Fort Worth musical legend Betty Buckley teams up with Seth Rudetsky, America’s most obsessive Broadway queen, for a world premiere cabaret

CATTY ANECDOTES: Betty Buckley has performed her repertoire of jazz standards in New York City for years, but on Wednesday she debuts her new act in Irving, singing show tunes and telling behind-the-scenes stories from her lengthy Broadway career. - ARNOLD WAYNE JONES/Dallas Voice

I met Betty Buckley for the first time in a conference room at an Uptown office building a few days before “The Happening” opened, but it wasn’t the first time I’d seen her in person. That took place 25 years ago.

I still have my Playbill from seeing her in the original Broadway production of “Cats” in 1983. That was the year Buckley won the Tony Award for playing Grizabella — and introduced the standard “Memory” into the musical Zeitgeist. I’ve been a fan ever since.

So it was surprising to realize that, remarkably, there are still plenty of people who don’t connect the Betty Buckley of TV (the friendly stepmom on “Eight Is Enough,” the mother of the murderous O’Reily Brothers on “Oz”) and movies (opposite Robert Duvall in “Tender Mercies” and as Harrison Ford’s wife in “Frantic”) with the Broadway baby.

What makes it all the more interesting is that she’s iconic to the gay community in two ways: For gay men, she’s a star of musical theater; for lesbians, she will forever be remembered as the butch, understanding coach in her first film, “Carrie.”

What’s it like being a queer hero twice over?

“Thanks!” she offers with a smile. “It’s nice. I’m grateful to be known as a gay icon on occasion — I appreciate that very much.”

Seth Rudetsky, who hosts a show on Sirius Satellite Radio and works on the MTV reality show about “Legally Blonde,” accompanies Buckley in concert and will also teach a master class in auditioning for musicals.

Actually, “Carrie” has been very much on her mind lately: She started her film career in one horror movie, then caps it off with a chilling performance in one currently in theaters.

“I thought of that, absolutely — only this time I’m the bad guy,” Buckley says. Then she pauses. “Maybe you shouldn’t say that; I don’t want to spoil the movie.”

Too late. Her Mrs. Jones in “The Happening” is a creepy hermit who gives the last third of the film a much-needed jolt of energy. But it’s hardly the first time she’s played a psycho — on screen or onstage. In fact, her fondness for monsters of various sorts has fed her upcoming gig: Presenting her new cabaret act for the 15th anniversary of Lyric Stage, on July 9–11.

“I’ve played a couple of psychos: Mrs. White in the Broadway production of ‘Carrie,’ Norma Desmond in ‘Sunset Boulevard.’ In my Carnegie Hall concert for Broadway Cares, I even did Momma Rose [from ‘Gypsy’].”

“Did you see her in ‘Gypsy’? She was amazing,” gushes Seth Rudetsky, her accompanist and co-star for the Lyric Stage concert. “I saw her final performance. The total shut-downness before ‘Coming Up Roses’ was sensational — all those simmering emotions on her face. Patti LuPone is great, but she’s the best Momma Rose ever.”

Rudetsky speaks from experience. As the host of six hours of programming every day on the Broadway’s Best channel on Sirius Satellite Radio, Rudetsky is intimately familiar with just about every musical mounted in New York since Vaudeville was the rage. And Betty Buckley has always been one of his favorite performers.

“I first saw her in ‘Pippin’ when I was like 7 and have been obsessed with her Broadway career. I’ve even deconstructed her version of ‘Writing on the Wall’ from ‘Edwin Drood’ and described how brilliant she sounds in that show,” he says. (The second half of the upcoming show will feature Rudetsky’s musical deconstructions, where he analyzes show tunes in detail.)

But aside from being her private rehearsal pianist, playing a few songs for her during her New York cabaret act and tapping her for countless benefits, their pairing this week will be the first time they’ve shared a stage for a full show. And he’s thrilled.

“It’s crazy. If I knew as a kid I would really be on a stage with her one day…” His voice trails off with the unlikeliness of it all.

Buckley calls the upcoming show “a work in progress” which will get its world premiere on Wednesday. Lyric Stage founder “Steven Jones wanted to do a show about being an artist, and I proposed ‘Broadway By Request,’” she says.

It’s similar to a request show she’s done late-night at Feinstein’s in New York, although instead of jazz, she’ll performing show tunes — and always with what Rudetsky describes as “hilarious and horrifying behind-the-scenes anecdotes.”

The evening includes the pair taking requests from the audience for almost any musical … although expect “Memory” to be at the top of the list. Still, Rudetsky is hoping the audience will ask for some of the numbers he’s personally fond of.

“I’m hoping someone will request ‘Writing on the Wall’ and something from ‘Carrie,’” he says, referring to the notorious flop which nevertheless had a great score from the team who wrote the songs for “Fame.”

One reason both Rudetsky and Buckley are hoping someone asks for a song from “Carrie?” It features one of Buckley’s patented psycho characters.

“She has done a slew of cuckoo birds over the years,” Rudetsky agrees. “You can’t help but notice that trend.”

And like all of her fans, he can’t wait to see her work that crazy magic live on her home turf.

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This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 4, 2008.