Awkward Stage Door Moments — Page 5

So my mom knows the guy who played dr. dillamond the original cast of wicked, so when we went to see wicked we were able to go back stage. That, of course meant leaving backstage. Outside of the theatre there were all these people holding up signs and stuff waiting for Kristin and Idina to come out. Since Dr. Dillamond wears a mask the entire show, nobody recognized him. So there we were, my mom, my moms friend, my sister (she was about 11), and me. I was about 9 so of course I was absolutely freaked out by the fact that all these people were just staring at me. I'm not sure if it's exactly akward, but it was definitely a wierd experience

I think stagedooring is a little pathetic after the age of 15 (and sometimes before) but after a performance of "Drowsy" my friend and I saw people waiting outside of "Cyrano" and since Jennifer Garner is one of my faves, we decided to wait too. I didn't have a playbill from her show so I had her sign the article on Cyrano from the Drowsy playbill.

When she signed I said something like "I loved you in 13 Going on 30. I'm gay, but if I wasn't I would totally go for you" or something to that extent. Doh!

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So wait--

Idina signs autographs when the cameras aren't on her?!

After a performance of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Gilles Chiasson signed my Playbill and I complimented his performance. Then, I breifly asked Gilles how to correctly pronounce his first name (because I didn't take French and the internet wasn't as handy at the time). He was really bitchy about it and I now know from experience what he told me back then was not the French pronunciation, so I don't know why he was so pissy about someone asking a pretty fair question. He really made me feel like I was a piece of crap for asking. Luckily, that turned around when Christine Andreas and I had a cute chat about her performance on the 1980 Tony Awards. She was a sweetheart. Dave Clemmons was lovely as always and Eric Bennyhoff couldn't have been any nicer. Basically, Gilles really turned me off from wanting to see him in anything again.

Another really popular Tony-winner has behaved similarly to me (and I didn't even ask a question). I have no desire to ever see him perform again.

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LOVE this thread *lol*

I wish I had something to contribute, but all my stagedoor times have been wonderful

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A friend of mine was a little bitter about last year's Tony race, and as we were walking down the street, pretended to kick over a Grey Gardens sandwich board...right as Christine Ebersole was walking out the stage door.

Awkward.

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I cannot believe I forgot this one! I didn't happen to me, but I WAS there to hear it.

I'm going Sophia here for a moment.
Picture it: Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Winter 2003

I'm with my parents seeing 42nd Street and after the show even though it was freezing, I really wanted to see the girl playing Peggy Sawyer. Not that I was obsessed. I just really thought she did a great job and wanted to tell her so. Anyway, there's only a handful of people out there because of the weather and my parents went ahead and walked back to the hotel.

There must have been a few cast members from the ensemble that changed REALLY quick and headed outside the stagedoor, and I DO remember one girl complaining that she was burning up (so to me it made sense she was outside cooling off) and after studying my playbill like I always do, I knew they were from the show.

So there are two girls standing beside me waiting for pictures and autographs and whatnot. And the conversation goes as follows:

Girl 1: OMG. It's so cold!
Girl 2: I bet we can get inside and go backstage!
Girl 1: LIKE OMG. HOW!?!
Girl 2: All you have to do is be nice to the ensemble and get friendly with them and then ask if you can go backstage. I've done it for years. They get thrilled that anyone invests interest in them.
Girl 1: Ugh! Like Brilliant!
ME: (thinking)..."Why the hell do I have to be here with Lucy and Ethel?
Girl 2: (Opens playbill and points to ensemble member)
That's the one we'll talk to.
Ensemble girl: (to girl 2) Hey! Have you been backstage at this show before?!?
Girl 2: No.
Ensemble girl: Exactly. And you never will.

She ran inside and I could see her talking to the stage doorman and she was OBVIOUSLY describing what they looked like and I'm assuming, advising not to let them in.

Haha. Very awkward for them. Drop dead hilarious for me!

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Mister Matt, after reading your story about Gilles I am so glad I never asked him how to pronounce his name. How does he pronounce it, anyways?

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Mister Matt and Chrysanthemum62001, he says his name at the end of this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcC0ZR7NW5g

After seeing The Little Mermaid, I was very excited to meet Sherie because I've been a fan of hers since Aida and have wanted to meet her since then as well. So she comes out, signs my stuff and as I'm lifting my phone to take a picture, I drop it... but it doesn't drop straight down. It kind of flew towards her over the barricade. So, I was like "...uuuhhh, would you mind grabbing my phone for me?" since I couldn't reach it. She picks it up, looks at it, and goes "OH! I could use one of these!" and starts to walk away. Not really awkward, but pretty funny.

That is funny broadwayfan3. Keep them coming you guys these are hilarious. Ella Your mom knows William Youmans. I did a show with him at Yale Rep called Brundibar. What a nice guy. I also saw him in wicked and the Pirate Queen.

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Last Friday I had one of those 'cringe' moments watching the woman next to me try to chat up Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell after SITPWG. She did the awkward reach across the barrier for an uninitiated hug. And then she talked to Jenna for about 5 minutes about England while the whole time Jenna was trying to move down the line and continued to sign playbills as the woman talked.

Another one, which is not so much awkward as funny, is that my sister and I went to SD Gypsy and not wanting to sound like everyone else talking about the Tonys I told Patti I loved her in Will & Grace. As Patti was moving on to the person next to me, my sister says, "Shut up Patti LuPone!" to which Patti stops, looks up and bursts out laughing.

You know...I just remembered an awkward moment. I was at Curtains earlier this month and my friend wanted to go to the stage door after the show.

Once there this guy with a very heavy British accent starts talking to us. My friend and I had been having a conversation about "A Tale of Two Cities" and how it was coming to the Hirshfeld. Well he starts yelling "Tale of Two Cities is coming! That's great!" Ignoring him my friend and I continued our conversation and he overhears me say that I had seen "ATOTC" in Florida. So he starts asking me about it and how it was. And I'm answering him politely but really wishing he'd just go away.

The cast starts to come out and one of the ensemble members, I want to say J. Austin Eyer, came by signing. This guy sticks his hand out and says "I don't have a playbill but will you sign my hand?" Austin looks at us with a baffled expression on his face and I held up my hands as if to say "He's not with me". Austin continues down the line and the whole time the British guy is talking about how hot Austin is. Poor thing looked so stressed and ready to bolt.

A funny moment was when Harvey Fierstein said he wouldn't take a picture with me because I looked like a "wiley one" after A Catered Affair. I pretended to be hurt and he laughed.

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