Broadway Nights

A Romp of Life, Love, and Musical Theatre

By: Seth Rudetsky

Narrated by: Seth Rudetsky, Kristin Chenoweth, Andrea Martin, Ann Harada, Richard Kind, Jeff Bowen, Jonathan Groff

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Stephen Sheerin was born to play on Broadway - or at least, under it. He's a musician, a conductor, and his dream is to music-direct a big Broadway musical. After years of toiling in the pit of some of the best-loved (and loathed) hits on the Great White Way, he's just been given his big break. Can life really be going that well?

Of course not - his family is driving him crazy, and his boyfriend can't seem to get rid of his other boyfriend. Add to that an alcoholic diva, the cheapest producing team on Broadway, and a comatose casting director, and you have some of the other characters buzzing around Stephen's Broadway break. Then there's Stephen himself - neurotic and bitchy - who realizes that maybe total happiness is overrated.

Narrated by Seth Rudetsky, from Sirus radio and Broadway's The Ritz; Kristin Chenoweth, Tony Award winner, star of Wicked and TV's Pushing Daisies; James Wesley from the Rosie O'Donnell cruise ship; Jonathan Groff, Tony Nominee from Broadway's Spring Awakening; Andrea Martin, Tony Award winner, from SCTV, and currently in Young Frankenstein; Jeff Bowen, Hunter Bell, and Susan Blackwell from [title of show]; Andrea Burns, from Broadway's Tony nominated In the Heights; Andy Karl, from Broadway's Legally Blonde and the upcoming 9 to 5; Anika Larsen, from off Broadway's Zanna, Don't and Broadway's Xanadu; Mary Birdsong (from TV's RENO 911); Billy Porter, from Broadway's Grease and winner of Star Search!; Richard Kind, from TV's Spin City and Broadway's The Producers. Jim Price, from Les Miserables and Off-Broadway's Bat Boy; Ann Harada from Avenue Q and the upcoming 9 to 5; Emily Skinner Tony nominee from Broadway's Side Show; Juli Wesley - Becky's First Grade Class at PS 98; and Sally Rudetsky (Seth's Mom).

©2007 Seth Rudetsky (P)2008 Audible

Critic reviews

"Pretty chorus boys flirt with the world, backstage liaisons complicate rehearsals, and old friends finally become happy lovers - this is a gay romance, after all. But the real fun of the fictional romp is the wealth of factual showbiz lore - much of it bitchy and most of it hilarious - that theater insider Rudetsky packs into his charmingly giddy plot." ( San Francisco Bay Times)
"I love Seth Rudetsky! He is Mr. Broadway! Seth's love for the Musical Theatre equals my own and his knowledge of all things Broadway is an obsession to be cherished. His chronicle of the journey of starstruck kid to Broadway pianist/conductor is a wonderful every-theatre-kid tale with wicked humor and New York City savvy, sass, and insight. I LOVE THIS BOOK!" (Betty Buckley, Tony Award-winning actress/singer)
"Even if Broadway isn't your thing, you'll still laugh at the comedy." ( AudioFile)

light and amusing!

this was just like listening to one of my best friends complain about his love life - except it's mixed with more broadway and nyc characters! it was a perfect listen for when i was running, had me laughing out loud and really enjoying the character voices.

Thoroughly Entertaining

A semi-autobiographical (?) account of a Broadway musician's life and loves, read/performed by the author (with some well-known actors voicing the parts of some of the characters). Fun to listen to, and give it a sixth star if you're interested in Broadway and Broadway trivia.

i laughed, I cried, I lived vicariously...

Seth Rudetsky’s behind the scenes viewpoint is so cleverly told, I had to stop and search “Flower Child, Broadway Musical” to see if it was an actual production! I listened to the Audible.com version, so wonderfully cast by notable notables. Five stars! and cue end credits, now off to the cast party! (Waiting breathlessly at stage door)

So Much Fun

Who was your favorite character and why?

How can you have a favourite character in a book chock full of such colourful personalities?

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Stacey and Stephen were both hilarious, and Ronald was also pretty droll.

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan of CBC's Wiretap, you will adjust quickly to the narrator's style, otherwise - give it a few chapters and he will grow on you! Funny book, great pacing and wonderful narrators. You are in for a great listen with this story.

What a Hoot!

Would you consider the audio edition of Broadway Nights to be better than the print version?

Yes, I definitely think the narrator's delivery adds a wonderful component to the story

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character. He is quirky, loveable, snarky, completely human and an absolute hoot. The book left me wanting more. I wish it were a series!

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators are all wonderful but the lead is my absolute favorite. He brought SO much to the book - I felt like I was listening to a good friend tell me his story - it was like 'dishing' over a dinner that you don't want to end.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I'm not necessarily a "laugh out loud" kind of person, but some of the dialogue in this book had me absolutely bursting out into belly laughs.

Any additional comments?

If you love Broadway or have ever worked on a musical production you will LOVE this story, I would have listened to it without stop had I had the time!!

GREAT FUN

This is a great book to listen to - so funny! Its also clear the real Broadway stars doing the voices are having a great time too. If you ever lived in NYC or love Broadway musicals, you'll enjoy this!

funny!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have recommended this to my friends already. I told them if they wanted a book to listen to that would make them smile and also teach them things about Broadway, then this was the book for them!

I had no idea as to all the work that went into being a member of the orchestra for a Broadway show. It was fascinating and I will forever more be peering into the orchestra pits when I am fortunate enough to return to Broadway!

Who was your favorite character and why?

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The author was the narrator for this book. Normally, I am leery of listening to a book read by the author, but in this case, he did a fabulous job. He WAS the character and his timing and emphasis at certain times was perfectly delicious.

Any additional comments?

I am waiting on the next one!

:)

I love learning about any given sub-culture of American Life. I also love well-written books- any genre. But what I really love is hearing the author read his book aloud. Seth kicks ass- nothing more needs to be said! Thank you Dan Savage for the referral to Audible and this book!

OMG!!!!!! A complete must read!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a Broadwayphile, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Seth’s writing is amazing and his performance was great! His read was really cool because it felt natural. Having the other voices was amazing too! IS THERE A SEQUEL???

Surprisingly Cute!

When the story began I thought it would be some trite bit of fluff. Well, it is, but it is a thoroughly charming and enjoyable bit of fluff. I recommend it for fun, escape entertainment.