AP Article on 'Loyal Fans'

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=12754423&page=1

While I'm sure these people are so excited to be in an AP article, I'm just skeeved.

Updated On: 1/28/11 at 09:27 PM

"Ahlers saw "Next to Normal" 58 times before its Tony-winning star, Alice Ripley, left the cast (she's now starring in the national tour) and he lost interest." - says everything

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I agree.

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Then maybe it was worded wrong. It wasn't made clear that Ahlers was seeing the show just for Ripley. I was under the impression until they said he lost interest that he just loved "the show".

I can't see doing this, but people do. The only show I think I would have seen more than 3 times would have been "Caroline or Change". I have seen Wicked 3 times. Once with the original cast, the second time because I organized a group of 50 people to see the 1st National tour and had to be there. The third was because I was doing an article on the show. I did see "The Wiz" 3 times because I loved the show and took other people to see it the 2nd and 3rd times.

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Updated On: 1/27/11 at 10:05 PM

Ok I'll say it. I am friends with Nick and Tracy. They are anything but creepy. They aren't stagedoor stalkers or creepers. In fact, they don't stagedoor at all. They don't crave the attention of actors. They aren't wannabe actors, they are successful and hardworking people. Broadway is a hobby for them, just as it is for myself and many others on here. We aren't all aspiring actors and/or creepers at the stagedoor.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask

Updated On: 1/27/11 at 10:13 PM

The media. They never report things correctly.

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Nick and Tracy might not be stagedoor creepers, but that can't be said for some other people in that article. I saw N2N plenty of times, but I did want the "friendship" of the actors like many others seemed to.

Updated On: 1/27/11 at 10:24 PM

Sometimes these people really are creepy.
Two years back at ROCK OF AGES, there was a whole family of creepers who just saw the show for the 23rd time (together).
They even had a thick scrapbook with every production shot and signed item they've gotten at the stage door.

I found something extremely wrong with them....

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I said something negative about the showto a Facebook friend, that I think I met on here, and she got extremely, out of control, upset with me to the point that I had to click on that unfriend button.

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"Stemple notes that one theater message board even had a thread about "competitive crying" at the performance."

..heh.

Is Nick not adamgreer?

As a few people have already figured out, my real name is Nick Ahlers, and I was one of the people quoted in the article.

That being said, it's time to clarify a few things...

-I knew as soon as I saw the "he lost interest" line that people were going to have a field day with it. In truth, that was very close to what I actually said because I was trying to be vague with the reporter so as not to say anything disparaging about Mazzie in the AP article. I loved Alice Ripley's performance, but I'm far from one of her groupies. I loved Jessica Phillips as Diana, and even enjoyed Catherine Porter. I did not care for Mazzie, so I stopped attending the show.

-I have never once "stage doored" or attempted to meet any performers. The only time I have is when either myself or Tracy made a donation to Broadway Cares and gone backstage as part of a package. Tracy, in particular, has donated well over $15,000 to Broadway Cares over the past 3 years. She's probably going to get mad at me for saying that, but I won't allow a very close friend to get raked over the coals when she is in fact one of the most generous supporters of this community.

-I don't see any of these shows for any kind of attention. Other than close friends, until now, no one knew I did this.

-As anyone who follows my posts knows, these are not the only two productions I see. I see a LOT of theater. These two shows just happened to have a lot of repeat value for me. I will never, ever apologize to anyone for how I choose to spend my money.

And finally...

Did Nick also think Jessica Phillip's first performance on was awful and then posted here about it and then criticized her when she Facebooked about it?

You left out the conclusion to that story, Yankeefan. After returning to see Jessica later in the year, and falling in love with her performance, I very publicly posted a mea culpa. In addition to that, as a sign that I had no hard feelings to her, I made a $100 donation to Broadway Cares in her name.

Updated On: 1/27/11 at 11:03 PM