Common restaurants to find Broadway performers?

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 8:54am

I was wondering what are some places where you could often find a Broadway performer grabbing a bite for lunch or a drink after a show? I figured there must be some places in the theatre district that are popular before/between shows.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 9:20am

Why would you want/ need to know this??

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 9:40am

I just find the topic interesting. I know that there are often times when friends/relatives are in separate productions, and I'm sure they meet up after shows now and then, and there are probably popular hang out spots for those involved in shows.

I'm not a creepy stalker, I swear. I don't even live in the New York area.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 9:45am

It's not really a restaurant, but Schmackary's on the corner of 45th and 9th, is where lots of performers go to get cookies.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 9:54am

I don't know if it is still does but years ago I have seen performers at Joe Allen's a bunch.

[wdwfreak]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 10:31am

Club Cumming.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 10:53am

Duane Reade.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 1:39pm

Sondheim's sex dungeon and all-you-can-eat buffet.

[D2]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 2:15pm

Posh

[Wickedmonkey332]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 3:13pm

I've seen many theatre professionals at Kodama Sushi.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 4:06pm

Bar Centrale, Joe Allen, Orso, Angus McIndoe and Monday nights @ 9:30 (cover fee) Birdland for cast party...happy sightings!

Updated On: 12/27/14 at 04:06 PM

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 4:45pm

We have seen the following at Angus McIndoe: Gary Beach, Tony Shalhoub, Brian Dennehy, Brian O'Byrne, and Tamara Tunie.

[ARTc3]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 5:04pm

Many years ago there was a restaurant/piano bar, Ted Hook's Backstage. I had the extraordinary opportunity to both bus and wait tables at this amazing establishment. Over my tenure there, I served many celebrities. It was a lot of fun and hard work, but the stories I take from that experience are priceless to me.

The before theater crowd were mostly tour buses. It was a price fixed menu and quite honestly, Backstage didn't survive on its food. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't exceptional, or what you'd imagine an establishment that catered to a large number of "industry personalities" would serve.

What it lacked in noteworthy food, was more than made up in the energy of the place. About an hour after the shows let out, you'd start to see the leads from the various shows make their entrance. Ted Hook had these rather cool looking table lamps made in the design of the circular stars that is the cliche of the backstage stairs leading to the dressing rooms. (Which theaters actually had those stairs?) The lamps could be labeled with the name of a "star". If you were famous, when you arrived, you were seated at a table with your name on the lamp. (There was even this device in the cloak room that allowed for quickly printing a new name, if needed.

Steve Ross held court at the piano bar and he was amazing. To this day, I have never seen anyone better than Steve Ross was at what he did. The piano was magic and more often than not, at some point in the evening there would be a performance by either Steve or a visiting celebrity that I can only describe as lost theater magic.

I saw Nell Carter sing I version of, I'm Telling You I'm Not Going, from Dreamgirls before there was a Dreamgirls and Ms. Carter decided to take, Give Me a Break, instead of waiting for the creative team to finally mount Dreamgirls and ultimately making Jennifer Holiday's career.

I think somewhere on here I wrote about waiting on Lucy Ball - she was visiting with her daughter, Lucy Arnez who was starring in, They're Playing Our Song. (She was monstrous. I was so crushed as I had adored her film and TV characters.)

The stories go on...

Updated On: 12/27/14 at 05:04 PM

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 7:32pm

Green Symphony

Updated On: 12/27/14 at 07:32 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 8:01pm

On any given day there are over a thousand restaurants that are within striking distance of the Broadway box, and there are over a thousand Broadway performers requiring sustenance. With the exception of some pure tourist traps, I think it is fair to say that you will sometimes see performers in most of them. Of course, most of those performers will walk in and out without you ever knowing who they were. Of the ones you would likely recognize, the places that are popular are the ones where no one will bother them. Happily it seems that (other than a few especially well known ones) folks have resisted spoiling those places. Bravo.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 8:26pm

Across this board I have seen many references to the sex habits of Mr Sondheim--is this a published fact, have you all been in his 'dungeon' and who is talking when they shouldn't ?
The reason that I even mention it is that so many talk about it and why?

Thanks for the stories Ginger---write a book.

Updated On: 12/27/14 at 08:26 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 8:35pm

-is this a published fact, have you all been in his 'dungeon' and who is talking when they shouldn't ?

You.

[wexy]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 9:02pm

like Wicked Monkey, I've seen a bunch of folks at Kodama Sushi. When Chris Noth was doing "That Championship Season" I sat next to him and was yapping with him when Chris Rock and Bobby Cannavale came with they were doing "Motherfu**er with the Hat" and were all hugging (not me) but I've seen others as well...

[Broadwayhunk]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 9:40pm

I would hope that the Broadway stars would not be seen in "common" restaurants, but back in the day, though, it was Sardi's.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 10:06pm

That doesn't make sense Blaxx

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 10:11pm

What doesn't make sense is that you want to uncover the "sex habits" of a respected composer in a public forum.

Get a life.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 10:37pm

I think you are taking this all wrong Mr Blaxx-your last statement was so silly-it was Kad who 'brought the sex habits of a respected composer into a public forum'.
I am responding to Kad who bought it into this thread about restaurants and he made a supposed joke about Mr Sondheims sexual habits.
My response is that[I think] it is not necessary to say these things about anybody.
It is not a question about 'getting a life' [how juvenile] but expressing an opinion that I don't agree with what Kad said.

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 10:53pm

Kad was joking. Your post indicated you wanted to know more details:

Across this board I have seen many references to the sex habits of Mr Sondheim--is this a published fact, have you all been in his 'dungeon' and who is talking when they shouldn't ?
The reason that I even mention it is that so many talk about it and why?

If your intent was to ask people to refrain from talking about it, just say so. No need to ask for further facts.

Updated On: 12/27/14 at 10:53 PM

[binau]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 11:01pm

Why would we tell you about Sondheim's dungeon when we want to keep it for ourselves?

[SweetLips]

Posted: 12/27/14 at 11:37pm

The problem with the printed word is that it has no light and shade and my thoughts print out in a manner that seems to be have mis-interpreted.
My[innocent] question was-I'm digging a deeper hole by saying this, is NOT to get any information about the subject, but in general there are scattered sexual references throughout many threads about Mr Sondheim and others as if it is some big 'joke'.
It offends my sensibilities that this needs to be mentioned at all.
I consider what Kad said in poor taste and not funny-perhaps that's all I should have said in the first place.
Truce-no more please, and if I knew any Broadway hangouts I would gladly contribute.