On May 30, a host of leading men from the worlds of Broadway and cabaret will take part in the concert, conceived and organized by Playbill.com columnist Wayman Wong. The 7 PM concert, which will feature musical direction by Seth Rudetsky, is scheduled to include the talents of Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter, Tim Di Pasqua, Tom D'Angora, Brian and Ted Farley, Barrett Foa, Danny Gurwin, Cheyenne Jackson, Matthew Morrison, Jai Rodriguez and Christopher Sieber. Alan Muraoka will direct.
In a statement, writer Wong said, "In January 2003, Playbill.com first asked me to start 'The Leading Men' column to showcase the great guys of Broadway and cabaret. By June 2005, we figure that we'll have interviewed 100 of them. What better way to celebrate that landmark than to feature a dozen of those terrific talents and raise money for a great cause? It ought to be a blast.'' The one-night-only evening will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
John Tartaglia made his Broadway debut in Avenue Q. He received a Tony nomination, a Theatre World Award and the Clarence Derwent Award for that performance. The young actor also appeared in the Children of Eden and Hair benefit concerts and in the City Center Encores! presentation of Carnival. His TV credits include eight seasons on "Sesame Street" as well as "Animal Jam," "Bear in the Big Blue House," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." Tartaglia was recently seen in the Empty-Handed concerts at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and has performed solo evenings at the Ars Nova and Joe's Pub. His final performance in Avenue Q was Jan. 30.
Creator and host of Seth's Broadway Chatterbox, Seth Rudetsky has served as a pit pianist and/or conductor for such Broadway shows as 42nd Street, The Full Monty, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia! and The Producers. He also conceived the idea for the recent all-star Hair concert to benefit the Actors' Fund of America as well as the three previous benefit concerts, Chess, Funny Girl and Dreamgirls. Rudetsky was a member of the comedy writing team for "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" for two years, and his awards include the Duplex's Stars of Tomorrow, the Backstage Bistro and the Funniest Gay Male in New York. He was also the author and star of the recent one man, GLAAD nominated show Rhapsody in Seth.
Wayman Wong edits entertainment for The New York Daily News. He has been a movie and theater critic for The San Francisco Examiner, a writer for The Sondheim Review and a Drama-Logue Award-winning playwright. His "Leading Men" column runs monthly on Playbill.com. Tickets, priced at $40, are available by calling (212) 539-8778 or (212) 239 6200. Joe's Pub is located within the Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street.
