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The Jewish producer of Broadway hits like ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Rent’ shares the secrets of his success

JL;DR SUMMARY Jeffrey Seller, the Jewish theater producer behind Broadway smashes like Rent and Hamilton, traces his journey from humble beginnings in Detroit to stardom on the New York stage in his first memoir, "Theater Kid." A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityMemoirTheaterBroadwayCultural InfluencePublic PolicyLgbtq+HamiltonRentJeffrey Seller

Places mentioned

Oak Park, Michigan, United States
"I wanted to write down how the poor, adopted Jewish gay kid got from Cardboard Village in Oak Park, Michigan to Broadway, because I wanted to know for myself, How did you do it?"
West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States
"performing in a Purim play at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan"
New York City, New York, United States
"After four years at the University of Michigan where he dated Jewish composer Andrew Lippa Seller set his sights on something bigger: New York City."
Brooklyn, New York, United States
"By then, it was the late 1980s, and Seller was still hustling and living in Park Slope, Brooklyn."
Chelsea, New York, United States
"These days, he resides in his dream neighborhood, the Upper West Side, with his two children. Hes an active member of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a progressive and pluralistic LGBTQ+ synagogue in Chelsea."

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