by Susan Daniels
“Broadway @ the Huntington” series – Performance by Chita Rivera and hosted by Seth Rudetsky. Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston, October 13, at 5 and 8 p.m. Produced by Mark Cortale Productions.
By all accounts, you can call him Mr. Broadway. A multi-hyphenate, who always enjoys what he does, Seth Rudetsky will be spinning his magic in “Broadway @ the Huntington,” when he acts as host and music director for the ten-time Tony nominee and three time Tony Award-winning actress, singer, dancer Chita Rivera, who will perform hits from her vast musical theater repertoire Saturday, at the Calderwood Pavilion, in two shows, at 5 and 8 p.m.
“As one of the creators of Broadway, as we know it, this is extra special with Chita. She’s done so many Broadway shows, so many megahits and theme songs. It’s shocking how many incredible shows she’s done, how many roles she’s created, how much unbelievable music she’s sung,” said Rudetsky a mover and shaker in his own right, who co-created the series with Mark Cortale in 2011, at Provincetown’s Art House Theater. An immediate success, the format quickly expanded to multiple venues worldwide, where a hit parade of Broadway performers, singing a dozen songs from their “storied careers and personal journeys,” have been welcomed by this theater enthusiast.
“Chita’s been in the business for over 50 years,” Rudetsky said. “There’s a crazy mass of material to cover. She’s done the biggest hits on Broadway. I’m not talking to a kid who just started out.”
Billed as “a seamless mix of intimate, behind-the-scenes stories prompted by Rudetsky’s funny, insightful and revealing questions,” the performance will showcase Rivera’s hits from her Broadway career, drawing on the roles she originated as Anita in “West Side Story,” Rose Grant in “Bye Bye Birdie,” and Velma Kelly in “Chicago,” as well as a stunning galaxy of productions she performed in — “Can-Can,” “Jerry’s Girls,” “Nine,” “The Rink,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” and “The Visit,” among others.
“She’s a legend . . . an original,” gushed musician, actor, radio host, author, playwright, theater and record producer Rudetsky.
Growing up in Woodmere, New York, his fascination with all things Broadway began as a young child, where he was part of “an artistic family, in terms of appreciation.
“My parents always had tickets for Broadway. We had tons of records, and music was always playing in our house. That’s how I learned a lot of shows. My older sister played piano. All the pieces I heard her play, I wanted to play,” said Rudetsky, who has been tinkling the ivories since age five. “My other sister,” he added, “was in all the school plays, and I helped her learn her lines. Also, I took dance classes . . . a lot of what I’m doing now.
“At dinner, everyone was always talking fast. Telling the funniest stories. It was a lively household,” recalled Rudetsky, whose pleasing pitter-patter and charming banter, exhibited in a recent telephone interview – as well as his “Broadway at” concert series— no doubt, took root from these family dynamics.
A first class schmoozer, Rudesky, 51, draws on these skills when hosting Sirius/XM Radio’s “On Broadway” and “Seth Speaks” on Sirius/XM Stars, where both shows focus on his knowledge of theater history and trivia. “Seth’s Big Fat Broadway Show, “a one-man tour-de-force,” according to the press release, deconstructs performances by beloved Broadway divas – Patti LuPone, Betty Buckley, Barbra Streisand – assisted by his extensive audio/video collection.
As a pianist, Rudetsky has played for more than a dozen Broadway shows, including “Ragtime,” “Les Miz,” and “Phantom.” Additionally, he wrote two novels – “My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan” and the sequel, “The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek” – as well as three volumes of “Seth’s Broadway Diaries.” He, also, writes a weekly column on playbill.com.
Additionally, he co-wrote and co-starred in the musical-comedy spoof, “Disaster!,” on Broadway and London’s West End. And co-produced an all-star recording of “What the World Needs Now,” which went to #1 on iTunes and raised $100,000 for victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting.
On October 15th, Rudetsky will receive the Sandy Fund Award, sponsored by the Humane Society of New York, in recognition of his “concern and support of the needs of rescued animals.”
Oh, there are Broadway cruises with well known stars, cabaret benefit with more well known performers, television appearances, acting and conducting gigs. Much too long to recap in it entirety, the C.V. list goes on and on . . .
As for random jewels culled during the interview, herewith are several total delights:
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST THEATER MEMORY? “My parents took me to see “Hair” when I was four years old. I don’t remember much about the show, but I do remember my mother’s giant hand covering my eyes,” {in what, he later learned, was the nude scene}.
WHAT’S A FAVORITE ANECDOTE FOR “DECONSTRUCTING BROADWAY? “I use to play songs for friends in college. I noticed Barbra Streisand changing a ’t’ to a ‘d’ and wondered why. I created a comedy act around it, and people were laughing. {Years later} I went to LA to perform the show, and who is in audience? Barbra! I was deconstructing Barbra Streisand for Barbra Streisand. After the show, she asked why I changed the ’t’ and ‘d’. I said because you did in the song. She didn’t even realize that. Something I did in my dorm room, I do all over country and for the artist herself. It’s a fun way to live life.”
IF YOU HAD ALL THE RESOURCES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? “I’d control everything on Broadway. Give notes to every, single show. Put out all kinds of shows people would want to see. Have a full orchestra for every musical. Employ actors. All the things that drive me crazy wouldn’t be there anymore. Like the nine person band in ‘Mama Mia,’ instead of a full orchestra. The whole sound of Broadway has completely changed with the amplification of small bands.
WHAT’S IT LIKE WORKING WITH CHITA? “Very meaningful. I wasn’t alive when she did ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ To hear her perform these songs – live – were the songs I heard on my record player as a kid. It’s like going back in time and experiencing something I never thought I would ever see. Going back and hearing Anita sing ‘America.’ Like a time travel machine. People in the audience freak out. To hear her signature songs, see her use her physicality of characters . . . it’s truly thrilling. And she’s such an incredible dancer. She’s not even aware of her brilliance.”
As for Saturday’s show, there will be lots of laughs . . . perhaps, a few tears . . . and, of course, a selection of tunes synonymous with the inimitable Rivera.
“Oh, my G!d, you’re going to love this!” Rudetsky declares. The story, the song. It’s the most unique show, if you like Broadway.”
Shifting from a state of high enthusiasm to a more reflective one, he adds, “I enjoy making people aware of how much great art is out there. It’s the crux of everything I do. It’s the only time you get to see someone go into the past and talk about things they’ve never talked about before. And to hear songs coming from the source.”
