Seth Rudetsky, the world renowned comedy writer and pianist, brings his Broadway spirit back across the Atlantic to the Leicester Square Theatre for another evening celebrating some of the best talent in the musical theatre business.
In this instance, Jenna Russell was in the hot seat. As an Olivier Award winner, she has a wealth of knowledge and talent to explore and what an absolute pleasure it was to witness.
Jenna has an incredible skill of making you roar with laughter one minute and cry the next. We were lucky enough to get a detailed insight into her time during a countless number of shows ranging from Les Misérables, to Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George to Follies. We heard about hilarious personal tales, emotional moments within both shows and her life triggered by songs, memories and people, and seamless name-dropping of some of the biggest names a musical theatre fan could imagine.
It’s clearly a credit, not only to her talent, but to her personality, that Jenna has been able to work consistently for so many years. She speaks so effortlessly of the talent she has been surrounded by, the incredible directors she has been lucky enough to work with, and the writers whose work she has sung. One in particular, Stephen Sondheim, whom she has admired for all of her professional life, even allows her to call him Steve – imagine that!
Seth is undeniably an extraordinary pianist, but also a sound interviewer and comedian, allowing the audience to get a real in depth idea into the ‘life of Jenna Russell’.
Whether you’re a general musical theatre fan looking to learn some more about the life of a performer both on and off stage, or a raging Jenna Russell fan (and there were both in the audience) this kind of show is one to be savored. Spending a couple of hours listening to some of the world’s best and most celebrated talent is a must-see! Let’s all hope Seth returns in the near future for another series of shows!
Emma Betty is 28 and a nurse in Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. Emma has the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Soundtrack (On CD!) to blame for her love for Musical Theatre, which she found in her parents living room pretty much as soon as she was old enough to know what it was. She began combining her love for Theatre, the Internet and Writing while she was still at school, through various blogs and on social media. Having moved to London in 2013, she launched Upper Circle 4 years later. A couple of years on, she is delighted to have a small team and is so grateful to those helping Upper Circle to grow every day!
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