Welcome to BroadwayWorld's GETTING SIRIUS WITH SETH, a sneak peek preview of Rudetsky's weekly popular Sirius Radio Live program. Each Thursday, we're bringing you highlights from the program, which airs nationally on Fridays. Want the scoop before the rest on your favorite stars in entertainment? Check GETTING SIRIUS WITH SETH each week here!
This week, Seth chats with Ana Gasteyer about her upcoming show at Feinstein's, which she calls "Elegant Songs From a Handsome Woman"
"My mother actually once called me a "Handsome woman," Gasteyer notes while explaining the meaning behind her show's title. "She actually used the verb, and this is not a verb you should ever use with your children no matter how old they are, "developing" into quite a handsome woman." She laughs, "And she was strapping me into a girdle at the time!"
Gasteyer described her upcoming cabaret show as a combination of serious ballads and comedic songs. I have a very split personality, as evident today by this interview," joked the actress. "I was Elfaba in WICKED, a voice major at Northwestern, but then I also have the SNL lady. So like 70% of my audiences show up knowing me from television and when I don't have a wig on or a funny accent and I start singing a real earnest ballad, they're really sad. So it's this kind of weird thing where it's these two things at once. In this show we really had a good time just finding songs that I like to sing with a sense of musical humor."
Gasteyer is looking forward to her upcoming TV role on ABC's new fall comedy, "Suburgatory". The actress describes her character, the obnoxious neighbor across the way, as a "modern day Gladys Kravitz". Yet she makes no bones about the fact that she prefers the Broadway stage to the highly stressful pace of TV. "Broadway is absolutely everything I ever wanted it to be when I was a kid," she explains. "The discipline and the integrity and the talent and the community - I love it so much. I love the backstage life. I love people bringing in their banana bread on Sundays. And I love doing a show everyday." Gasteyer also believes Broadway's slower pace is a great advantage to an actor. "You have months and months to prepare, to preview, to refine, to perfect. It just gets better and better, and more and more interesting every time you do it!"
Ana Gasteyer will be appearing at Feinstein's at the Regency on June 13th and June 27th at 8:30 pm. For more information, please visit: feinsteinsattheregency.com/
Sirius/XM's Live On Broadway with Ana Gasteyer and Broadway's Matt Cavenaugh and Jenny Powers will air exclusively on Sirius/XM Channel 72 on Friday, June 17 at 7 PM ET with encore presentations on Sunday, June 19 at 11 PM ET, Tuesday, June 21 at 7AM and Wednesday June 22 at 12 noon ET.
SIRIUS XM LIVE ON BROADWAY is hosted by Seth Rudetsky & records live every Wednesday at noon at the Broadway Concierge & Ticket Center, located inside the Times Square Information Center, 1560 Broadway, between 46th & 47th Street, in between the Palace Theatre and McDonalds. It is free to the public.
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