Seth Rudetsky

Seth Rudetsky brings Broadway to Dallas with a little help from his friends

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com

Broadway heads to Dallas this month, thanks to one man. Writer, musician, actor and radio host Seth Rudetskey is coming to town — and he won’t be alone.

Rudetsky stages Seth’s Broadway Concert Series on Tuesday, May 23, at the Majestic Theatre. The show is presented by local company Lyric Stage and features Jessie Mueller, star of Waitress and the Tony Award winner for Beautiful.

Seth Rudetsky joins forces with Jessie Mueller for the Dallas show of Seth’s Broadway Concert Series

Mueller will perform her signature show tunes, but Rudetskey describes his series as not your typical Broadway revue.

Rudetsky penned the musical Disaster, but these days his popularity stems from his Sirius XM show Seth Speaks, as well as the concert series, his Broadway cruise and his show deconstruction videos on YouTube.

While still in New York with his husband, James Wesley, Rudetsky spoke with Dallas Voice about bringing his show to the area, elaborating on what audiences will get to experience, and on his own ties to Dallas.

Dallas Voice: We’re still a few days away from the show. Is it too early to welcome you to Dallas? Seth Rudetsky: Thank you. I can’t wait to be back.

What led to you bring this show here? It’s a big theater town. I’m friends with Cara Serber who was in Disaster there. and I know (Lyric Stage’s) Catherine Carpenter [from] when we were in Godspell. Plus, my husband was born in Dallas. He’s done shows there, so it will be nice to be back. Plus, my favorite place is Black Eyed Pea.

Ohhh…ummm…about that… Don’t tell me it’s closed. I also love La Madeleine.

Well, the Oak Lawn one is no longer there, but it’s still around. Back to the show: Not only are you presenting the show, it’s with Jessie Mueller. When I was asked for my top choice, she was it. She does everything: classic songs, pop, Broadway. She’s also really cross-generational, so her appeal is wide.

How do you describe your show? I love Broadway stars and Broadway. What I can’t stand is this scripted banter and their signature songs. That just makes it feel not-special to me. I started doing these shows where I interview the star, and then they sing their songs, but we start adding songs. They start to trust me where I lead them, and so the audience will hear these unique Broadway stories and hear other songs they might not expect.

Do you also perform or mostly host the night? Yeah, we’ll do duets. When we had Audra McDonald, we did “The Rose” as a duet. I’ve sung with Jessie. I sang Evita songs with Patti. I’m a fan of these people, and, really, I’m just totally fanning out onstage. This is the dream concert I always wanted.

You’ve really used theater and Broadway to do way more than entertain. I used to volunteer with an organization making food that was delivered to AIDS patients. But I’m no chef. I [knew I] could help people with my own talents and skill set. I teamed up with my husband and started working to help with social justice causes.

Wesley: I can’t help but remark about mixing social justice and theater and especially Jessie. She’s someone who really puts her talent where her mouth is and is such a strong activist for many causes. She will call us, and we’re always like “What can we do?”

Seth and I have the same passion, and we’re just so fortunate to be friends with some of the most talented people in the world, and they trust us. And during the pandemic, Seth did a lot of things for the Broadway community.

How is it to work together with your husband? We are so on the same page. James is so good with vision where I’m quick with the writing, and I just think it’s great. We really do love working with each other. Coming back with him is exciting. The night before are the Schmidt and Jones Awards (which honors high school music theater), and we’re looking forward to that and adding some of that local talent to join Jessie onstage.
Wesley: Seth also hasn’t been to the Majestic. It’s like a Broadway theater here. I can’t wait for him to see it.

For tickets to Seth’s Broadway Concert Series with Jessie Mueller, visit LyricStage.org.