Actors who never stage door/sign

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 3:53pm

I was wondering if any one knew of any actors who never come out the stage door or always refuse autographs or pictures. I'm far from being a person to pester people who do not want to take part in that aspect of New York theatre.  I just think it's nice to know. 

I know Nathan Lane has refused on several occasions.  James Earl Jones and Lansbury (due to age now). Fran Drescer. Any others?   Thanks 

[HarveyDent]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:20pm

Olivier never signed.

[DonnaNYC]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:21pm

Debra Messing made it a point to avoid the fans at Outside Mullingar.

 

[Adair Haywind]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:27pm

Alice Ripley didn't stage door the entire time she was on tour with Next to Normal, though she did occasionally when the show was on Broadway. I'm not sure if she did at all during American Psycho.

[Tom5]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:39pm

I wouldn't be surprised if many of the stars who avoid them are also trying to avoid the one or more of their usual stalkers that are sure to be there.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:44pm

But James Earl Jones will do you one better: he will sometimes come out of the stage door and just talk to people, shake hands, ask where people are from, etc. rather than signing or posing for pictures. A real class act. 

I think for a lot of actors it depends on the show. Like right now, as many people are aware, Laura Benanti doesn't stage-door for She Loves Me, but she has for past shows. Sometimes it even depends on the run of the show; I was told that Lupita Nyong'o never/rarely signed after Eclipsed at the Public, but now I hear she does it pretty regularly on Broadway. There are lots of other examples like that - just depends on their mood. 

Nathan Lane is the only person I can think of off the top of my head who almost never does stage-door for any shows. 

[TFMH18]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:47pm

During the Broadway run of If/Then, Idina signed (regularly at first, and then much more minimally later on). On the tour, though, she stopped signing altogether. Who knows what her stance will be when she comes back to Broadway-- whenever the heck that will be.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:50pm

John Gallagher wouldn't during his run in American Idiot. He went out of his way, however, to explain why.  

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:51pm

Laura Benanti used to stage door for She Loves Me. If she no longer does at all, aside from the fact I know she's expressed concerns about getting sick, she also tweeted about that she has some psycho pretending to be her sister online and talking about her personal info so I can imagine she might be being cautious right now for that reason as well...

[Adair Haywind]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 4:55pm

Jane Lynch only stagedoored a handful of times when she did her brief stint in Annie. 

[Adair Haywind]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 5:01pm

I remember reading on here during Adam Pascal's run in Chicago that he didn't stage door often because he wanted to get home to his his family. I was lucky enough to meet him once after a concert he did with Anthony Rapp (who is actually a regular at the stagedoor for every show he does) and both of them couldn't have been nicer. :)

Updated On: 6/16/16 at 05:01 PM

[mamaleh]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 5:14pm

I observed Alan Alda on several occasions (I think it was during GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS) leaving the stage door hurriedly, eyes straight ahead focused on his waiting car, ignoring the throng on either side. I'm guessing he was an inveterate non-signer/schmoozer. 

Updated On: 6/16/16 at 05:14 PM

[justasmalltownboy13]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 5:28pm

Adair Haywind said: "Alice Ripley didn't stage door the entire time she was on tour with Next to Normal, though she did occasionally when the show was on Broadway. I'm not sure if she did at all during American Psycho.

 

"

Alice signed on the last day of the show - I met her on the way INTO the theatre at around 1pm and she stopped for me. Not sure about any of the other performances. I hear she's a rare signer, so I was happy to meet her

[@z5]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 5:41pm

Jessie Mueller rarely does for Waitress and I heard Jessica Lange doesn't for Long Day's Journey.

 

 

[haterobics]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 5:56pm

Theatrefanboy1 said: "I know Nathan Lane has refused on several occasions."

During The Producers, he used to send them out with 50 signed playbills to pass out to the people waiting, so that should count for something... he also used that frenzy as his smoke screen to peel out around the barricade, heh.

[TerrenceIsTheMann]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 5:58pm

Oak of Hamilton tends to skip the door. 

[hedwigbway]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 6:02pm

When I saw American Psycho the week of closing, everyone but Ben and Alice came out within 30 minutes of the show ending. After that they removed the barricades, which prompted most of the people waiting to leave. I stayed with a few others and Alice came out about 20 minutes later with a sharpie ready. She spent a lot of time with each person there and took pictures. She must only stage door when it's not a rushed mob scene. 

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 6:05pm

Alice Ripley seldom signs?  She did a lot during N2N.

[10086sunset]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 6:06pm

Theatrefanboy1 said: ". I know Nathan Lane has refused on several occasions.  "

 

Lane signed for me after A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Granted it was 20 years ago.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 6:12pm

@z5 said: "Jessie Mueller rarely does for Waitress and I heard Jessica Lange doesn't for Long Day's Journey."

Jessie was pretty regular at the stage door early in the run for Waitress and I'm guessing she will start up again now that the frenzied schedule of Tony season is behind her. 

[Javi]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 7:25pm

Alice was signing the day I saw Next To Normal. I have pictures to prove it ha ha ha!

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 7:58pm

@z5 said: "Jessie Mueller rarely does for Waitress and I heard Jessica Lange doesn't for Long Day's Journey.

 
Jessica Lange was long since scared off by the American Horror Story nuts, although I read a story that it precipitated from the one of the first previews where she was hounded by them. Gabriel Byrne also skipped, but likely for similar reasons.

LDJ is a weird door in that, usually the crowd at the subscriber houses are small  in my experiences. (Friedman, American Airlines, Studio 54) and there was only 20 people there, but half only saw the show. The rest were just autograph hunters. One guy was so hellbent on meeting Lange with a bunch of memorabilia, that when it was announced she wasn't coming out, he started arguing with the door guard and stormed off in a rage down the street when he didn't get what he wanted.

 

 

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 7:58pm

John Cameron Mitchell only gave out lollipops when he was Hedwig early last year. 

I think it also depends on the weather. At times it is just TOO cold and of course none of the actors want to get sick. 

A friend was at Hamilton stage door last week but only 1-2 of the main cast came out. The rest were ensemble.

[5377brian]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 8:41pm

Idina Mendel did not stage door for If/Then when it was here in Los Angeles at the Pantages last December.  I was told by a member of the ensemble that she never did and was in a car going home to her son before the applause was finished.

For Broadway though, I'm not sure if she did.

One thing I found it was funny this ensemble member stumbled ever so slightly in one of her lines during the performance, and she told us it was because she was startled because Idina actually looked at her when saying the previous line, and apparently she never had before acknowledged her during the scene before that. 

Updated On: 6/16/16 at 08:41 PM

[mc1227]

Posted: 6/16/16 at 8:51pm

I never begrudge an actor who doesn't appear at stage door because it must be painful to want to get home after a 2 show day and have to stand there and sign things and take pictures like a zoo animal.  I really think the stage door security should weed out people who ask actors to sign pictures and other items besides a Playbill.  I think it's so unfair to an actor to ask them to sign those things that end up on eBay.  The actor is between a rock and a hard place because if they say no, it makes them appear mean or stuck up but if they do sign them, it encourages people to keep doing it.  I occasionally used to stage door but it became ridiculous and I actually did feel bad for the actors who just want to get home, so I no longer do it. 

Updated On: 6/16/16 at 08:51 PM