Theatre Aspen will kick off a season of winter programming this month with a “Broadway Concert Series” at the Hotel Jerome.
The touring series is hosted by Seth Rudetsky — a musician, comedian, and SiriusXM personality with an encyclopedic knowledge of musical theater— who sprinkles interview questions between performances by notable stars. It’s more “freeform” than a scripted musical variety show, with plenty of time for deep conversations, Rudetsky told Aspen Public Radio.
“I just think these stories are so entertaining,” he said. “Let me bring … people on some kind of a show and let them really talk — not for like, 30 seconds — (and) really tell amazing stories.”
This Saturday, Rudetsky will talk to Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller known for her roles in “Waitress” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” And on Monday, he’ll chat with Ana Gasteyer, who starred as Elphaba in “Wicked.”
Gasteyer is best known for her time on Saturday Night Live, where she did impressions of Martha Stewart and Celine Dion and riffed on NPR with a segment called “Delicious Dish.”
She’s known Rudetsky for decades — they met in the gym at the NBC studios in New York when both were working on different TV shows — and she credits him for supporting her transition from the “last minute” world of late-night comedy to the “highly structured” one of Broadway.
The show will have a “fireside chat” feel to it, Gasteyer said in an interview with Aspen Public Radio this week.
“You really feel like you’ve spent the night with a couple of weird old friends, which is … always a good outcome to the theater, in my opinion,” she laughed.
Rudetsky is a fast-talking theater enthusiast who likes to punctuate his sentences with a piano riff. And he manages to get some shocking stories out of his guests — the kind “that should not be told in public,” Gasteyer said.
“He's just a great Broadway insider,” she said.
But according to Rudetsky, audiences don’t have to be diehard fans to appreciate the program. Stars have told him about comically embarrassing moments — like the time an actress peed on stage while trying to hold in her laughter — as well as triumphs in their careers. Rudetsky said he’s heard uplifting tales about determination and persistence that everyone can connect with.
“All these stories to me are either inspiring stories that you don't have to know about theater… or just pure comedy,” Rudetsky said.
His conversations with Mueller and Gasteyer will be interspersed with musical performances.
Gasteyer said there will be some Broadway favorites in the mix, from shows like “Wicked” and “Funny Girl,” as well as some novelty songs.
