By Seth Rudetsky
Back to last week. For two days I did some work with the great Broadway Artists Alliance. They always have talented kids and great teachers. I interviewed Greg Jbara from Billy Elliot and he told the kids one of the most valuable lessons he learned from stars like Jerry Lewis (with whom he worked in Damn Yankees) and Julie Andrews (with whom he worked in Victor/Victoria) is to learn everybody's name. Cast, crew, etc. Actually, I remember when I first subbed keyboard on Putting It Together, Julie Andrews' dresser came to the orchestra area after the show and asked me to come to her dressing room. I was ready to get fired British-style ("Mate…you're sacked!") but instead Julie welcomed me in (while putting on her stockings!) and said that she noticed me during the bows and wanted to be properly introduced. I thought that was so cool and, dare I say it, classy. Ew. I hate that expression because it always sounds so un-classy. AKA "Unlimited breadsticks? This Olive Garden is so classy!"
Greg Jbara said that he also believes in trying to appear as much like the role he's trying out for. I've heard this from many actors. They feel you should go to the audition dressed like the character because it makes it much easier for the director to visualize you in the role. Of course, the subtext is, many people in the business have no imagination and sometimes you have to present what you want them to see because they won't figure it out themselves. When Greg went in for Billy Flynn in Chicago, he had just played the slightly dumb, lower class bodyguard in Victor/Victoria so he felt he had to counteract that image by showing up in a full tuxedo. And, when he went in for the role of the Dad in Billy Elliot, he gained 30 pounds! Just for the audition! He had already gained 10 for a film and he just kept piling it on. Wow. When do I get to audition?
On to England. We arrived at 7:30 in the AM and got driven from Manchester to Liverpool. We checked in and went to sleep by 10 in the morning and then woke up at 2 in the afternoon. And we have not adjusted since. Last night we went to bed at midnight and four hours later we were all completely awake. The clock read 4 AM as James was checking e-mail, I was on Facebook and Juli was watching her "Facts Of Life" DVD. None of us could fall back to sleep so we just stayed awake and I showed up for my first day of filming. The show is called "School Musical" and it's a British reality show that follows a High School putting on Grease and the series ends with the kids performing their production in a theatre on the West End. I'm the Broadway expert" who comes to give them tips on how to add some "razzamatazz." PS, I asked them if I could not say that word and replace it with "sassafrass."
OK, I'm signing off and announcing that I have some of my guests lined up for Seth's Broadway 101. The first show on Aug. 16 is going to feature Andrea McArdle as the "belter" and Natascia Diaz demonstrating the onstage quick change. They both did the original version of the show and I'm so excited they're doing it again! More guests as they are confirmed…and/or return my e-mails. Tickets at www.SethRudetsky.com. Pip pip, cheerio and someone mail me something to eat ASAP, care of Queen Elizabeth.
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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.sethrudetsky.com.
04 Aug 2009
On Wednesday, I interviewed the fabulous Klea Blackhurst at my Sirius/XM "Live on Broadway" show. Klea is performing her brilliant tribute to Ethel Merman, Everything the Traffic Will Allow, on Saturdays at 5 PM at the Snapple Theater. Her show is full of amazing Ethel Merman lore that's incredibly researched mixed with tons of Merman's well-known and not as well-known hits sung with Klea's brassy voice. Go to KleaBlackhurst.com for tickets and watch her incredible version of "Blow Gabriel Blow" from the Rosie cruise, (including actual Ethel Merman scat singing) at http://sethrudetsky.com/blog/. We were comparing Merman stories and I told her one of my favorites. Don Pippin (Tony Award-winning music director of Oliver!, Mame, A Chorus Line) told me that he was conducting Woman of the Year starring Lauren Bacall. If you've ever heard Ms. Bacall sing, you'll know that she has a very distinctive singing voice. Essentially, take her speaking voice, add no vibrato to it, and there it is. Well, cut to one performance when Don noticed Ethel Merman sitting a few rows behind the orchestra pit. The show started and Lauren Bacall entered in a glamorous outfit. Don said that she stepped downstage, started singing and after just two measures Merman exclaimed, "JE-SUS CHRIST!" Of course, in keeping with Merman's signature vocal chops, even though she was in the audience, the comment sounded like it was mic'd.
Klea Blackhurst Aubrey Reuben
ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: Between Texas and England
Annoyingly, when I auditioned, I told them the story about how when I did Grease, the guy playing Doody was out and, even though I was just the pianist, I went on for him! Of course, it got translated that I played Doody on Broadway. Excellent. It was fun to have to keep telling everyone I ran into: a.) No, it wasn't Broadway. It was a summer stock theatre in suburban Connecticut, and b.) it's not true that I "must have an amazing voice" since I sang "Magic Changes." Quite frankly, I didn't even sing the song. The night I went on, they gave it to Kenickie. I essentially read some lines and danced the hand jive. Comments A and B were usually followed by silence and British staring. That means staring with an essence of fish 'n' chips. Speaking of which, let's discuss the food. At breakfast, they offered white and black pudding. James wanted to eat what the natives do so he ladled it onto his plate. Mmm…could it be white and dark chocolate pudding for breakfast? Get me some dual citizenship ASAP. Well, better stop fantasizing because first of all, it's not actually pudding, it's hard round circles. Since when are hard round circles considered pudding? I guess then I can say that because I walked around all day in shoes that were too tight, I now have pudding on my heels. Second of all, we were told that the white "pudding" is some kind of vegetarian something and the black "pudding" is made up of the innards of a pig. What could be more delicious than the various innards of a pig all in a uniform dark color? I'm sure it's black for a very good reason having nothing to do the black plague.
