This week in the life of Seth Rudetsky, Seth gives out his own superlatives for the 2010s with hilarious backstage Broadway stories.

Chats with Billy Elliot: The Musical's Greg Jbara and Grease's Ace Young.

I reached out to the McCain and Obama campaigns to get their theatrical thoughts for this month's column, but they were perhaps too busy. So instead we have two candidates for coolest dude on Broadway stumping in the final column before the big election: Greg Jbara of the remarkable Billy Elliot: The Musical, and Ace Young, "Idol" gone Greaser.

News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

The latest edition of "The Playbill Broadway Yearbook," covering the season from June 1, 2007 to May 31, 2008, is now available for pre-ordering. Here is the index from the book — more than 9,800 of the people who make Broadway work. Check and see if your name is on the list!

This month we speak to Estelle Parsons (August: Osage County), Mary McCormack (Boeing-Boeing; "In Plain Sight") and Bryan Batt ("Mad Men").

This month we speak to Estelle Parsons (August: Osage County), Mary McCormack (Boeing-Boeing; "In Plain Sight") and Bryan Batt ("Mad Men").

BETTY BUCKLEY
Betty Buckley fans will be thrilled with the just-released cast recording of Triumph of Love, the Susan Birkenhead/Jeffrey Stock/James Magruder musical loosely based on the Marivaux play. Buckley sounds terrific on the CD, whether she's belting the opening lines of "This Day of Days," tenderly caressing the notes in the quartet of "Teach Me Not to Love You" or bringing an emotional intensity to her duets with Susan Egan ("You May Call Me Phocion") and F. Murray Abraham ("The Tree"). And, her two solo pieces, "Serenity" and "If I Cannot Love," are masterfully crafted and delivered. Just listen to the way she builds "Serenity" from a quiet remembrance of her youth to a full-voiced declaration of love's surprise arrival. She is also equally effective on "If I Cannot Love," which was unfortunately cut during previews but is thankfully preserved on this JAY Records release.

BETTY BUCKLEY
Betty Buckley fans will be thrilled with the just-released cast recording of Triumph of Love, the Susan Birkenhead/Jeffrey Stock/James Magruder musical loosely based on the Marivaux play. Buckley sounds terrific on the CD, whether she's belting the opening lines of "This Day of Days," tenderly caressing the notes in the quartet of "Teach Me Not to Love You" or bringing an emotional intensity to her duets with Susan Egan ("You May Call Me Phocion") and F. Murray Abraham ("The Tree"). And, her two solo pieces, "Serenity" and "If I Cannot Love," are masterfully crafted and delivered. Just listen to the way she builds "Serenity" from a quiet remembrance of her youth to a full-voiced declaration of love's surprise arrival. She is also equally effective on "If I Cannot Love," which was unfortunately cut during previews but is thankfully preserved on this JAY Records release.

ETHEL MERMAN TRIBUTE
A host of divas from the stage, screen and television were on hand this past Sunday evening to pay tribute to the one-and-only Ethel Merman. A fundraiser for the Gay Men's Health Crisis, "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly!" was a sold-out, thrilling 90 minutes of songs that were either introduced or made famous by the legendary stage star. Those stellar divas on hand to salute The Merm were Madeline Kahn, Lainie Kazan, Patti LuPone, Andrea Martin, Bette Midler, Debra Monk and Elaine Stritch.

The evening began from one of the theatre's boxes with two short welcomes: one from GMHC and the other from TV host Phil Donahue, one of the co-chairs of the event. A throng of dancers then appeared onstage to perform to a recording of Merman singing "Something for the Boys." John Epperson, aka Lypsinka, joined the dancers and proceeded to lip synch a wonderfully hilarious combination of Merman words, both spoken and sung. An orchestral suite of Merman hits followed, and then a chorus of singers -including Bryan Batt, Kristen Behrendt, Paul Binotto, Brigid Brady, Roy Chias, Donna Lee Marshall, Roxie Lucas, Christopher Monteleone, Guy Stroman, Dave Theys, Clif Thorn and Jeff Williams--sang "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" and "I Got the Sun in the Morning."

ETHEL MERMAN TRIBUTE
A host of divas from the stage, screen and television were on hand this past Sunday evening to pay tribute to the one-and-only Ethel Merman. A fundraiser for the Gay Men's Health Crisis, "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly!" was a sold-out, thrilling 90 minutes of songs that were either introduced or made famous by the legendary stage star. Those stellar divas on hand to salute The Merm were Madeline Kahn, Lainie Kazan, Patti LuPone, Andrea Martin, Bette Midler, Debra Monk and Elaine Stritch.

The evening began from one of the theatre's boxes with two short welcomes: one from GMHC and the other from TV host Phil Donahue, one of the co-chairs of the event. A throng of dancers then appeared onstage to perform to a recording of Merman singing "Something for the Boys." John Epperson, aka Lypsinka, joined the dancers and proceeded to lip synch a wonderfully hilarious combination of Merman words, both spoken and sung. An orchestral suite of Merman hits followed, and then a chorus of singers -including Bryan Batt, Kristen Behrendt, Paul Binotto, Brigid Brady, Roy Chias, Donna Lee Marshall, Roxie Lucas, Christopher Monteleone, Guy Stroman, Dave Theys, Clif Thorn and Jeff Williams--sang "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" and "I Got the Sun in the Morning."

BERNADETTE PETERS
There are good singers, and there are great singers. In fact, there are many good singers. Walk into most any cabaret in the city, and you’ll hear plenty of good, strong voices. That said, I would argue that there are precious few great singers. What distinguishes one from another? I’m not sure it’s something that can be put into words, but you certainly know a great singer when you hear one. Into the second category, Bernadette Peters most certainly falls. Listen to the way she breathes new life into the 13 songs that compose her newest album, Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein. Peters does not act a song -- she embodies it -- and the result is always entrancing.

BERNADETTE PETERS
There are good singers, and there are great singers. In fact, there are many good singers. Walk into most any cabaret in the city, and you’ll hear plenty of good, strong voices. That said, I would argue that there are precious few great singers. What distinguishes one from another? I’m not sure it’s something that can be put into words, but you certainly know a great singer when you hear one. Into the second category, Bernadette Peters most certainly falls. Listen to the way she breathes new life into the 13 songs that compose her newest album, Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein. Peters does not act a song -- she embodies it -- and the result is always entrancing.

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