—by Audrey Liebross

 I had the good fortune recently to travel to Wickenburg, Arizona to see a concert by two of my favorite Broadway performers, Seth Rudetsky (disclosure: his dad and stepmom are friends of mine), appearing with Norm Lewis (one of my all-time favorite stars of The Phantom of the Opera).

Seth’s concerts are no staid, black-tie affair — he’s too much fun for that. Not only does he accompany his stage partner on the piano and keyboard, but he dispenses Broadway stories that are at least enlightening, and often hilarious. And he gets his co-stars to dish, as well.

If someone pulls up a photo of Norm Lewis on the Internet, the first word to come to their mind is probably “distinguished.” But Norm is SO much more — in addition to his mellifluous baritone and eloquent speaking style, he has an impish sense of humor. Like Seth, Norm is obviously a super-intelligent individual who can mine any story to entertain an audience — Seth just tells his stories at quadruple speed.

The focus of the show was obviously the singing, and oh what singing it was! While Norm performed several uptempo numbers, including “Before the Parade Passes By” and a funny duet with Seth, I found his ballads to be the most moving. He has played almost every “serious” musical theatre role in existence, among them Sweeney Todd, Javert, and, of course, the Phantom. (Norm was the second Black actor to play the Phantom, after Robert Guillaume; Norm was the first on Broadway). I found myself transported by Norm’s interpretations of “Stars,” Javert’s soliloquy from Les Miserables; “Till I Hear You Sing Once More,” from Love Never Dies, the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera; and, of course, the Phantom’s anthem, “The Music of the Night,” which always brings me close to tears. Norm told the audience that he once turned down the role of Jean Valjean in Les Miz because he was afraid of trying to regularly sing the high notes that the tenor role demanded, but at the concert I attended, he sang “Bring Him Home” in an incredibly moving rendition, which he dedicated to hostages.

I left the concert on a high — transported by Norm’s singing, but also laughing internally at the hilarity that Norm and Seth served up. Seth, who played keyboard for Broadway musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, mentioned to someone while he was working on the latter that he couldn’t understand why there were no Black people in the cast. The individual, whom I got the impression was a heavyweight in the production, responded that there were no Black people in the French Revolution. (Actually, the show depicts events taking place during the Revolution of 1832). Seth answered that there was no orchestra either, but that didn’t stop the show from including one.

As I hinted before, it was not only Seth who provided the humor, although he did plenty of that. But the story that will probably make me smile for years to come was Norm’s, also about Les Miz. Norm talked about Andrea McArdle’s run as Fantine; she is better known as the child actor who originated the eponymous character in Annie. (I don’t need a spoiler alert for Les Miz, which first opened in 1985, and is the longest-running musical in the West End, do I? If so, here it is, for the next two sentences.) Fantine dies early in the show, and comes back only at the very end, when she helps welcome Valjean into Heaven. After her death scene, the actor playing Fantine changes costume and plays a young boy who dies on the barricade. On a particular day, McArdle was carrying an open bag of M&Ms in her pocket while playing the unfortunate dying boy. She picked that day to fall especially dramatically, and the M&Ms scattered all over the stage. It must have been a miserable experience. (Sorry — I couldn’t resist).

Both Norm and Seth will be appearing nearby in upcoming months. I urge Coachella Valley theatre lovers to make the schlep to see their work. For detailed information, consult their web sites, at SethRudetsky.com and NormLewis.com. Some of Seth’s upcoming appearances include:

February 10, 2024,

With Nina West

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

Scottsdale, AZ

March 17, 2024

With Jeremy Jordan

The Wallis

Los Angeles, CA

March 23, 2024

With Audra McDonald

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

Scottsdale, AZ

May 16, 2024 - May 18, 2024

Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Series with Lillias White

Segerstrom Center

Costa Mesa, CA

Some of Norm’s upcoming appearances include:

December 12, 2023 - December 13, 2023

The Catalina Jazz Club

Los Angeles, CA

December 15, 2023 – December 16, 2023

Feinstein's at The Nikko

San Francisco, CA

 An article about Seth’s recent appearance in Rancho Mirage can be found on Coachella Valley Theatre World at https://www.cvtworld.com/news/broadway-jack-of-all-trades-seth-rudetsky-entertained-a-crowd-at-the-rancho-mirage-public-library.

An article about my interview with Norm can be found on Coachella Valley Theatre World at https://www.cvtworld.com/features-interviews/interview-with-norm-lewis-singer-and-actor-extraordinaire