Be Yourself

Monday night I went to Seth Rudetsky’s Not Since High School! benefit concert at this hot little gay lounge called Xl. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Seth’s work, he is incredible. He is a musical genius (in the way of musical direction, vocal arrangement, and crazy piano playing) who has made a career as a Broadway personality. That’s the best way to describe him. 

Between his Playbill column Onstage & Backstage, his Sirius XM radio show Seth Speaks, the fabulous concerts he organizes with phenomenally talented members of the Broadway community, and--most importantly--his Deconstructions, Seth is a musical theater expert. [Side note: a Deconstruction is a video blog session in which Seth chooses music from a show or artist, or a single song to break down and analyze in order to demonstrate anything from stellar vibrato and vocal placement to hilarious lyrics.]

Seth put on a fantastic concert Monday with stars like Chris Jackson (In the Heights, The Lion King), Tony Award-winner Norbert Leo Butz (Catch Me If You Can, Wicked), Melissa Errico (Les Miserables) and so many more. They all sang songs from roles they played in high school. 

Besides nearly fainting from Norbert’s rendition of "I”ll Know" from Guys and Dolls, Chris Jackson was the best number of the night. He was apparently in Oliver! as a teen, and began his number with his cockney traditional version of "Consider Yourself." He commented on the irony of his type casting (the joke is he’s black) and then swept into an R&B rendition of the song, which I hope he makes into a single because I would buy that!

But I'm sidetracking. Seth’s greatest accomplishment is not his concerts, his radio show, his books, his own original musical or his tour schedule. Seth’s ultimate achievement is that he has made a successful career by being himself. 

He is unapologetically flamboyant and sassy, exaggeratedly yet unexaggeratedly Jewish and a complete musical theater nerd. Seriously, I thought I was the only person who swooned that hard at the way Gavin Creel back-phrases when he sings "I Turned The Corner."

His animated facial expressions are completely strange. He edits himself for no one. He’s coined numerous terms just by saying them in his own Seth inflection (i.e. Brava!, delic-i-ous, criz-azy, obsessed). He never takes it down a notch for fear of offending anyone. He never tones down his conviction for fear of startling people with his honesty. In fact, it’s all become part of his marketable persona.

Seth has basically said “screw you” to judgment. Because of this, he is a star simply by being him. He LOVES Broadway. Sometimes I just think of him as the Peter Pan of stage door kids. He gets overwhelmingly excited about talent and displays no shame when it comes to expressing his awe. I relate to this as I have been known to cry speaking to actors at their stage door while they take the Sharpie from my hand and give me the autograph I brag to my brother about.

I admit, however, that simply being myself is a challenge for me. So often I feel like I have to impress people, and I become a different version of myself. I find myself adapting to the atmosphere or the people around me. But Seth reminds me: why be a knockoff version, when you can be the fabulous original?

Seth Rudetsky follows his passion and continues to bare his uncontainable personality in any environment. Musical theater fans all over the nation love him for it. So take a page out of Seth’s book. Be yourself. Don’t just follow your passion, own it. Don’t tone yourself down to blend into whatever industry or situation you’re in. Make a splash. Be yourself. After all, when people meet you, that is who they expect to see.