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Seth Rudetsky

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Seth Rudetsky
Born
Seth Dennis Rudetsky

(1967-02-28) February 28, 1967 (age 57)
North Woodmere, New York
EducationOberlin College
Occupation(s)Musician, actor, writer, radio host
Years active1998–present
SpouseJames Wesley (m. 2012)
Children1
Websitesethrudetsky.com

Seth Dennis Rudetsky (born February 28, 1967) is an American musician, actor, writer and radio host. He currently is the host of Seth's Big Fat Broadway and Seth Speaks on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's On Broadway.[1] The show focuses on Rudetsky's knowledge of Broadway theatre history and trivia.

In March 2020, Rudetsky and his husband created a daily live-streamed web series Stars in the House to benefit The Actors Fund in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Rudetsky hosted Seth Rudetsky's Big Fat Broadway Live! with various Broadway stars including Mandy Gonzalez, Sierra Boggess, Adam Pascal, J Harrison Ghee, and Krysta Rodriguez at the Bell Theater in Holmdel, New Jersey once a month from August to December for his "Broadway Concert Series".[2]

Early life and education

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Rudetsky grew up in North Woodmere, New York.[3] He graduated from Hewlett High School in Hewlett, New York, and Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in 1988 with a degree in Piano Performance.[4]

Career

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Acting

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He wrote and performed in a one-man show called Rhapsody in Seth in 2003. He often tours with variations on his one-man show. He appeared in the Series Finale of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. From November 27 through December 10, 2006, he starred in an Off-Off-Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy.[5]

He appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of The Ritz from September 2007 through December 2007. Also in 2007, Rudetsky appeared as a contestant on Episode No. 111 of the US version of Cash Cab.[6] He also appeared in the MTV reality show Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods as a vocal coach for the contestants throughout the competition. He appeared in January 2008 in a regional production (Northport, Long Island, New York) of Lend Me a Tenor.[7]

On August 30, 2010, Rudetsky appeared with two-time Tony-winner Sutton Foster in a one-night-only concert performance of They're Playing Our Song at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater. On June 18, 2012. On Thursday evenings,[timeframe?] he hosts Seth's Broadway Chatterbox, a one-hour talk show, at a New York City club, Don't Tell Mama on 46th Street.

Rudetsky started a website called SETH TV.[8] The site had archives of video and a $5/month subscription fee for exclusive content. Rudetsky posts video "deconstructions" to his web site in which he deconstructs the singing voices of Broadway performers.[9]

On November 4, 2013, Disaster!, a musical comedy starring Rudetsky and written by both Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick, opened Off-Broadway at the St. Luke's Theatre. The show, which parodies 1970's disaster movies, has earned largely positive reviews, with The New York Times praising its "inspired lunacy".[10] After a three-year run off-Broadway, Disaster! opened at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway in 2016.

Writing

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Rudetsky was nominated for the Emmy Award three times for his work as a comedy writer for The Rosie O'Donnell Show. He was a writer for the Grammy Award shows of 1999 and 2000. Rudetsky also wrote the opening number for seven Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competitions and has been responsible for many of their Gypsy of the Year shows.

Rudetsky had his short story "My First Story" included in the 2005 anthology Fresh Men 2: New Voice in Gay Fiction. The next year, his book The Q Guide to Broadway was published by Alyson Books.[11] This was followed in 2007 by the release of his novel Broadway Nights, also published by Alyson Books.[12] In 2012, his first young adult novel, My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan, was published by Random House.[13] In 2015, he released a sequel, The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek, also published by Random House.[14]

Musicianship

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In addition to being a writer and an authority on the music of the Broadway stage, Rudetsky is also an accomplished musician. Having majored in Piano Performance at Oberlin, he has gone on to perform in a variety of shows, including accompanying Patti LuPone in concert, where he also demonstrated a talent for on-sight transposition. In addition, Rudetsky has also displayed a skill for conducting, leading the orchestra for the November 30, 2007, special performance "Light the Lights--Broadway is Back" end-of-the-strike celebration.[15]

Rudetsky also composed the opening numbers for the 1998 and 2000 Tony Awards.

Personal life

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Rudetsky is gay. He married producer James Wesley in 2012[16] and they have a daughter, Juli.[17]

His brother Michael Rudetsky died at Boy George's London mansion in 1986. The cause was reportedly heroin overdose, although no drug paraphernalia was found at the scene. Michael was 27 years old and a well-respected musician in pop music circles when he died. He was a keyboardist, guitarist and writer who had worked with Cyndi Lauper, Kool & the Gang, and Joan Jett.[18]

On March 18, 2024, Rudetsky signed an open letter[19] which criticized Jonathan Glazer's acceptance speech at the 96th Academy Awards. Glazer used his acceptance speech to denounce Israel's decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories and the ongoing Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "On Broadway - The Best Broadway Show Tunes Past & Present". SiriusXM. July 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Seth Rudetsky's Big Fat Broadway Live!". Bell Theater. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  3. ^ Gans, Andrew (May 7, 2003). "Rhapsody in Seth's Rudetsky Fights Back With Santorum Fund". Playbill. Retrieved November 29, 2020. "In his self-penned, one-man show directed by Peter Flynn — Rhapsody in Seth — Seth Rudetsky recalls growing up in North Woodmere, Long Island, where he was praised for his musical gifts but ridiculed for being gay."
  4. ^ Kennedy, Kelli (February 28, 2014). "Seth Rudetsky, Broadway Pianist, Takes Center Stage Alongside Broadway Divas, Icons". HuffPost. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014.
  5. ^ Rudetsky, Seth (June 4, 2007), "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: The Setup", Playbill, retrieved November 29, 2020
  6. ^ Rudetsky, Seth (January 21, 2008). "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: "Broadway Nights" and a West End Star". Playbill. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "SethTv.com About page, July 1, 2012". Archived from the original on August 28, 2012.
  8. ^ "SethTV.com - Watch TV, the only place to get exclusive access to Seth's Reality Show". January 25, 2013. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013.
  9. ^ Isherwood, Charles. "Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Relive the '70's", The New York Times, November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  10. ^ Howard, James (May 2007), Broadway Book of the Month: The Q Guide to Broadway by Seth Rudetsky!, archived from the original on November 23, 2007, retrieved October 28, 2007
  11. ^ Rudetsky, Seth (2007). Broadway Nights: A Romp of Life, Love, and Musical Theatre. Alyson. ISBN 978-1593500108.
  12. ^ Rudetsky, Seth (2012). My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan. Random House. ISBN 978-0375869150.
  13. ^ Rudetsky, Seth (2015). The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek. Random House Children's Books. ISBN 978-0449816721.
  14. ^ Rudetsky, Seth (December 3, 2007). "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: A Momentous Week". Playbill.
  15. ^ Rudetsky, Seth (October 22, 2012). "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: Wedding Bells for Seth and James". Playbill.
  16. ^ Wallace, Debra (November 11, 2013). "Audiences Roar With Laughter for Seth Rudetsky's Disaster Movie Musical". PCM World News. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017.
  17. ^ "American Found Dead In Boy George's Home", The New York Times, August 7, 1986, retrieved October 28, 2007
  18. ^ "Over 1,000 Jewish Creatives and Professionals Have Now Denounced Jonathan Glazer's 'Zone of Interest' Oscars Speech in Open Letter (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. March 18, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  19. ^ "'We refute our Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked': Jonathan Glazer calls for end to Gaza attacks at Oscars". The Guardian. March 10, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
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