How one of my Friends Got Idina's Autograph- Page 3

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 5:59am

I was not at the show, it was my friend. And it was the Friday night perf, I believe.

[algy]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 6:24am

I'm from the UK, so I'm not commenting on this incident specifically (as i have no experience), but in the West End, there is a growing sense of entitlement among fans as to their right to go to the stage door and expect a performer to come out and sign/chat/be photo'd. The arguement that is always used (and that I personally agree with) is that a performer is paid to perform. When they are coming out of the stage door, they are leaving their place of work. How would you feel if when you came out of your place of work, there were hordes of people demanding your time? If a performer doesn't want to sign, then that is their prerogative - they have finished their job for the day, and anything else is kinda like unpaid overtime. Having said that we have some real crazies round here - we've had performers being followed home on the tube...

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 6:44am

That's how people have to do it! Why can't people be normal and mature?

Props to your friend.

Posted: 12/5/05 at 7:23am

Roger Bart: " I find that, as someone who has come out the stage door many times, on [Broadway's] The Producers and in other projects where you're face-to-face with the more exuberant fans, you often find that the edgy ones are one breath away from being very angry at you. They love you so much they hate you. A stalker has that mix of adoration and anger and hate..."
TV Guide Interview

[nothingclever]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:27am

tell the idina stalker to go here: http://www.cmarket.com/catalog/landingPage.do?ID=5fe6ac9054a4a5a022274425f935a824

they can buy a Wicked poster with some of the original casts signatures incl. Idina and at least they will be helping people while stalking!

[freeadmission]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:32am

"Why do some people refer to yankeesfan's friend as a stalker ? From what I read, he understood that Idina would not come out to the lobby, turned to leave and saw the car waiting and Idina coming out. Wouldn't YOU take the chance of talking to her ? He was very polite and asked her if she had a minute and the rest is history. I think that all artists appreciate one polite fan, it is the mobs of weirdos they are afraid of and rightly so!"

EXACTLY what I was thinking. It seemed to me, as I read it, to be more of a coincidence than anything else. And a nice one at that.

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 8:35am

idk, i understand the whole thing about performers not having to sign autographs or take pictures after a show, but if I were a performer, and a famous one at that, i'd want to stay after to sign. Not only to make people happy, but those fans are the people who helped me to get where I am. What does it take, really, to stay after for 15 minutes to sign some playbills and take a few pictures if it makes a few peoples day much better?

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:09am

15 minutes would turn into into an hour with Idina's fans. Have you ever been at the Wicked stage door when Idina was there? She looked absolutely terrified - at that point it had nothing to do with people wanting to tell her what an inspiration she was...it was people throwing things in her face to sign.

[QOM]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:12am

what if you had to be somewhere across town right after the show? What if you had an important family commitment? Sometimes, it's not about not "wanting" to sign. Sometimes they just might not be able to. Didn't you ever have a commitment that you had to get to right after work? I know I do all the time.

Here's another thought about SWIWS...Idina is not the star of that show. The show has an amazing ensemble cast and is an ensemble show. I don't think it would be right for her to come out signing for an hour after every show. I personally like that she doesn't do it all the time. And like everyone else has said, let's allow the actors to do what they want or need to do when they are finished working without judgement or criticism.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:14am

SWIWS is an ensemble show...and its nice that it had a lot of fans, but its a bit of a shame that so many of the them were only there because they were Wicked Idina fans

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:36am

I cannot imagine going to a show with serious adult themes such as SWIWS wearing an "I <3 Idina" shirt.

[QOM]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:38am

I am not sure I am in total agreement with Fantabulous. I only knew about the show because I really enjoyed Wicked and Idina's performance. Because of Wicked, I bought Idina's CD's which I love. Because I liked Idina's voice/acting, I checked out her website and found out about SWIWS. I went to the show last month and loved it. That being said, I am an adult who didn't hang around after the show. I don't own any Wicked or Idina clothing. I have never chased her down the street, made her any gifts, or written any poems, etc. If being a Wicked fan eventually got me to the public to see SWIWS, I think that's great. The more people there (though not too young)the better! If it turns even one person on to LaChiusa or the other actors, or even to off-broadway...then good!
Updated On: 12/5/05 at 09:38 AM

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:42am

QOM, I think by "Wicked Fans" someone actually meant the "younger Wicked Fans." Many people were introduced to Idina by Wicked, which is great. The young girls that wear the shirts and scream and cry for Idina like she is a Beatle are the ones probably being referred to. I am glad you enjoyed the show, I just wish some of the kids had taken Idina's "mature theme" warning to heart.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 9:44am

QOM, I think by "Wicked Fans" someone actually meant the "younger Wicked Fans." Many people were introduced to Idina by Wicked, which is great. The young girls that wear the shirts and scream and cry for Idina like she is a Beatle are the ones probably being referred to. I am glad you enjoyed the show, I just wish some of the kids had taken Idina's "mature theme" warning to heart.

Yes, I was referring to the younger Idina fans, and of course this is a generalization and there are Idina fans that came out of Wicked that are not the squealy type and there are young Idina fans who came out of Wicked that are mature and are not squealy.

Updated On: 12/5/05 at 09:44 AM

[crazyfangirl]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 10:13am

I agree wholeheartedly about respecting the privacy of the actors, and agree that if an actor does not leave out of the stage door, the public should not stalk the actor out at the other exit. It's rude, and let's face it, both you and the actor know it, even if the actor is nice to you.

However, I completely disagree with all the people who say "being on stage is the actor's job, and when they are done, they owe the audience nothing else. How would you like to be stalked coming out of your workplace?"

I'm sorry, but this is just a bad anaology. A bad, innacurate analogy. Actors are performers, not accountants. They have an adoring public. They have fans. That is part of their business. Tending to their audience and being good to the people who pay to see them is simply good business sense. It's called "playing the game." Does an actor HAVE to sign autographs for fans? No. Is it good for their career to be gracious and build loyal followers? Absolutely. Beyond this, if we're going to use the bad "this is their work" analogy, then here is mine.

I am supposed to leave my office at 5:30. Officially, that is when we close. But do I always get to leave at 5:30? No. Am I being paid more money to stay? No. But if my boss needs something done, I am going to stay and get it done, because my boss is important to my career, and I would like her to have a certain opinion of me as an employee. Similarly, I am not a big fan of "office parties," or professional cocktail parties, but I go to them, because it's good for business. Am I being paid to socialize? No. Am I required to do it? No. But I do it, because it's one of those unstated requirements that aren't technically required, but that you do, because you know it will benefit you in the long run.

Similar for actors--their business is simply different. So all this nonsense about an actors' work being done when they leave the stage seems exactly that--nonsense. When you are in a show and you exit the stage door, you know exactly who will be out there, and what you are in for. And as an actor, it is your responsibility to put on your actor face and be pleasant and charming and nice until you get into your car. I mean, you're not getting paid to be nice, but give me a break here.

I've seen the WICKED stage door and yes, it is scary, but there are barricades and security measures in place. The whole grand spiel takes maybe an extra 10 minutes. And as terrified as Idina Menzel is of stage doors and huge crowds, she exited out of the WICKED stage door almost every single night, even in the 20 degree weather, to sign autographs and take pictures. At a place like The Public, where there are no barricades in place, and you're exiting into a lobby, I can see where a person might want to sneak out the back. But Idina has totally paid her dues, and I have no doubt that for her next show, if there is a more organized system, she will come out as frequently as possible.

[YankeeGal#24]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 10:22am

Most of us (myself included) have NO IDEA what it's like to be a star of the caliber where people "stalk" in order to meet or get an autograph. We don't know how it feels, though we can all speculate that its probably flattering but scary. If we REALLY love the performer (as opposed to being obsessed) I would think the best way to show that love is to respect their need to avoid fans for WHATEVER their reasons. I'm guessing that reason is rarely or never that stardom has gone to their heads.

Posted: 12/5/05 at 10:26am

So actors have how many bosses?

...if that's the case, I'd like Patrick Wilson to come over to my place and put in some over-time with me. grrrrrrr.
Updated On: 12/5/05 at 10:26 AM

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 10:44am

Idina came out the "stage door" at SWIWS I'd say 80 percent of the time.

The few times she DIDN'T - it was usually for a reason - Taye singing at Joe's pub... going out with family, or more recently, Daphne Rubin-Vega who saw the show this weekend. THEN people were mad that not only did she not come out, but she and Daphne apparently went somewhere together, so they didn't get to accost Daphne in the lobby, either.

I think the sense of entitlement on broadway - not just with her, but with lots of performers, is really disgusting. These people just gave you a show. If they have time to come out and sign, fine, but people shouldn't get their knickers in a twist about it.

[DivaBrigader]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 11:13am

If your friend saw the show on Friday, the friend Idina was waving to at curtain call was Daphne Rubin-Vega. They left through another exit so people wouldn't scream for Daphne also. I was there on Friday night. It was pretty rabid.