what do you think of show groupies???

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:06pm

now i love miss saigon... seen the show like 20 times in various productions... and i have a lot of other ways of seeing it... but i'm not obsessed with it really... well the definition of obsession can be something to many people... i'm not really obsessed as so much as every time the show is around my area i'll watch it but whatever... my question is... what do you think of show groupies... you know the RENTHEADS and stuff like that... in my opinion... and it is an OPINION... some show groupies irk me... ok.. to be honest, RENTHEADS annoy the crap out of me... when i first saw RENT (one of my favorite shows that i've seen a total like 7 or 8 times) back in 97 or 98... i was amazed that people in the audience were dressed like the characters and screaming at like EVERY number... and then they would go to the stage door and talk to EVERY single cast member... and then i see message boards and whoah are some of these people obsessed... to the point where RENT is the most perfect thing... well... not to just point the finger to RENTHEADS... but WICKED, PHANTOM also have their share of obsessive fans.... especially WICKED right now...

buuuut... even i annoy the crap out of myself... especially with my obsession with Star Wars.. hahah... my friends think i'm scary with that... so i really can't complain too much...

i just wanted to hear what you all have to say?

[Elphaba]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:17pm

seeing Ms. Saigon 20 times makes you a groupie......nuff said

Physician, Heal Thyself!

[Danielm]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:19pm

I avoid show groupies if at all possible.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:28pm

yeah yeah... i'm a groupie... haha... but i sure as heck don't dress up like characters nor do i scream and shout during a show nor do i harrass actors after a performance and act like Miss Saigon is the show of all shows

[Elphaba]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:36pm

I always try not to cast stones....it usually comes back to bite you on the A**

I am over the Wicked groupies....I'm sorry, I saw it once, it was "ok", but it is not the end all these people think, so I know what you mean.

I am probably a Renthead....do I dress up like them? No......would I go out of my way to meet one of them? No......but I like the music, story, and what it represents.

Miss Saigon is an amazing play........moreso I think to those of us that lived through that era

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:37pm

I've only ever been a groupe for LENNON. Seeing it over ten times in less than a month and being on a first-name basis with the cast made me one, I guess.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:42pm

I dunno I dislike the term groupie. I still think of those that travel w/ bands on tour and umm...give them pleasure. I prefer the term passionate supporter. I mean, sometimes ppl do things I wouldn't, but I wouldn't say they bother me. I mean, I'm a passionate supporter of DRS and while I don't dress up like the cast I have a special DRS shirt and I cheer really loud and try to get the audience into it, and a lot of ppl know me, I talk to them and hug, and then other stage doorers ask me if I work there..but I don't think I do anything to warrant the negative term "groupie." If you love a show enough to want to see it a lot, that's great. If you're really enthusiastic and try to get the audience into it,that's great too. If you dress up like the characters...well, that's your personal choice. I mean I think the crazier fans I just wish would be a little more respectful of actors, not scream or bitch if they don't come out, but otherwise I don't think it's a bad thing.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:46pm

I think some groupies give some shows bad names. Like Wicked, which I loved when I saw it, is now an annoying musical that I never want to see again. Thanks mostly to this board.

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:48pm

Yeah, i'm a Renthead. But when I went to see DRS there was this girl at the stage door. And Laura Marie Duncan was subtley making fun of her to my brother and me. The girl was just so annoying. She had this awful voice and said to her friend, "ARE YOU A SOPRANO OR AN ALTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!" really loudly. And then she started singing a horrible rendition of "nothing is too wonderful to be true." Oh jeeze, it was hilarious.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:51pm

I would see Wicked again. The groupies have nothing to do with me liking or not liking the show. But they were a bit out of control over the show and made my experience at the stage door one I don't want to ever experience again.

[FrancisGumm]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:54pm

i dont think that because you have seen a show a lot more times than a normal theatergoer would have, would make anyone a groupie.
that being said, yes, there are some scary ones that feel like they are best friends with the actor and are never happy with a simple hello, etc and can get out of control or cause a scene if they give them a hug or something.
BUT i know a LOT of people who are avid fans that are very respectful and SOMETIMES only approach a performer if he/she has had an impact in their purpsuit for a career in theater, etc.

point being, not everyone that sees a show more than once is a groupie and not all 'groupies' are obsessive scary people

[TheatreDiva612]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:58pm

I also think that the term "groupie" has an extremely negative connotation. However, I don't think supporting a show is such a horrible thing. Yes, the exception proves the rule... and Wicked is just one example- one very unique example. That type of behavior doesn't carry through to a lot of other shows though. And in many ways, being a loyal supporter only helps. If someone comes back from a show (these are just the examples I've seen lately...) like Woman in White or DRS and raves about the understudies or the show itself, people are going to take that into consideration and see it. I mean I know it doesn't boost audience numbers in large amounts but it keeps people going to the theater. And conveying those types of opinions on a message board like this can only help and I don't think there it anything wrong with that.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 3:02pm

Yeah Show groupies is more of a rock term than a broadway term. Like Wickedrentq, I am a passionate supporter of the show DRS. However, that does that mean I would dress up like characters and (there is no excuse for this) actually talk or yell during a performance. Theres a fine fine line between obesession and dedication. If you are the kind of person who can't sleep without doing somnthing that is show related, then you are obsessed. If you visit a show 10 times a month but see other shows and are generally into the said show but enjoy a little branching, you are a dedicated fan. If you sleep with a performer...well...you are a production assistant.

edit: Wicked groupies though are extremely annoying. I can honestly see why many can be turned off from the show by them. Updated On: 12/23/05 at 03:02 PM

[DreamFlyer22]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 3:26pm

To me, the age group that the show appeals to directly affects the groupie population. Obviously you're going to have crazy people attracted to ANY given show for whatever reason, but in the case of a show like Wicked, the tale appeals to a younger crowd of *girls* and also happens to be a take on the UBER-popular (pardon the pun) "Wizard of Oz" movie. I avoid the Wicked stagedoor now, but I understand why it's as zooey as it is.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 3:50pm

i didn't see Rent when it first opened...but the Rentheads are awesome...i mean they might scream during "today 4 you tomorrow 4 me" but that is about it...actually i am a Renthead myself...saw the show 6 times and the movie twice. On the other hand the Wickedheads are really annoying...they scream all the time and they r very young usually. I kinda want to go and see Eden as Elphaba but the fact the show is a such a big hit(so it doesn't need any support from me) and the tickets are so expensive, plus screaming pre-teen fans...it makes me think about it twice. Even the audiece at "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (with children under 10) knew how to behave at a theatre better than the Wickedheads.

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 3:52pm

They should be smacked soundly upside the head and given a full-color pamphlet entitled "How To Get A Damn Life".

[TheatreDiva612]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 3:55pm

that criteria hardly constitutes you as a Renthead, don't you think?

However- i think those examples are all comletely differnt. Rent has the strengh to attract a wide audience and keep them coming back- regardless of price, cast changes, etc. And Rentheads only promote the show, if anything. However, the girls at Wicked are loud, and obnoxious and do, in fact, turn people off of the show. Which is extremely unfortunate because if it wasn't for them things could have turned out a lot differently than it has- it might have actually garnered SOME respect... and Chitty, well those kids can't help but stand up and scream and shout when that car starts to fly- but that's the expected reaction and it's adorable.

[TimeSuckage]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 3:56pm

I think it's hilarious this thread is on these boards. Pot and kettle and black and all that.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 4:01pm

i loved the kids at the "Chitty" audience...i was amazed as they were when the car flew...learn how to read Theatrediva?

[TheatreDiva612]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 4:06pm

I never said you critisized the kids @ Chitty- i was just stating that Rent, Wicked and Chitty are three different examples of theater bahavior...

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 4:27pm

but in RENT... what's the point of screaming an actor's name during the show... i understand the clapping during SOL and mooing during OTM... but man... some people go overboard like they want the actor's on the stage to see them or something... i read one post where the person was like... "and *insert actor* looked right at me and smiled during Seasons of Love while i was clapping..." RENTHEADS are the reason i hate seeing RENT sometimes... WICKEDHEADS i had slight annoyance with... not too much because i only saw the show twice in LA but when i saw the stage door... oh geez there were like all teenage girls.... eek...

and i just used that word groupie because it was the only thing i could think of...

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 4:58pm

" read one post where the person was like... "and *insert actor* looked right at me and smiled during Seasons of Love while i was clapping"

Well, if this was due to the fact they were screaming their name during the song, then that is bad b/c you shouldn't scream anything to interrupt a song. If it just randomly happened and someone was excited, what's the harm?

My motto is do whatever you want as long as you don't interfere w/ anyone else's enjoyment of the show or become a bother/annoyance to anyone involved w/ the show.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 5:10pm

Wow, this really is a pot-meet-kettle thread.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 5:13pm

Everyone here who says they aren't a groupie - is, in fact, a groupie.

Passionate Supporter? Fine, that's a groupie without the sex. What's the fun in that?

Get over it, anyone who becomes friends with the cast so they can say, "Look who my 'friends' are!" should be shot in the foot.

P.S. You aren't friends. Or you need to look up the definition of friend.

[CJR]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 6:18pm

Emcee, get out of my head. I read this and thought "hi pot? this is kettle. you're black"