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Spring cleaning! And by "spring" I mean "fall." This week we re-signed our lease, and the landlord had our downstairs painted. Instead of boring white, James and I wanted some fun colors. Unfortunately, we have terrible taste. Andrea Martin has an amazing eye, and her New York apartment and Toronto house are both beautifully decorated. So, I texted her and asked for some advice about what colors we should choose. She, of course, suggested that we get various samples and paint each one on the wall to pick which one looks best. Apparently, she didn't know that I have a combination of Adult ADD mixed with an insatiable desire for immediate gratification. In other words, the time for trying various samples was completely past. By the time I was at the Janovic Plaza, the painter was standing in my apartment, impatiently waiting to begin. Andrea suggested various tasteful, muted colors. James and I took her suggestion under advisement… and picked out blue and yellow instead. I thought perhaps Andrea would see the colors we chose and give me a major thumbs up. Instead, the text I received from her said: "Easter Egg time." I was a nervous wreck to see what it would look like, but now that it's painted it looks great. And, it's like we're living inside an Easter egg basket.

Besides the painting, this week was also exciting because my novel, "Broadway Nights," has been re-published by a new publisher. Vantage Press re-released the book, and my editor, Joe Pittman, asked me to write a sassy new intro. He also suggested I ask one of my friends to write a new foreword. Since the book is about Broadway, he wanted one of my Broadway friends. I decided to ask Audra McDonald, even though I knew she's always super busy. She said yes right away and then I didn't hear anything from her for weeks. The day it was due, I wrote to her, and she sent me back a document with the comment "This is probably bad." It was very Kelly Clarkson on "American Idol." Every time Kelly would sound amazing, she'd pretend to be shocked that the judges lauded her. Or she'd belt a crazy F and then haul out the ol' "I have laryngitis." Watch my deconstruction of one of her "laryngitis" performances.

	Audra McDonald
	photo by Michael Wilson

It's July of 2010 and I am at a lovely resort in Ixtapa Mexico performing for wonderful LGBT families and friends as a part of R family vacations entertainment. I am in the middle of singing "I Could Have Danced All Night" when the Entertainment coordinator/Music Director/ pianist decided to modulate an already high song even higher forcing me to sing a note (d-flat) I had not yet ever sung in public. I hit the note, finished the song… and flipped him off. (YouTube it). Flashback 17 years to Paul Recital Hall at the Juilliard School of music…I am performing in my senior recital singing "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" as an encore. I get to the end of the bridge headed to the final "A" section when the pianist/ new friend/ music director (of the sassy part of my classical recital) decides to modulate to a new key forcing me to belt a note I had not yet ever belted in the hallowed halls of Juilliard. I belted the note, finished the song, and flipped him off. (You can't YouTube it as I own the only copy of the video and doubt that I will ever upload it.) The pianist at each of these 2 events in my musical life (and hundreds more in the 21 years I have known him) was Seth Rudetsky. In his own funny, audacious, skilled (transposing on-site mid-performance, folks!) and annoying way he pushed me out of my comfort zone in to new uncharted territory and was the first to greet me with applause and "Brava's" on the other side. He made me better. He makes everything he is a part of better. He does all of this because of his deep and passionate love of musical theater and every aspect that it encompasses. There is no one I know who is more obsessed with, knowledgeable about or more dedicated to musical theater than Seth Rudetsky. It is quite literally in his blood. It's not enough that he has already established himself as an incredible pianist (with serious classical chops), accompanist, vocal coach, stand up comedian, comedy writer, producer and musical director. It's so much more than that. He's carved out a unique niche in the world of musical theater for himself. He has made the world of musical theater a better, richer, and much funnier place. If there were a Student body president of Musical Theater then Broadway Seth Rudetsky would be it.

How sweet is that? Besides the flipping me off part…twice. You can get the new and improved "Broadway Nights" right here! And, one of my fave writers, Michael Musto, did a column about the new foreword. I always love his hilarious call-backs, so spot how the end of the column is a bust on the brouhaha surrounding Porgy and Bess being re-named The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.