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Volunteer Profile: Seth Rudetsky
During his early days as an entertainer in New York, Seth Rudetsky never had to wait tables, deliver packages or answer phones. His secret? “Note to young people: Don’t quit piano lessons,” says this actor/comedian/arranger/director/soon-to-be published novelist and DJ. “I was always able to get a job because everybody needs a pianist. Even a show with a one-person pit will make it a piano.” A Long-Island native, Oberlin College graduate, talented musician, and acknowledged musical theatre Britannica, Seth has played piano in the pits of 15 Broadway shows, including The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime and The Producers. Always working and in demand, in the past few years Seth’s schedule has gotten still busier as he divides his time between an impressive and exhausting list of projects. He wrote and starred in Rhapsody in Seth—an autobiographical Off-Broadway hit, plays Susan Lucci’s choreographer on “All My Children,” transformed a shy girl into a belting “sasstress” on MTV’s “Made,” earned a handful of Emmy nominations writing for “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” and in recent years has served as artistic producer/music director of the Actors’ Fund’s annual concert, including this year’s production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. But there’s more. He’s currently promoting his first book “The Q Guide to Broadway,” editing a draft of his first novel, and hosting two shows on Sirius Satellite Radio. It’s no shock that Sirius management snapped up the fast-talking Seth for their Broadway network, but a bit of a surprise that he’s also a host on “The Beat,” a dance remix channel. “I had nooo idea what the music was, but it has wound up going well because I just made fun of the song titles and the artists,” he explains. But Never Too Busy for BC/EFA And, on Monday, November 6, Seth will be center stage at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, hosting a modern “Kollege of Musical Knowledge” titled Seth’s Broadway 101— an evening of divas, belting and hostile opinions. Professor Rudetsky will be joined by Performers Laura Benanti (The Wedding Singer), Manoel Feliciano (Sweeney Todd), Pamela Meyers (Into the Woods), Brandi Chayonne Massey (Wicked) and author/actor Charles Busch (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife), a full singing/dancing ensemble and a 25-piece orchestra. (click here to learn more about this event) Playing Favorites “Seeing the mortifying videos is ah-maz-hing. Watching Kristin Chenoweth lose the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant and angrily walk past the other contestants merited three rewinds!”
To buy BC/EFA Benefit Tickets for this event click here. For more on Seth’s Broadway Chatterbox and/or to buy DVDs of past interviews, visit Seth’s site at http://www.sethsbroadwaychatterbox.com/home.htm
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By Andy Smith