By Seth Rudetsky
02 Nov 2009

	Chad Kimball and Montego Glover in Memphis
	photo by Joan Marcus

For those of you who have asked, yes, we are still looking for an apartment. I've definitely gotten more annoyed with realtor double-talk. I walked into an apartment and when I saw the fireplace I asked excitedly, "Does it work?" and the realtor had the nerve to use the old chestnut, "It's a decorative fireplace." A simple "no" would have sufficed. I glared and said, "Decorative? You mean broken." What kind of fake positive spin is that? What's decorative about a hole in your wall that doesn't do anything?

On Wednesday I interviewed the two stars of Memphis: Montego Glover and Chad Kimball. Chad has been sick like I've been but he's old-school and has not missed a show. Brava! I talked to Montego about doing Color Purple and she had the soul-destroying job of understudying a star. When Fantasia was out of the show, Montego would have to go on. And, yes, she told me that when they announced it to the audience, she would hear the boos. But she said that it didn't affect her at all. Hmm…maybe she thought of the boos as "decorative" cheers?

Both she and Chad have been involved with the show from the beginning...six years! Yowza! It takes so long to get shows to Broadway. And, apparently, to London (re: 1991 Chorus Line).

At the Chatterbox, I interviewed Tituss Burgess and Donnie Kehr who are some of the singers tonight (Nov. 2) in Rockers on Broadway (go to www.rockersonBroadway.com for details). Donnie has had such a cool, New York show-biz life. He got his first Broadway play, Legend in 1976 when he was just a 'tween. His Mom brought him to the theatre for his first day of rehearsal and when he went backstage he saw Elizabeth Ashley standing in front of her dressing room…completely nude. His mother kindly asked if Elizabeth would put on a robe and she complied. I don't get it, though. It's one thing to be naked inside your dressing room, but why stand outside of it? What was she waiting for? Does the M104 bus run through the second floor of the Belasco?

Donnie also created the role of Bazzard in The Mystery of Edwin Drood when the show was at the Delacorte in Central Park. When it was about to go to Broadway, he got a record deal with his brothers and was asked to go on tour as the opening act for Journey. The four months conflicted with the rehearsal period of Drood so he turned down the Broadway transfer. Well, turns out the four month tour lasted two weeks! He immediately called the director, Wilford Leach, who had the depressing job of telling him that they already cast his part. Ouch. But the non-devastating part is when the show was nominated for all of its Tony Awards, Wilford asked Donnie to come because he had been responsible in the forming of the show.

Donnie also did The Happy Time by Kander and Ebb at Goodspead and, because Donnie grew up without a father, Fred Ebb told him that he would function as his godfather. That led to Donnie meeting Liza Minnelli and eventually being invited to the wedding. You know what wedding I mean. He told us that it got delayed because, naturally, Elizabeth Taylor arrived and realized that she forgot her shoes. That happens to me a lot. I get somewhere, look down, and see that I'm not wearing shoes. It's definitely not something bizarre that just happens to movie stars. It's an everyday problem that needs to be addressed.

On Sunday, James and I were late and running down 46th Street when we ran into Scott Ellis. He asked where we were going and I told him we were seeing a show and, after a minute of trying to remember the name of it, I remembered: "The Understudy!" I said, with a smile. We were then doubly busted because Scott sassily said, "First of all, that's the show I directed." And then followed it by looking at his watch and saying, "And it starts now." Ouchy. It only would have been worse if I had looked down and seen that, yet again, I forgot my shoes.

OK. Tonight I'm off to the Shubert Theater to do a section from Broadway 101 at the 10th anniversary benefit for Only Make Believe. Happy November and enjoy that delicious extra hour of sleep!

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.