ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: Visiting Sutton Foster Backstage; Loving Linda Lavin; the Return of Chatterbox

By Seth Rudetsky
03 Jan 2012

Seth and Eliana with Sutton
Seth and Eliana with Sutton

A week in the life of actor, radio host, music director and writer Seth Rudetsky.

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I am writing this end of the year wrap-up/looking-forward-to-the-new-year column in Provincetown at the lovely Anchor Inn Beach House with my fireplace a-burnin'. Ahhhh. So…here's all the fun stuff that's coming up this year. First off, I am bringing back Seth's Broadway Chatterbox! I stopped it when I was doing [title of show] at the George Street Playhouse because I had to leave NYC at 6 PM to make the curtain. After the show closed, I decided to take a little breather from the Chatterbox because I'd been doing it for 11 years and was slightly exhausted. Well, my "little breather" had the essence of the father "going out for a pack of cigarettes" and then completely skipping town because I took a year off from the show. But now, it's finally back. If you don't know, Seth's Broadway Chatterbox is a weekly live talk show (with delicious performances) at Don't Tell Mama in midtown.The $10 admission fee goes to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Proceeds from sales of DVDs of the show go to BC/EFA, too. There are so many DVDs to choose from at www.SethsBroadwayChatterbox.com, and here's a highlight of one of them: Raul Esparza singing an impromptu version of "Defying Gravity." My first show will feature the cast of Lysistrata Jones (along with the book writer Douglas Carter Beane) Make reservations by calling (212) 757-0788.

The week began with my adorable nieces visiting NYC with my sis and her husband. Eliana (the younger one) and I went to see Anything Goes and loved it. After the title song, Eliana was so completely breathless that she literally wanted her inhaler. I don't know if she was over-excited from the amazing Broadway dancing or if she inherited the patented Rudetsky co-dependence — connecting too deeply, emotionally, with the out-of-breath dancers that she herself couldn't breathe. Either way, I'm passing along the number of my therapist. After the show, we went backstage and chatted with Sutton Foster about the TV pilot she recently filmed. It's called "Bunheads" and she plays a Las Vegas dancer who hits bottom when she tries out for the Vegas production of Chicago and doesn't get it. She goes on a bender, marries a random guy, moves to his small town and finds herself teaching at the local dance studio. I asked her if she had to audition and it was sort of yes/no. In other words, she had to fly out to L.A. for an audition but she was the only one being considered for the role. Brava! She knew she had to take the pilot because it was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who created TV's "Gilmore Girls," which was Sutton's favorite TV show. Sutton took a picture with me and Eliana after the show completely sans make-up, or, as she told us, "keeping it real."

 Continued...