Crazy stage door time- Page 2

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/18/22 at 11:37am

sbflyfan said: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pne76g_WP8

Looks like Bernadette and Mandy were pretty much mobbed after every performance back in '84."

THAT is NOT a mob.  It’s probably 10 people you can’t even see applauding and cheering.  Hahaha.

THIS is a mob scene: 

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/18/22 at 12:11pm

It's pretty standard for a big celebrity stage-door for the barricades to block off the whole walkway on one side of the street (and usually there are crowds across the street too). 

If you're wondering if [so-and-so Broadway star] had the biggest stage-door crowd, the answer is: no way. These A-List celebrities draw far larger crowds than your Ben Platts or your Idina Menzels. However, if you're talking CRAZIEST fans, I can believe that. 

 

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 1/18/22 at 1:58pm

Islander_fan said: "I worked for awhile at Hamilton. Started when it was the tail end of the original cast’s time in the show. I could be wrong, but I don’t remember them closing off the street for that stage door. However, the real mess as it relates to Hamilton was that, every time the in person lotto was going on, cops had to block off the street since the crowds were that big. That was one of the many many good reasons as to why the in person lotto stopped."

Thank you Islander_fan for clarifying. I remembered something with large crowds, but I wasn't sure if it was a stagedoor problem.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/18/22 at 2:17pm

The SITPWG stage door was definitely not insane.   I was able to actually get backstage using Mary D'Arcy's name.  (She was Celeste 2/Understudy to Dot/Marie).   She was an alum of my college program.   In those days, it didn't take much to get backstage.   Just as we were about to go in, out walked Mary.  We couldn't very well slip backstage now.  So we had a lovely conversation with her and walked her to wherever her husband was picking her up.  By the time we walked back to the theater (we were meeting friends that were seeing a different show)   We were a handful of people and out came Mandy - and he was lovely and chatted with us for a few minutes.   I doubt I made much sense, I was so star struck.

Lovely memory.

Updated On: 1/18/22 at 02:17 PM

[worrell4077]

Posted: 1/19/22 at 1:21pm

Hugh Jackman during his run in The Boy From Oz, to the point where there were people waiting before the show as well as after for him to come in.  Never got a good photo with him (first time wound up being a video and the second time, his eyes were closed lol.)  I can only imagine if there wasn't a pandemic going on, how big the line/crowd would be for the Music Man.

 

I wanna say SpamAlot when Tim Curry, Hank Azaria and David Hyde Pierce were still in the show had some crazy crowds.  When Clay Aiken was in, I do recall that being a crazy crowd.

 

Jersey Boys had some crazy crowds especially after the Tonys that year. I do recall being in the crowd and having an older gentleman behind me pushing and shoving to get close.

 

Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed, I think me and my ex tried to wait, and we just said screw it cause it was just insane.

 

I think in general anytime a celebrity is involved, you're going to have significantly crazy crowds. Same thing with conventions like I wanna say I waited maybe 3 hours in line for John Barrowman at NYCC, Ernie Hudson and Dan Akyroyd had a pretty big wait at Ghostbusters Fan Fest (could only imagine how long of a wait it would've been if Murray was there).

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/19/22 at 1:32pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Julia Roberts. The police closed the entire block of 45th St after every show, because the crowds were so insane."

 

That was really insane. 

I second Radcliffe in "How to Succeed..." We walked out of the theater and the street was packed with people. Definitely not all people who had just seen the show. I very rarely stage door so I didn't stick around.  

 

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/19/22 at 2:17pm

I think my two craziest were Ricky Martin in EVITA (and I won the game because I knew where the stage door was - Thanks “Follies&rdquo and Tom Hiddleston in BETRAYAL. It was VERY packed during previews and it was a warm summer night. I loved that the security guard separated the people who were just autograph hunting away from those who actually saw the show. You could see how much kinder he was to the theatre patrons.

[JayElle]

Posted: 1/19/22 at 9:59pm

"Lifespan of a Fact" at Studio 54. Danny Radcliffe, especially as it got closer to end date. Dealers, fans, theater folks. Danny signed them all.

Springsteen at Walter Kerr.

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 1/19/22 at 11:11pm

Kinky Boots with Brendon Urie. I was a fan of him and bailed on the door because it was so roudy, all full of people in the same demographic as me at the time (squealing teenage girls ready to see their emo king), and it was still unpleasant to walk around. 

Ben Platt at Dear Evan Hansen was a circus all 3 times I went. Week of the tonys, day after the Tony's, and his last day.... I avoid that show actively because of how negative of experiences I've had there. People shouting, somebody grabbing at my playbills (no idea why), and a verbal altercation as well. It just wasn't worth it anymore. I'm not even a massive fan of Ben Platt in the way I am for Will Roland, who stopped stagedooring when the chaos got to this magnitude.

Broadway Flea market's curtain call table the year of 2018 I believe... not fun. Not a stage door, but if that occurred during covid I whole heartedly believe that everybody within 2 blocks of that flea would've caught it because of how crowded it was.