Awkward Stage Door Moments — Page 6

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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Long stories short?

My mom has a Company playbill signed by Cary Shields, signed "Cary Shields as April".

Skylar Astin telling me "I hear I'm very good" and me saying "from who, your mother?"

Luther Creek insisting on fixing my camera. Me responding with "and he's smart, too!" with the sarcastic implication that he was smart in addition to being handsome. Which he's not, which I think he got when he said "I like cameras". Sorry, Luther darling.

Jonathan Groff sweetly not understanding things. In general.

I guess those are actually just my awesome stories. The awkward ones are always just the little moments of cameras not working, or kind of ignoring someone when you weren't planning on stopping them. Or maybe just the existence of my unwanted picture with Lea Michele.

At a certain West Coast touring venue, one of the actors had told us an easier way to get into the theatre (it was a newish venue and not a traditional theatre setup). Well, that night three of us went up to the door, which was on a landing with a set of stairs. I look down and THE LANDING IS MOVING AND OMG NO IT IS NOT AN EARTHQUAKE IT IS COCKROACHES WTF. Covered in cockroaches. I am not afraid of bugs nor easily startled, but all three of us SCREAMED and ran down the stairs, and the conductor was walking by and just stared at us...

(His face: o_O)

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stage-dooring after Spring Awakening I got a little fan-girl over Groff. I started rambling like crazy. This was right after the Tony's and of course, in my daze, I mentioned his loss. He just made a face like "why would you mention that while trying to compliment me" and I just kept on talking. As soon as he left I turned to my friend and was like what the hell did I just say. But he was insanely nice anyway.

The last time I saw Phantom in Toronto I was a little inarticulate. Even after I told myself to actually be coherent this time and express to the actors what I liked about their interpretations of the characters. D.C. Anderson was kind enough to give me a backstage tour so I met quite a few actors. Here are some embarassing moments (for me anyway):
*I met John Cudia in his dressing room and I got star strucked. D.C. Anderson already introduced who I was and my friend with but later on I said, "And this is my friend, Mike." My friend told me later he and John exchanged looks knowing they were already introduced, but played along. Anyway I could really only say, "You were so great," so after taking a photo with me he said it was nice to meet me and it was quite obvious he wanted me to leave. He wasn't rude about it, but I could tell I probably made him uncomfortable.
*I was talking to John Kuether and Kate Wray, who I knew were married. Anyway I recognized John from seeing him in the show before so I said, "And you play Don Attilio, right?" And when I turn to speak to Kate I was like, "And who did you play?" She told me Meg Giry. It wasn't really embarassing since she looks different offstage, but I met her a few years before and she was standing by John so I felt I should have put two and two together.
*Rebecca Judd gave me back my pen after signing my program and somehow it fell. She was like, "Oh I'm sorry!" and I just said, "Oh no, it was my fault."
*Marni Raab wasn't Christine that day, but was backstage just in case she had to go on. So I met her and wanted to show my appreciation for her work in the show, even if I didn't see her, so I asked for her autograph. She kind of looked at me weird, but signed anyway.

One day I'll be a little more calm when I meet actors, haha.

When I saw Chicago Kevin Chamberlain played Amos. After the show I went to shake hs hand and tell him good show, I said good show and he just stared at me for like five seconds and then turned around. I was certainly creeped out cause it wasnt just a stare it was a freaky hannibal stare.

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I met Rupert Holmes a few years back and agree that he's a great guy.

My friend: "Oh! Cheyenne Jackson didn't sign my playbill. Did he leave already?"
Me: Yeah. "He's walking away. You could chase after him."
My friend: "I'll pay you five dollars plus dinner if you do it"
Me: "Okay" (I chase Cheyenne Jackson for three blocks before I catch up with him)
"Excuse me. Would you mind signing my friend's playbill?
Cheyenne Jackson: Sure (we actually walk the three blocks back to the stage door)
My friend: "oh no wait, you already signed it."
Cheyenne Jackson: "Well, s***" (walks away)

several seconds pass

My friend: "Wait. I wanted a picture with him."

Lmao, that Cheyenne encounter was a good one. For my own non-Cheyenne but funny stagedooring moment see thread entitled "Did Mario leave A Chorus Line"

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I did feel really bad chasing after him. Still, I got free food for doing it . . .

In the name of everything good and holy, someone tell us about Marian Seldes sucking face!

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Mine was when I saw the most recent Rent tour. Jade Hicks (Alexi Darling/Mimi US) came out. While we were having a small conversation and taking pictures, this old, drunk queen kept saying, "You were soooo amazing as Mimi! Faaaabulous, dahling." The only problem is that she wasn't Mimi... She leaned over to me and asked me if I could please correct him and ask him to stop. lol

This definitely isn't as funny as a lot of the other experiences already posted...

But the other week, I stage doored a Thursday night performance of In the Heights. I had one of those clickie Sharpies, and I had it pre-clicked for the actors. When Carlos Gomez (Kevin) came out, he took the pen, didn't realize it was the clickie kind, and was trying to uncap it. But since it was already pre-clicked, he actually ended up drawing all over his hand. It was really embarrassing, and I was apologizing about my pen and he just sort of stared at his hand and walked off without saying much.

A little later, Luis Salgado (from the ensemble) came out, and was using the same pen. And he kept raving on and on about how smoothly it wrote and how it was the best pen he ever used and he was waving it in the air and stuff. Not necessarily awkward, but still sort of amusing.