The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek

by Seth Rudetsky

  Except at lunch when I offer free, unsolicited advice, she still acts like I’m driving her crazy. But I noticed she did ask Scotty to the Spring Fling even though she first told me a big TV star would find it too babyish.

  Spencer had told us on that fateful night in Starbucks that he was disappointed because he had hoped to use math to help the world. Well, because he was in the accounting department, he discovered that those GlitZ checks weren’t being cashed by Chase and it did indeed “help the world” by preventing Hubert from ruining Chase’s life.

  And I had the magical experience of seeing Chase give that brilliant first performance. I dreamed of seeing myself on Broadway and even though I wasn’t physically onstage, I achieved my goal. Chase and I rehearsed for hours on Sunday and there were so many moments I helped him with. Yes, Chase was doing the actual performing, but every time he nailed a laugh or remembered to breathe before a high note, it was like seeing myself on that stage.

  Writing the report wasn’t as hard as I thought. After all, I’ve had plenty of time to write since I’ve been stuck in this house every night.

  I finished it today and it’s almost twenty pages! I took out the really personal stuff about Chase but left in anything about Vicious Tongues, plus an extended description of how he looked wearing his gym outfit. I just have to run spell-check and I’m done.

  It’s perfect timing because any minute Spencer will arrive with the food, Becky with a DVD, and Scotty and Devon with two bags of Levain cookies.

  Tomorrow I hand it in. And just to make sure E.R. gives me full credit, I’m having a friend drop it off with me. That’s right, Chase is coming to the school to personally hand it to E.R. Hopefully she’ll have her signature smelling salts in her purse so she can be revived after she faints.

  And yes, Spencer approves of my plan. Even he thinks a little scheming once in a while is fine, as long as I run it by him first.

  Speaking of Spencer, I think I hear the doorbell. And voices.

  Yes! It’s Spencer, Devon, Scotty, and Becky.

  This theater geek may have fallen a few times (more than a few), but I have a feeling he’s about to rise again.

  ASAP!

  My agent, Eric Myers, who took me on as a client after reading just a little bit of my first book, Broadway Nights. Thank you for believing in me and dealing with my mind-boggling procrastination.

  My mom for constantly recommending great books for me to read and keeping my love of reading alive.

  My sister Beth for reading and complimenting my Playbill.com column each week and therefore giving me confidence in my writing. As well as “downloading” (aka printing) it for Mom every week. (Our mom thinks when something has been printed, it’s been downloaded. She literally doesn’t know what the word means.)

  My sister Nancy for loving my books and begging me to get someone in Hollywood to turn them into a film.

  My dad for taking me to the library all the time after my piano lesson, where I learned to love young adult novels.

  My wonderful family: my husband for an immeasureable amount of support and love, and our kid, Juli, for recommending my books to all of her friends (and for letting me read this to her as a bedtime story, aka using her as a human guinea pig to tell me if the book is good or not).

  The whole team at Random House, especially Michelle Nagler. You make me feel like an important author.

  To my friend Jack Plotnick, who was able to calmly deal with my calling him in the middle of the night and telling him I couldn’t finish the story. And for helping me figure out the mystery of Hubert and the Phantom.

  And, most importantly, to Schuyler Hooke. Without his guidance, editing, pushing, and, quite frankly, the initial idea of my writing a young adult novel, this book never would have happened.

  SETH RUDETSKY is the Broadway host, seven days a week, on Sirius Satellite Radio. As a pianist, Seth has played for more than a dozen Broadway shows, including Ragtime, Les Miz, and Phantom. He was the artistic producer and music director for the first five annual Actors Fund Fall Concerts, including Dreamgirls with Audra McDonald and Hair with Jennifer Hudson. In 2007 he made his Broadway acting debut in The Ritz and has also appeared on TV in Law & Order: Criminal Intent. As an author, he penned the books The Q Guide to Broadway, now in its third printing, and Broadway Nights, which was also released as an audiobook featuring the voices of Andrea Martin, Jonathan Groff, and Kristin Chenoweth. He also writes a weekly column on Playbill.com.