By Ron Fassler . . .
Jane Krakowski joined Seth Rudetsky on the stage of The Town Hall Monday evening for the latest in his series of informal 90-minute talks with Broadway show folk. Krakowski—primarily known for her roles in the ensembles of “Ally McBeal,” “30 Rock” and “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”—is, at heart, a theater animal (she first began working professionally on stage at the age of nine). All of this was touched on in a mixture of song, comedy and conversation in a funny and often touching chat between two old friends. It was a pleasure from start to finish.
Having seen Rudetsky work this format with other Broadway regulars like Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patina Miller and Jeremy Jordan, I wasn’t prepared for how special his relationship with Krakowski is. Delightful, sure. Entertaining, you bet. But, it was also moving in ways due to Krakowski’s honesty and winning personality that seem one hundred percent genuine.
Besides her well-known work on television, she has also played significant singing and dancing roles in such musicals as Starlight Express (1987), Grand Hotel (1989), Company (1995), Once Upon a Mattress (1996), Nine (2003) and She Loves Me (2016). There is no question she is a real Broadway baby and, to illustrate the point, Rudetsky showed her in action via video shot in the theater from Grand Hotel and Nine. However, since many in the audience were there because of Krakowski’s time on the tube, late in the show two volunteers took to the stage to test their knowledge of the long-running 30 Rock series in a trivia contest (something the audience lapped up like cats to cream).
But it was the music that made the evening most memorable. And here Krakowski scored time and again. Whether repeating songs she’s already made memorable on Broadway (“I Want to Go to Hollywood,” “A Call to the Vatican” and “A Trip to the Library”), we also got her rendition of “Adelaide’s Lament,” for which she won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical when she starred in Guys and Dolls (2005) in London’s West End. Best of all was a side-splitting rendition of “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” the 1970s women’s anthem encumbered by some of the most ridiculous lyrics imaginable. Once thought of as profound, they are now inane, which led to hilarious commentary by way of deconstruction—not by Rudetsky (famous for this on YouTube), but by Krakowski’s old boss (and friend) Tina Fey. You kind of had to be there, but trust me, it was comedy gold.
For the finale, Titus Burgess, Krakowski’s co-star from “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” was brought on stage and together they sang the arrangement of “Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy,” made famous by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland when they performed on the short-lived “Judy Garland Show” in 1963. Bountiful and joyous, it was a great way to wrap up a valentine of a show. And by valentine, I mean a gift to its audience, as tasty as a box of chocolates.
Seth Rudetsky’s Broadway featuring Tony Award Winner Jane Krakowski in Performance and Conversation (yes, that was the title) played The Town Hall, Monday September 12, 2022
Photos: Sachyn Mital
