ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: A Week That Was Anything But "Boring"

By Seth Rudetsky
02 Aug 2010

Liz Callaway at Broadway Stands Up For Freedom
Liz Callaway at Broadway Stands Up For Freedom
Photo by Krissie Fullerton

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

Greetings from beautiful Provincetown. I'm gearing up to play Classical Varla Tuesday night, which is a fundraiser for the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod.

If you don't know, Varla Jean Merman is a character created by Jeff Roberson, and I must say that he's one of the most talented people I've ever met. If you've never seen Varla, get info about her at www.varlaonline.com and watch this hi-larious video. It's a video to the song "Dark Lady" by Cher. http://sethrudetsky.com/blog/. If you're in P-town, come see my show,
Listen to Seth's Podcast: A Week That Was Anything But "Boring"
Deconstructing Broadway, on Wednesday night at the Art House, and here's a video of the great Christine Pedi who's spending the summer out here doing her own show at the Post Office Cabaret. PS, the audience freaked out when she did Angela Lansbury as Mama Morton in Chicago. http://sethrudetsky.com/blog/.

Last week was chock full of Broadway. On Monday, I hosted and music directed the yearly fundraiser for the New York Civil Liberties Union called Broadway Stands Up For Freedom. Liz Callaway asked me a week ago if I wanted to see her music before we had tech rehearsal, and I tersely informed her I was a piano major at Oberlin Conservatory and was therefore an excellent sight-reader. Of course, she showed up with an impossible-to-play Sondheim piece. I immediately tried to contact Madeleine L'Engle to see if I could travel back in time so I'd be able to practice it in advance ("A Wrinkle In Time"? Anybody?). Lacking Madeleine's current contact information, I instead asked Liz if I could have five minutes to work on it. As I was clanking my way through, Liz threatened to record it and put it up on YouTube to get me back for all of my sassy deconstructions. Rude! If I didn't completely deserve her sass, I'd take this Liz Callaway lauding off my website: http://sethrudetsky.com/blog/2010/05/03/deconstructing-liz-callaway-in-baby/.

Anyhoo, the most bizarre/interesting/hilarious intro to a song came that night from Nellie McKay, who sang "Caribbean Time," one her new original songs. She told the audience that the song was appropriate for an NYCLU event because it was inspired by an event that had to do with freedom. She asked people if they ever went on vacation and forgot something, but then didn't want to buy it because they had so many at home. Well, she went to the Caribbean and forgot her sanitary napkins! She didn't want to buy new ones because she had so many at her apartment plus "they're bad for the environment." So, she pulled a Swiss Family Robinson and made her own. She put leaves and other natural things together and used it while she was away. She told everyone that it worked but was crazily lumpy. Well, while she was coming back into the country and going through the airport, she got stopped at airport security because they felt a lump during a random pat-down. She kept muttering that it was her homemade pad, but no one heard/understood so she finally had to loudly intone in the airport, "It's my time and that's my pad!!!!" I still didn't quite know what that had to do with the song, until she said that the original title was "Caribbean Time Of The Month." Brava?

On Wednesday I had Hunter Ryan Herdlicka at my Sirius/XM Live on Broadway show. He told us that he auditioned for A Little Night Music before he graduated Carnegie-Mellon, and he felt no nervousness because he figured he'd never get it. He did, however, go into a panic once they asked him to come back to sing for all the creative staff and Stephen Sondheim, whom he worships. Cut to the day of the call back, he gets on the elevator to go up to the audition room. Who gets on with him? Stephen Sondheim. They are the only people on the elevator. Finally, Hunter feels he has to acknowledge reality, so he said, "Hi, I'm Hunter. I'm here to sing for you." And, Sondheim said, "Hi, I'm Stephen. I'm here to listen to you." Simple, direct…awkward. Regardless, he got the gig, and I just saw it again with the new leads on Thursday. James and I were exhausted when we got to the theatre but immediately said it was worth it just to hear Elaine Stritch's opening scene. She really was amazing. Her comedy and acting is impeccable. And, Bernadette Peters is perfectly cast as Desiree. Of course, I always obsess about the weirdest aspects: For instance, I loved seeing Bernadette dance in the very opening waltz (even though she's hidden all the way in the back). Brava triple threat! I loved that at one point she hums along with something, and she does it in full soprano (most Desirees are smoky baritones), and I loved that her bustle dress made her look like Dot in Sunday in the Park. Brava call-back to her 80's Sondheim career! And, I must say again, Erin Davie was brilliant as Charlotte. She's so wry and full of self-hatred and unwilling/unable to change her life. It's an amazing performance, and I'm irritated she's not called out more for being fantastic in the show.

Seth with Hunter Ryan Herdlicka
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