By Karen Isaacs
If you love Broadway musicals as I do and if you have SiriusXM, you know Seth Rudesky. He hosts the afternoon time slot as well as six hours on Saturday with his fellow host Christine Pedi as the Dueling Divas. Seth is multi-talented. A classically trained pianist, he has played in the pit of dozens of Broadway shows, wrote and performed in the award-winning musical Disaster, and serves as music director/accompanist for big names all over the states.
But Seth also does his Big Broadway Cruises featuring Broadway stars and a group of Broadway musical lovers. I always wondered what they would be like.
Fate intervened. I was determined to travel this July, and I wanted to return to Iceland. In December 2025 while attending the performance of Chess I looked at the Playbill and came upon a large ad announcing Seth’s cruise to Iceland in July. The dates worked. Within days, I had talked to the travel agency and booked my reservation.
I had no idea what to expect, so my imagination took over. I pictured cozy conversations over a drink or coffee with one of the Broadway stars that would be on the cruise, perhaps the opportunity of a short lesson or coaching session with one of them (for which I would’ve been happy to pay extra) and maybe even performing a solo in the “vaudeville” on the last night of the cruise.
My expectations were totally unrealistic if I had thought about them.
Three stars would be on the cruise: Emily Skinner, a multiple Tony award nominee and winner, Norm Lewis, and Ari’el Stachel, who won a Tony for The Band’s Visit. Norm Lewis was replaced by Christine Pedi, the morning personality on the Broadway channel and an accomplished performer in her own right. We weren’t notified of the change; I found it accidentally when I went on the Playbill travel site and saw the change.
Our group numbered between 100 – 150. Some had been on multiple cruises with Seth. One person had been on 11, but there was a group of newbies like me. We had two sea days on the eight-day cruise with activities scheduled both mornings and afternoons on those days. Each evening was also an activity just for our group. In the main dining room, there were tables reserved for us each evening for dinner.
One of the attractions for me was the master class. As a singer/cabaret performer, the chance to work and learn from professionals was wonderful. But when I first heard the description of the master class, I was disappointed. I was told that names would be drawn from among those who signed up. The rest of us would just watch. That was incorrect.
Actually the master class was a great experience. Yes, they drew names, but everyone who signed up had at least ten minutes of time with Seth. That morning Christine joined in, as well as Seth’s friend, Jack Plotnick, an actor and coach. Highlights included the evening performances and the master class which was terrific. The one hour session went much longer.
The evening shows were great. Seth and each performer mixed songs with interviews. They talked about the ups and downs of their careers. You got to know so much more about them. Emily Skinner announced she was playing Miss Hannigan at Goodspeed later this year. As a bonus, Ari’el Stachel also performed his one-man show, Out of Character in which he talks of his over-whelming anxiety, and discomfort about his mixed with his mixed ethnic background which led to a difficult relationship with his father, a Yemini Jew.
Where my expectations were wrong was I seldom saw the stars around the ship during the cruise; it probably wasn’t surprising since the Celebrity Silhouette has 2800 or so passengers. Only Christine joined us in the dining room. I didn’t meet any of the excursions; since I had seen most of the most important sights on my previous trip, my excursions including food walking tours and some others.
On the final night each of the three stars performed with a group of us as back-up. We rehearsed during the week. (I rehearsed but didn’t perform because I didn’t feel I could memorize all the lyrics. The group did “All that Jazz” with Emily Skinner, “Before the Parade Passes By” with Christine Pedi, and “The Evening Prayer” from Fiddler on the Roof with Ar’iel Stachon.
But the most important reality was that I thoroughly enjoyed it
As a solo traveler, it was great to have a group of people who because we shared an interest to chat with. Because of the unique name tag Seth had provided it also sparked conversations with other passengers.
Dinner time conversation seldom scene forced or limited to what did you do that particular day
The group was mixed from people deeply involved in the theater to more “average“ fans. I talked with two other critics, including one from Massachusetts, a stage manager, and several who had majored in voice or musical theater in college, plus people who just loved the genre. I met someone from Fairfield country who is a producer.
Iceland is a beautiful and fascinating country. We lucked out with the weather; I had been warned about the possibility of March/April like temperatures and winds plus rain. Most of our days were bright and sunny with comfortable temperatures.
Caveat” remember that the star is announced to be on your cruise are not guaranteed; understand that a professional commitment may occur that causes a change. On my cruise sometime between February and June Norm Lewis had to dropped out for that reason.
The bottom line: Not only would I do it again, but I have already made a reservation for Seth’s cruise in January 2028 to Aruba, Curacao, and Bonnaire.
Note: Seth’s aren’t the only Broadway themed cruises. Playbill Travel sponsors one a year; most seem to be river cruises with the group taking over the entire ship. The Broadway Cruise does sporadic trip taking over an entire ship. The next one is in April aboard the Norwegian Jewel. Seth is doing three in 2027 – to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Greek Isles.
This content is courtesy of Shore Publications and Zip06.com
