WAIM Podcast #087: Jeffrey Seller

Most theater kids grow up dreaming of one day being a part of a smash on Broadway. Jeffrey Seller has not only made that dream a genuine reality, he has doubled it by producing a pair of wildly successful shows that have transcended the confines of the Theater District and found their way into the very fabric of our everyday culture. To call Rent and Hamilton hit shows is to completely miss the point of their massive impact on the culture at large. These are not just box office successes but titanic works that have led to massive shake-ups in the world of musical theater. One of the key figures behind these two world renowned productions is Jeffrey Seller, who once dreamt of Broadway stardom from the bedroom of his modest home in suburban Detroit. In his new memoir, Theater Kid, Jeffrey writes beautifully about his journey from a poor, gay, Jewish kid in metro Detroit to a Broadway mover and shaker. During our chat we cover much of that journey including a deep dive into his early years discovering musical theater and finding his talent for bringing people together to make something, a skill which he is certain has been at the heart of his professional success. We talk about the community theater production that first gave Jeffrey the theater bug and we cover his move to New York along his eventual friendship and collaboration with the writer and composer Jonathan Larson. That relationship would culminate in the debut and subsequently wild success of Larson’s show Rent.Sadly, Larson would never get to taste his own success. Jeffrey describes the sudden death of Larson on the night of the final dress rehearsal for the show, and how Larson’s parents insisted that the show continue to honor their son. Jeffrey followed the massive success of Rent several years later with the hit puppet musical Avenue Q. This moves the conversation to talk about the innate truth-telling ability of puppets. From there, we segue into Jeffrey’s collaborations with Lin Manuel Miranda, including Hamilton, the musical theater zeitgeist of the 21st century. We try to pin down just what it is that makes a hit a hit, and Jeffrey shares how he can tell when a show is great. This is a remarkable talk with a man who has been at the center of Broadway for the last three plus decades. Jeffrey Seller has helped to define the look and sound of the era all while following his childhood desire to “always be making something”.His great new book, Theater Kid tells the tales of a young dreamer who grew up to become a producer at the center of this great American art form, and how he helped to shape that art form. We hit upon many of those stories and more as Jeffrey gives us a taste of his life behind the scenes on Broadway. Enjoy!Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe