Seth Rudetsky
Seth Rudetsky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 28, 1967 New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Oberlin College |
| Occupations | Musician, actor, writer, radio host |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse |
James Wesley (m. 2012) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | sethrudetsky |
Seth Dennis[citation needed] Rudetsky (born February 28, 1967) is an American musician, actor, writer, and radio host. He is the host of Seth's Big Fat Broadway and Seth Speaks on Sirius/XM satellite radio's On Broadway.[1] The show is about Broadway theater 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 like 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
[edit]Rudetsky was born in Queens, New York, on February 28, 1967[3] and grew up in North Woodmere, New York on Long Island.[4] He graduated from Hewlett High School in Hewlett, New York, and Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio in 1988, with a degree in Piano Performance.[5]
Career
[edit]Acting
[edit]Rudetsky 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.[6] He appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of The Ritz from September 2007 through December 2007. Also in 2007, he appeared as a contestant on Episode No. 111 of the US version of Cash Cab.[7] He was a vocal coach for the contestants on Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods, on MTV. He appeared in January 2008 in a regional production in Northport, New York of Lend Me a Tenor.[8] He appeared in “Spare Some Change: NYC Artists for Barack Obama”, directed by Ryan Mekenian in 2008, alongside Shaina Taub, Carrie Manolakos, Joe Iconis, Lindsay Mendez, and Celia Keenan-Bolger.[9]
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 at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan on June 18, 2012. On Thursday evenings,[timeframe?] he hosts Seth's Broadway Chatterbox, a one-hour talk show, at Don't Tell Mama on 46th Street in Manhattan.
Rudetsky began a website called SETH TV.[10] The site had video archives and a $5/month subscription fee for exclusive content. He posted video "deconstructions" on the website in which he deconstructs (analyzes) the singing voices of Broadway performers.[11] On November 4, 2013, Disaster!, a musical comedy starring Rudetsky and written by Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick, opened Off-Broadway at the St. Luke's Theatre. The show parodied 1970s disaster movies and received positive reviews, with The New York Times commending its "inspired lunacy".[12] After a three-year run off-Broadway, Disaster! opened at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway in 2016.
Writing
[edit]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 in 1999 and 2000. Rudetsky also wrote the opening number for seven Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competitions and wrote for Gypsy of the Year shows of theirs.
Rudetsky had a short story "My First Story" included in the 2005 anthology Fresh Men 2: New Voice in Gay Fiction. In 2006, his book The Q Guide to Broadway was published by Alyson Books.[13] and his novel Broadway Nights, was published by Alyson Books in 2007.[14] In 2012, his first young adult novel, My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan, was published by Random House.[15] In 2015, he released a sequel, The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek, also published by Random House.[16]
Musicianship
[edit]Rudetsky is an accomplished musician. He has a degree in piano performance from Oberlin College and has accompanied Patti LuPone in concert, where he demonstrated a talent for on-sight transposition. In addition, Rudetsky conducted the orchestra at the November 30, 2007, special performance "Light the Lights--Broadway is Back" end-of-the-strike celebration.[17] He composed the opening numbers for the 1998 and 2000 Tony Awards.
Personal life
[edit]Rudetsky is gay. He married producer James Wesley in 2012,[18] and they have a daughter, Juli.[19] His brother Michael Rudetsky died at Boy George's mansion in North London, England in 1986. The cause was reportedly a 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. He was a keyboardist, guitarist and writer who had worked with Cyndi Lauper, Kool & the Gang, and Joan Jett.[20]
On March 18, 2024, Seth Rudetsky signed an open letter[21] criticizing Jonathan Glazer's acceptance speech at the 96th Academy Awards. During his speech, Glazer denounced Israel calling for an end to the Gaza war.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ "On Broadway - The Best Broadway Show Tunes Past & Present". SiriusXM. July 6, 2023.
- ^ "Seth Rudetsky's Big Fat Broadway Live!". Bell Theater. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ "Seth Rudetsky". Internet Broadway Database. August 29, 2025.
- ^ 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."
- ^ 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.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (November 25, 2006), "Torch Song Trilogy — with Chatterbox's Seth Rudetsky", Playbill, retrieved November 29, 2020
- ^ Rudetsky, Seth (June 4, 2007), "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: The Setup", Playbill, retrieved November 29, 2020
- ^ Rudetsky, Seth (January 21, 2008). "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: "Broadway Nights" and a West End Star". Playbill. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ "White, Brier, Rudetsky, Ralston, and More Will Be Part of Obama Fundraiser Spare Some Change". Playbill. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ "SethTv.com About page, July 1, 2012". Archived from the original on August 28, 2012.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ Rudetsky, Seth (2007). Broadway Nights: A Romp of Life, Love, and Musical Theatre. Alyson. ISBN 978-1593500108.
- ^ Rudetsky, Seth (2012). My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan. Random House. ISBN 978-0375869150.
- ^ Rudetsky, Seth (2015). The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek. Random House Children's Books. ISBN 978-0449816721.
- ^ Rudetsky, Seth (December 3, 2007). "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: A Momentous Week". Playbill.
- ^ Rudetsky, Seth (October 22, 2012). "ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: Wedding Bells for Seth and James". Playbill.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "American Found Dead In Boy George's Home", The New York Times, August 7, 1986, retrieved October 28, 2007
- ^ "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.
- ^ "'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.
External links
[edit]- 1967 births
- 20th-century American Jews
- 21st-century American Jews
- American gay actors
- American gay writers
- American LGBTQ musicians
- American LGBTQ screenwriters
- American male journalists
- American radio personalities
- Gay Jews
- George W. Hewlett High School alumni
- Jewish American journalists
- Jewish American male actors
- Jewish American musicians
- Living people
- Male actors from New York (state)
- Musicians from New York (state)
- Oberlin Conservatory of Music alumni
- People from North Woodmere, New York
- Radio personalities from New York (state)