Put down the Playbill and see Broadway like you've never seen it before, right in Rockville Centre.
Molloy University, in conjunction with its CAP21 musical theatre program, is hosting a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall, featuring Emmy-nominated Broadway personality Seth Rudetsky in “Seth Rudetsky and His Broadway Friends” on Nov. 25.
All the secrets of Broadway will be revealed, leaving theatergoers with a deeper appreciation for the stage.
“To think I'm really headlining a concert at Carnegie Hall, it's very bizarre and amazing,” Rudetsky said. “It's terrifying, but also really, really exciting.”
The evening of music and storytelling will showcase the talents of Santino Fontana, Norm Lewis, Andrea Martin, Jessie Mueller and Will Swenson, alongside Long Island's South Shore Symphony, for a memorable night on 7th Avenue.
“Everyone's gonna sing the song that they're known for,” he said. “But then, in addition, they're gonna sing these other amazing songs that have really fun stories attached to them, really comedic and fun inside stories.”
This one-night-only event aims to spotlight the CAP21 program, a world-class musical theatre conservatory known for training notable figures such as Kristen Bell, Lady Gaga and Matthew Morrison.
CAP21 students split their studies between Molloy's campus in Rockville Centre and its teaching facility in Lower Manhattan. Its most recent star, Nichelle Lewis, from the Class of '21, landed the iconic role of Dorothy in the 2024 Broadway revival of “The Wiz.”
Among these Broadway stars, the CAP21 students will have the chance to join them on stage in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We bring in talented students who audition for this program from around the country,” said Molloy President James Lentini. “We have students from all over the U.S. here in our CAP21 program, so our own students will get a chance to be on stage.”
The audience will get a taste of true Broadway with the South Shore Symphony, at a time when many other Broadway shows have scaled back to smaller bands.
“There's nothing I love more than a full orchestra,” Rudetsky said. “And it's extremely devastating to me that Broadway now has literally nine people in a band. I mean, it's unbelievable.”
Over 60 members of the South Shore Symphony, led by conductor Aaron Gandy, will bring their music to life in a unique New York City event combining performance, conversation and on-stage collaboration with Rudetsky.
“We've worked with [Gandy] before as a guest conductor,” said symphony president and Rockville Centre resident Wayne Lipton. “It's really a tremendous amount of talent, singing songs, talking a little bit about their careers, and having Seth both interview and have a chance to play with the orchestra, it's really a first big attempt at something in New York City.”
The CAP21 program offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theatre, blending academic studies with training in acting, dance, movement, stagecraft and voice. Students also receive professional development in audition technique and career preparation for working with industry professionals in New York City.
“Molloy’s reputation continues to grow,” Lentini said. “Here we are on Long Island, a Catholic school in the Dominican tradition, lots of universities in New York, and we have become building more of a national footprint with programs like CAP21 that recruit students nationally.”
For more information and to buy tickets, visit CarnegieHall.org.
