. I'm going to upload all my Legally Blonde vlogs to my website so everyone can see my slams, I mean, playful jabs against Bernie et al. PS, why do I wonder why I've never been cast by him?
Anyway, it was super fun to watch the finale with a bevy of the Elle contestants: Celina, Emma, Lindsey, Autumn, Lauren and Bailey. The coolest thing was seeing Bailey there with her seven-year-old sister who hadn't been told that Bailey won. They were too nervous she wouldn't be able to keep a secret. Hmm…if they were nervous about that, they shouldn't have told me. Anyhoo, it was so sweet when her sister saw Bailey win on TV. She totally started crying, and Bailey and her sat on the couch hugging. Awww…
On Wednesday I hightailed it to the Palace Theatre to see Bailey make her debut. In "Omigod You Guys," all of the Delta Nu sorority sisters start the song. Suddenly Autumn Hurlbert appeared (who was the runner-up for Elle Woods) and when she sang her opening solo, she got
crazy cheers from the audience. I felt so great for her! She's
extremely talented and Miss Thing can
sing ! When Bailey rose up in the elevator, the place went nuts. I thought I'd be nervous for Bailey, but she was on her gig. As a matter of fact, I had spoken to Jim Sampliner (the music director of the show), and he told me that Bailey had her put-in rehearsal the previous Friday and they went straight through the show without stopping once! That's amazing for a first timer on Broadway…who's 20 years old…playing the
lead ! I did start to get nervous as the show progressed because the end of Act One has the song "So Much Better," and the reality show made a big deal about how hard it was to hold the last note (it's a pretty high note, and it's supposed to be held for four counts of eight!). It's one thing to have to do something hard in a show, but it's a nightmare when the whole audience knows how hard it is! I always feel bad when an ice skater is doing a triple axel because I know that they know the whole audience is wondering whether they'll make it. It's like asking someone stunning out for a date while 1,000 people watch to see if you get rejected. Anyhoo, as the last note of "So Much Better" approached, I had a mini-anxiety attack, but not only did Bailey hold the note the whole time, it actually didn't matter because the audience started cheering so loudly after the first four counts that you could hardly hear her voice anyway. She could have taken it down the octave and no one would have noticed.
Continued...
