Broadway fans who cross boundaries — Page 4

I got curious the last time Javier Munoz went on a twitter rant about how uninvolved his followers were and went down the rabbit hole a bit. I read a majority of his @ tag for the days prior, looking for what behavior, exactly, he found so egregious. There was absolutely nothing. People regularly tweet him asking how his day was, or thanking him for being a role model, etc. etc. etc. but a) he doesn't get that many tweets to begin with and b) the ones he does, actually do center on politics/social activism issues that Javier is invested in.



His latest series of tweets/insta posts seems just as unfounded as his last.

I was in New York this past weekend and witnessed what was one of the worst fan encounters I’ve ever seen. I was standing under the Come From Away marquee talking to Astrid Van Wieren long after stage door was over (she is the absolute sweetest). There was one teen girl and her mother also under the marquee who had finished talking to Astrid and I guess we’re planning their way back to their hotel (or something of that sort).

I’m talking to Astrid with my back to the street when I hear a man’s voice pass behind me talking on the phone, but don’t think anything of it until I hear the girl behind me gasp and tell her mom “that was Andrew Rannells!”. I turned slightely and yes, it was him and he was walking extremely fast and clearly did not want to be bothered. This girl and her mother took off in a sprint after him. It made me so angry and I only wish I saw them again so I could have told them off. I really hope they never caught him, and if they did I really hope he said no to their picture request.

I just can’t imagine being a human being and deciding it’s ok to chase another human being down the street.

When I saw Once On This Island last week, there was a woman a few rows behind me who was yelling "ALEX, ALEX" over and over again at Alex Newell during the preshow when the actors are walking around, kind of interacting with the audience IN CHARACTER. When the ushers asked her to stop, she said that it was okay, she knew him, and continued to yell. Eventually, as he continued to ignore her, she said, "I guess he cant hear me" and literally screamed his name. A shush fell over the entire audience and several members of the cast came over to yell at her. I've never seen anything like it in my life.

dramamama611 said: "You've never heard the phrase Stage Door Johnny? That term comes from the 40s, I believe. And it was used in All About Eve. Is it different now? Yes, as I said. Are there extremists? Yes, and I'm not saying there isn't real issues. I wasn't trying to down play any of that. In fact I blamed social media for it



But not every person that stage doors is a psycho. Most are not, not even close."

It comes from way before the 40’s Showboat premiered in 1927 and included the song Life Upon the Wicked Stage with the lyric: Stage Door Johnnies aren’t raging over you with gems and roses.

givesmevoice said: "The War Paint/Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole fans who write fanfic about them basically ruined being a fan of either one on certain online platforms. Does that count?"

ohmygod what

We've always had stories about rampant fans....movies and novels have been based from the idea for decades and decades. However, as said earlier, social media has, I believe, heightened the whole thing. And we can't forget that while stage dooring has always been a "thing", now it's a sport, and an expectation."

Excellent post, you nailed it !!

It seems like the "stage door" has become an event in itself. I have been a reluctant participant when seeing a show with my niece. In my observations, it has become an expectation that I don't quite understand. I just think that after giving their all to a performance I would think that they may just want to go home. I explain to my niece, be respectful, be kind and say thank you. Then move on. On another note, I think that social media has made actors seem so accessible. I understand its a form of self promotion and a business too but is it worth it? When fans call actors "mom" and "dad" ( I think that is so odd) - I just don't get it. I think social media is a slippery slope - one that is not going away - but needs to be managed. The lines get blurred - so much is shared, people get glimpses of their personal life and there is perceived familiarity with these actors. It leads to lines getting crossed. I love Broadway and have an enormous respect for the actors - must be challenging to navigate the work on the stage and off!

That’s horrible, I didn’t even know the fanbase was like that. But I do believe they let you record during curtain call? Both times I went they had no issue with my phone being out and recording. A lot of shows have been changing their rules so I’d understand if it’s different now.



Actually, it's not ok to film during curtain call, but people do it. At that point what is the usher going to do- however, until the lights come up in the theatre the show is in progress and anything on that stage is intellectual property, costumes, sets, lights and all. Recording of any kind is not permitted during the show, that includes bows. People forget it's not a concert, it's tacky and it wrecks it for the those of us following the rules to have to watch someone bow through your cell phone screen. Keep it in your purse or in your pocket until your out of the theatre.

Updated On: 8/9/18 at 12:01 PM