Any bad stage-door experiences? — Page 8

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#176

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 5:38pm

I whole-heartedly agree that the "named" cast members should have to sign autographs - especially in a show like Wicked or Legally Blonde, where the audience is mostly young people.

What many actors don't get is the fact that these people are the ones who will make their career. Without the fans, who are they?

#177

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 5:54pm

"my rule is that if your name is on the poster or your face/character you should really come out to the fans who fund your paycheck."

Are you for real? The ticket price you pay is to see a show, not to meet the actors afterwards.

"My third point is that if you are a performer and somebody pays you $100 or more to see you then you do in fact owe them an autograph at least, you should also take pics with your fans. They only work 3 or 4 hours a day staying an extra hour for fans is not gonna kill you."

They owe you absolutely nothing once the curtain comes down. They owe you a good performance, that's it. Can you imagine if every audience member thought like you did ... actors would have to sign over 1000 autographs a night. Get a life.

"Joanna Gleason walked right out after DRS on christmas eve. She covered her face and went straight to her car, if she didnt have time all she had to say was sorry have to get home for christmas, merry christmas everyone"

It was Christmas eve for god's sake. Don't you think actors want to get home to their families too. She owed you absolutely nothing. You were an INTRUSION!!!!!

#178

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 6:12pm

Not a bad experience but I was not getting good vibes off of Marc Kudisch at Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He looked exasperated that he had to sign playbills.

Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you. --Cartman: South Park ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."

#179

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 6:18pm

I have had a few people who were disrespectful. Joanna Gleason walked right out after DRS on christmas eve. She covered her face and went straight to her car, if she didnt have time all she had to say was sorry have to get home for christmas, merry christmas everyone. thats it. John Lithgow was also a bit of a diva.

How dare she rush to get home on Christmas Eve??? THE OUTRAGE!!

http://www.beintheheights.com/katnicole1 (Please click and help me win!) I chose, and my world was shaken- So what?
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda "And when Idina Menzel is singing, I'm always slightly worried that her teeth are going to jump out of her mouth and chase me." - Schmerg_the_Impaler

#180

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 7:00pm

I am in NO way saying that Joanna gleason should have stayed to sign things on christmas eve, but it comes down to common courtesy, all she had to do was say sorry guys i have to get to my family, and that would have been absolutely understandable. Victoria Clark did that when i saw her on a holiday and everyone there completely understood.

And laura bell bundy has quite the attitude, you werent there when i saw her,there were quite a few younger kids who were mortified that she was so rude. You dont have to stop and talk, but you dont have to roll your eyes and sigh when someone asks for an autograph when she was holding a sharpie from the moment she came out.

and even though you pay to see the show, many people also want to meet the actors. without their fans who would broadways stars be? the audiences are what keep their paychecks going, without us they are unemployed again.

it comes down to common courtesy, plain and simple.

#181

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 7:22pm

There is nothing wrong with politely refusing a request, but there is just no need to be intentionally rude for no reason.

"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars

"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290

#182

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 8:36pm

"and even though you pay to see the show, many people also want to meet the actors. without their fans who would broadways stars be? the audiences are what keep their paychecks going, without us they are unemployed again."

Well, you can't always get what you want. I am a fan of a person's performance, not how friendly they are to complete strangers.

#183

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 8:40pm

I am in NO way saying that Joanna gleason should have stayed to sign things on christmas eve, but it comes down to common courtesy, all she had to do was say sorry guys i have to get to my family, and that would have been absolutely understandable.

I still don't see anything wrong with trying to get out of there unnoticed. She was probably trying to avoid the couple of obnoxious people who would have stopped her no matter what. It's not like she turned around and said "I hate you all and I'm leaving." THAT would be disrespectful.

#184

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 9:40pm

cant you just respect someones opinion? seriously, i mean come on.

"Well, you can't always get what you want. I am a fan of a person's performance, not how friendly they are to complete strangers."

I am not saying i dont respect that persons performance, if you knew me you would know that their performance is what i value most. I am just saying that if they come out they should be nice, if they are having a bad day slip out the back.

If joanna wanted to make sure no one saw her she could have gone through the other door. That would have ensured it.

and dont twist my words please, i never did anything to you.

#185

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 10:47pm

I saw Beauty and the Beast the last few months of the run and Anneliese barely signed for anyone. I actually stood back and watched (after she had gone through the line to sign) that this whole flock of people with cameras and programs were literally following her down the street. This was a group of like 15-20 people! They followed her up until she got into her car, that was just ridiculous and insane! I don't blame her for not wanting to sign because people there just mobbed her every time. Not to mention that the Lunt-Fontanne are idiots about their stage door management. Half the time they never even had a barricade up, it was always a hot mess there. I'm not suprised that Sierra is starting to show the same symptoms of annoyance/fear at the stage door...who wants to deal with that craziness 8 times a week?

#186

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 11:02pm

Guys- paying 100 bucks for a ticket does not mean anything more than the actors needing to put on a good show for you. Don't you pay for specific tickets go meet and greet anyhow? premium or something?

I've met LBB once and she was extremely sweet to me, we talked for like 5 minutes, she signed a bunch of things I had, felt really bad because while we were talking she smudged one of the things[ticket I think..] and took a 2nd photo with me because the first one came out blurry. 8 x a week is quite exhausting..

#187

Perspective

Posted: 3/28/08 at 11:14pm

I greatly hope Sierra doesn't start to act like Anneliese did. I'd be really dissapointed by that. But if she doesn't want to come out and sign atleast just go out another way

#188

Perspective

Posted: 4/10/08 at 10:04pm

I haven't had too many bad SD experiences, but there have been a few actors that I wasn't too pleased with.

Phoebe Strole & Jonathan B. Wright from Spring Awakening, Jessica Lee Goldyn from A Chorus Line wasn't all that nice, and that's really it, I think. Everyone else from Spring Awakening(I've met the whole original cast) was great, and everyone I met from Legally Blonde were great. I'd like to keep it that way : )

And what's with Lea Michele being one of the worst? When I met her she was extremely nice.

Broadway: Rent(8.14.06), Spring Awakening(8.22.07), Legally Blonde(10.24.07), Spring Awakening(12.7.07), Spring Awakening(2.17.08), A Chorus Line(3.29.08), Spring Awakening (5.9.08), West Side Story(5.15.10), Next to Normal(6.21.10), American Idiot(7.14.10) Upcoming: Rock of Ages (9.9.10)

#189

Perspective

Posted: 4/10/08 at 10:28pm

It is really interesting to read what some of you guys are saying! I haven't had many "bad" stage door experiences...the one that stands out the most; Most of the crowd had cleared out for this one actor (I will not name HIS name) because they had gotten their autographs, and so when I got up to him my mom asked if she could take his picture with my brother and I, throwing in the fact we had seen the show three times...and he was a jerk, and just left a nasty taste in my mouth. Saying things like, "No, [we] have to be at a photoshoot." "You can take pictures of [us]" ...it was a horrible experience. When there were less than 12 people left. The other two times I saw the show, he didn't do pictures either...granted, maybe he did have to be somewhere, but there were maybe 12 all together; like; a pair next to us, a group of 4 behind them, etc. It wouldn't take longer than a minute if the rest of us waiting wanted pictures. That just kind of irked me. It's not just me, a friend who was there a different night had a same horrible experience with the same cast member.

"Sing 'till you're breaking glass or you're breaking down"

#190

Perspective

Posted: 4/10/08 at 10:37pm

I caught Grease a few weeks away, and was really disappointed with Max and Laura. When I asked for a picture of either of them, they both said no, they dont "do" photos and walked away. Were they not chosen by the public to appear on stage? The rest of the cast seemed really nice, and it was not a large crowd at the door

2012: American Idiot 01/14, In The Heights 02/11, Warhorse 02/18, The Book of Mormon 02/23, The Gershwins Porgy and Bess 02/24, Anything Goes 02/25, Godspell 02/26, Shrek 03/31, Ghost (West End)04/11, Singing In The Rain (West End) 04/12, Matilda (West End) 04/13, Leap of Faith 05/02, Evita 05/03, Jesus Christ Superstar 05/04, Newsies 05/05, The Book Of Mormon 05/06, West Side Story 06/02, Beauty and the Beast 07/07, Million Dollar Quartet 07/28, La Cage 10/13, 10/27 Sister Act, 31/10 Once, 11/01 Rock of Ages, 11/02 Spiderman, 11/03 Newsies, 11/15 Jekyll & Hyde

#191

Perspective

Posted: 4/10/08 at 11:50pm

I just had my first one.
I went to the Grease stage door because i really wanted to meet Laura I had talked to her over myspace and she was just so sweet. I get there she was just so cold and not very nice.
I may have caught her on a bad day. but i lost respect for her.

#192

Perspective

Posted: 4/11/08 at 12:09am

Threads like these amuse me endlessly. I understand why people want to stage door and interact with the actors they enjoy. I don't understand why people feel so strongly that actors are obligated to sign autographs, have their photos taken, and otherwise confab at the stage door. After work, the last thing I want to do is be bothered with other people. I just want to go home and change my clothes. I'm often grateful I'm not an actor because after a show (not on Broadway), doing my work behind the scenes, I'm exhausted. I think about what it must be like to have to stage door and am filled with relief that no one ever sees what I do.

#193

Perspective

Posted: 4/11/08 at 12:42am

"They owe you absolutely nothing once the curtain comes down. They owe you a good performance, that's it. Can you imagine if every audience member thought like you did ... actors would have to sign over 1000 autographs a night."

... now there's an idea :)

You open the stage door and announce "Anyone want my autograph? $100. a pop!" That could prove to be lucrative :)

Seriously, no one should take such a brief anonymous (you) encounter personally. It's at the end of an often hard "day" of work. An actor may have many other things going on that you don't see at the stage door. I would never judge one on that basis. It's nothing personal!

#194

Perspective

Posted: 4/11/08 at 1:08am

I literally had to elbow my way through the crowd at Spamalot to see Rick Holmes and Tom Deckman. They were the only ones I wanted to see.

Even after it was announced that Clay wouldn't be coming out, the Claymates hung around. They talked amongst themselves, about how everyone was there for Clay ("No, not everyone," I said, to which they rolled their eyes) and how upset they were that Clay wasn't coming out to sign their autographs.

"Well, really, it's not in his contract to sign autographs," I told one woman who was saying how far she had come, et cetera.

"Oh, I know," she assured me haughtily. "I didn't come for his autograph, I have plenty of those. I just wanted to see him."

Then where were you for the past two hours? Maybe you missed it, but he was in the show. Ugh.

The actors themselves were sweet as can be, as they always are when I see Spamalot. It was the crowd that really annoyed me. I don't do well with large, pushy, noisy crowds, so it was probably the worst place for me to be.

#195

Perspective

Posted: 4/11/08 at 1:46am

I saw the Odd Couple with Matthew Broaderick and Nathan Lane a couple of years back. Matthew was just the sweetest person, stayed to talk to everyone, signed Playbills and was willing to stay for pictures. Nathan Lane was just being a queen that night. I told him he did a good job and he told me "like I haven't heard that before, thanks for coming to the show". I was hurt and I lost all my respect for him as a person that night.

#196

Posted: 4/11/08 at 1:53am

Updated On: 5/7/09 at 01:53 AM

#197

Perspective

Posted: 4/11/08 at 3:32am

When I saw GREASE everyone was nice. Laura and Max were both very nice, it's a shame they "don't do pictures" though since they are total nobodys who think they are somebodys. Laura isn't even the female lead in the show. Sad.

#198

Perspective

Posted: 4/11/08 at 4:07am

I have met Laura Bell Bundy at the stage door for Legally Blonde (My first Broadway musical and stage door experience) and she was extremely nice. She even signed a playbill out to me, took a picture with me, and was perfectly, sincerely sweet the entire time. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect first stage door experience.

#199

Perspective

Posted: 4/11/08 at 4:24am

The only reasons I stagedoor are because I think a signed Playbill is a nice memento and I like being able to tell certain performers who I respect that their work is important to me and has made a difference in my life. I don't think there is anyone in the world who wouldn't want to know that the work they do affected another person.

In no way to do I feel that it is a performer's obligation to sign autographs, nor would I think any less of a performer who did not sign; however, there is no need to pull a "Ringwald" and just be senselessly rude for no particular reason. That is where I lose respect for someone. There is a difference between being exhausted and just being mean.

"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars

"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290

Updated On: 4/11/08 at 04:24 AM

#200

Perspective

Posted: 4/11/08 at 10:20am

""Oh, I know," she assured me haughtily. "I didn't come for his autograph, I have plenty of those. I just wanted to see him."

Then where were you for the past two hours? Maybe you missed it, but he was in the show. Ugh. "

Most likely, she was at the show, too, and then went to the stage door to get one last glimpse of Clay. That's what fans do.

And good for her for not trying for another autograph so someone who does not have one can get their chance.

Merry Christmas With Love

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