Characters in Lobby during Intermission?

Have any of you been in a show where during intermission the actors are there still in-character? I'm asking because I saw it happen for the first time last night in a local production of URINETOWN - Officer Lockstock was standing in the middle of the lobby and questioning/inspecting everyone as they lined up for bathrooms and drinks, and he was then also in the stands as people were retaking their seats. I'm not sure if this was something they made up for the regional production or if it was done in the original runs. On one hand it's kind of fun and got a few laughs, but on the other it also did not help traffic during intermission either, with people recognizing the actor's face and voice and trying to get a view of what was going on while others were just trying to go to the bathroom or get their drink/snack before Act 2, and especially when he was blocking people trying to get to their seats.

Is this commonly done at other theaters or shows? If so, when have you ever seen it done, and was it done well/did it enhance the experience, or did it cause traffic problems or some other kind of inconvenience?

Was this a production of Urinetown at Disneyworld or something?

I know you're talking about actors actually in-character, but when the "Chicago" tour played my little town for 3 nights in 2007, Tom Wopat stood at the merchandise display in the lobby hawking copies of his CD during intermission, dressed as Billy Flynn. That memory has always stayed with me as being a bit strange. I've never seen that happen with any other performer on a tour.

It never came to be, but I believe the original American script for "Dance of the Vampires" during its developmental phases indicated that the show would spill over into the lobby during intermission.

This was many years ago, but all of the productions of 'Nicholas Nickleby' I saw involved the actors coming out in costume before the show and right before the second act to mingle with the audience. The ones I chatted with weren't in character, but I suppose some of them might have been.

I saw a non-professional production of Grease years ago where the actress playing Miss Lynch was present both before the show and during intermission. She was getting people in their seats for the "assembly" admonishing those talking too loud and asking them to "see me [sic] later." It was actually pretty clever, and the actress (my dental hygienist!) was very good at small talk and ad-libbing.

I saw a college production of Beauty and the Beast where the townspeople were in the lobby "selling" their various items (eggs, milk, etc.). I found it a little grating especially since the show opens with the prologue which is pretty intense.

I think character interaction could be fun if done correctly and for the appropriate shows.

I've seen quite a few productions of Spelling Bee where the characters roamed the lobby before the show and during intermission (When making the choice to take one).

@BroadwayConcierge - I can definitely see how you and others would feel that way, and I respect that. I personally feel it's definitely a bit on the tacky side, but then again I actually like tacky a lot of times, and I think it still can work depending on the show. Mostly I feel it really only fits in shows that are already in that kind of tone in the first place - Urinetown and Spelling Bee, for example, or anything that's both already lighthearted and especially any work that already involves audience participation or being "meta" in the show itself. It feels a lot more out of place in more serious works like Sweeney Todd though, but I guess I can understand if they're doing it to try to keep the audience's minds fully in the setting, and especially if it's more before the show starts rather than during intermission.

It does seem like for the most part it's only local/regional theaters that decide to do this, which I kind of expected. Unless the person who cited Edwin Drood was talking about a Broadway production - I know that musical is another one that's heavy on audience interaction, so I can see it fitting for that too.

The only show where it made any sense whatsoever, and where I liked it was at Roundabout's recent Broadway revival Edwin Drood. Worked perfectly for that, but not sure how I'd feel about it in other cases. And, yes, the production mentioned of Drood earlier is the same one I'm talking about. The recent Broadway revival.

I'm not certain if this happened in every city but, the cast of the GODSPELL 2001 National Tour mingled/ posed for photos in the lobby during Intermission.

newintown said: "Someone earlier in this thread wrote about intermission for their production of Spelling Bee; but the show has none - are people adding one in amateur productions?"

Of course. See also: Man of LaMancha, Once on this Island, 1776, and The Drowsy Chaperone.