Nicest Bway Star You've Ever Met??

[FuturePenny2]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:19pm

Whose the nicest performer you've ever met at the stagedoor.. or anywhere??

[jaystarr]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:22pm

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=886901#2024076

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:23pm

The original Sandy (the dog) shortly after ANNIE opened on Broadway in late April 1977.

[FuturePenny2]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:24pm

thankss jay! i actually searched for "rudest" idk why i didn't search nicest! haha thanks!

[snl89]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:28pm

Jonathan Groff

and I'm NOT just saying that becuase I love him and think he's adorable. He's truly one of the sweetest most awesome people I've ever met. And like.. he remembered me from over a YEAR after I had first seen the show. And it's not like I'd seen it a bunch of times originally. I saw it once, stagedoored, met him for like a couple of minutes, and then didn't see the show again for over a year. And when I went back, the VERY first thing he said was "you've been here before! I remember you!" I was like "damnnn you've got an amazing memory!!" haha.


runners up:
John Gallagher Jr.
Anthony Rapp (most surreal experience ever meeting him and I'm not quite sure why. I think it has something to do with his book and how intimate and personal it was, and then actually getting to meet him.. but yeah, he's such a sweetheart and was TOTALLY cool, even though I was like comletely red and shaking haha)



edit: woops, are we not using this thread then? :P

Updated On: 2/20/08 at 05:28 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:35pm

"you've been here before! I remember you!"

Wow! That IS creepy. Thank God he didn't say your name. THAT would be even creepier.

Now I see why my friend leaves thru the front of the house instead of the stagedoor exit at his show.

Yikes!

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:43pm

Christine Andreas.

[snl89]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:43pm

"you've been here before! I remember you!"

Wow! That IS creepy. Thank God he didn't say your name. THAT would be even creepier.

Yeah, the way he said it wasn't creepy or anything, but just the fact that he has that good a memory was totally mind boggling! I guess I'm.. memorable?? LOL

and yeah, if he'd said my name THAT would have flat out been scary because I've never actually TOLD him my name hahaha

[FuturePenny2]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:50pm

i notice i failed to mention who i thought was nicest hahah.

nicest i've ever met is Kerry Butler.
shes awesomeeeee!

and i agree with Jonathon Groff, though he didn't come out when i saw SA..my friend met him and he just seems like the nicest cutest guy!

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:50pm

Ted Neeley, hands down. (Alright, so he was only on Broadway as a reporter/leper/Jesus understudy in JCS in '71, and he's not, strictly speaking, a star. Still, the nicest guy I've ever met.)

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:51pm

Stephanie J. Block
Updated On: 2/20/08 at 05:51 PM

[choitoy]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 5:57pm

I had a wonderful stage door experience when I went to see "Chicago" at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas (waaayyyy back when!).

My sister and I went around the back (snuck out actually) and avoided security standing around the back doors. So I don't think that they got stage doored much. This was also between shows (they did two shows that night we went, and we went to the first show). My sister and I weren't expecting anything, but after a few minutes, Mamie Dincan-Gibbs (who was an excellent Velma by the way, easily one of my most favorite of the five Velma's that I've seen) popped out. She let out a little shriek of surprise, told us to wait there, and went back in (for something, I don't know what). A few moments later, she came back out all smiles, and we politely asked her to sign our playbills. I gushed about her performance, and she was really sweet about it all. I also lamented that I was unable to catch one of the roses that they throw out after the "Hot Honey Rag" (we were five rows from the front, and I almost caught one, but it bounced off my fingertips and towards the person behind me). Mamie told me to wait again, snuck back in, and got me a rose. She said she had to sneak it out because they count all the roses so they have enough to throw out during the week's run. It was super nice of her. She also gave me a tip that some of the chorus girls like to come out and get a breather, and Marilu Henner (Roxie) sometimes comes out. She did warn me that Ben Vareen (Billy) usually didn't come out, and if he did, he doesn't like to sign things. She then went back in to get ready for the next show.

A after thinking we should go, Marilu came out with her two sons. We were thinking she probably wouldn't want to sign our programs because she was with her family, but she spotted us and asked us if we wanted autographs. We politely said yes, and she too was very gracious. We didn't have time to talk, and after she finished signing, we left her alone to be with her kids, but it was very nice of her to take a little time out for my siser and me.

About half of the merry murderesses came out, and they were excited to see us too (I guess there really is a lack of stage dooring in Vegas shows at that time. I don't know how it is now, or if you can even stage door with security being more strict). All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and my meeting with Mamie Duncan-Gibbs has stayed with me forever.

I never did get Ben Vareen's aurtograph though, as he never popped out, just as Mamie told us.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:08pm

Lisa Brescia

[jaystarr]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:12pm

Carolee Carmelo & Andy Kelso (Mamma Mia)
Michael Arden
Lisa Kron
Marian Seldes

J*


Updated On: 2/20/08 at 06:12 PM

[the_white_page]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:14pm

Beth Leavel.

[InThePark]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:23pm

Lea Salonga.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:37pm

Will Chase

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:41pm

Gavin Lee and Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins)
Cheyenne Jackson
Beth Leavel

[ShiksaGoddess2]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:44pm

Stephanie J Block

[Juliash]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:46pm

Beth Leavel is epically nice!!!

[lesmis]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:51pm

Carey Anderson

[singingbackup]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:52pm

In a story too long to tell, the enchanting and very down to earth Chita Rivera.

[matty159]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 6:58pm

Liev Schreiber (after Talk Radio)

Rupert Graves (after Closer...I melted a little bit)

And similar to singingbackup with a story too long to tell...Maggie Smith after a performance of Talking Heads in London in '96.

[PUPPETMAN]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 7:05pm

Mary Martin - Peter Pan
Angela Lansbury - Mame
Constance Towers - Anastasia
Russ Thacker - Home Sweet Homer Updated On: 2/20/08 at 07:05 PM

[Jon]

Posted: 2/20/08 at 7:16pm

The one in my avatar - smiling while videotaping me.