Final If/Then Show- Page 4

[veronicamae]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 4:48pm

^^ I missed Idina in every show until If/Then; it was watching videos of Wicked on YouTube that drew me in. The internet is to credit/blame for the "enthusiasm."

The entitled individuals that declare the end of their support for her because she didn't sign 1000 autographs are usually 1) adults by several years and 2) can do their best to not let the door hit them on the way out, but 3) will probably remain fans despite their declarations of mortal offense. In summary: I hate them.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 4:48pm

oops double post Updated On: 3/23/15 at 04:48 PM

[delongpre]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 6:19pm

Time to write about this amazing weekend.

All that has been said above is true....(well, not all!). The performance yesterday was magical...for a multiple viewer like myself, there were some obvious playful moments, some acknowledgements of it being a "last hurrah" and I am glad the cast seemed to be having as much fun as the audience was. The times the cast seemed to almost lose it were when they were face to face with a scene partner.....James in "You Never Know," Jenn in "Love While You Can," Idina in "What Would You Do," and of course in "Always Starting Over." They held it together in front of a crowd that seemed to be comprised mostly of family, friends, and repeat viewers. (Not too big a gasp when the covers reveal James underneath...usually heard with first-timers).

The energy in the room was so high....but respectful. The standing O after "Hi, It's me" was fully expected, but much larger than I had anticipated. Idina re-said the line to pull herself back into character after what had to be a wave to the heart.

When "Always Starting Over" began, the audience was silent. Idina performed it with the same intensity as always, but perhaps with more of a physical attack, to try to overpower the emotion. When she hit the ending phrase and cracked, the whole audience cracked inside for her. The applause began, perhaps a bit too early for those of us that wanted to let her at least START the note in silence. But MAN OH MAN she sang the **** out of it. I swear I didn't think it was going to end....it went on and on. And it was perfect.

I loved seeing Jenn dancing around the stage and singing her heart out. Curtis was airborn for many of his dance moves....but he's always one to watch. Love him. Ryann was so funny, and I LOVE that the audience gave her such support after her scenes. LaChanze was HOT this week...in GREAT voice! Anthony seemed especially endearing in his vulnerable moments. And Jason always makes me cry. If nothing else, I always cry at his words to Liz before "What Would You Do."

The speeches by Kit and Yorkey were wonderful. I love these guys...they are the parents of this amazing show, but, as I heard Yorkey say earlier, Idina is the heart of If/Then. It's a brilliant piece of storytelling, executed incredibly well. It's in my heart forever, for sure.

I was there Saturday night and was awestruck at the size of the crowd outside after the show.....it was already a solid wall of 4 deep when we exited the theater. I went across the street to watch for a while and watched as blonde Idina came out and was MOBBED. I honestly don't know how she does it. My respect for her is multiplied as I see what she allows herself to be put through for her "fans." People were cramming into each other, Idina was surrounded by selfie-sticks and posters (from Rent to Frozen...)and professional cameras. One guy was standing on something that made him tower over the crowd. Perhaps knowing it was her last time doing it, she patiently signed every and anything that was placed in front of her. Surrounded by demanding, screaming adults, teens throwing things at her, shouting her name, look at me, etc....I don't understand that mentality. It's the height of disrespect. (My daughter refuses to go near stage door when Idina is there because it upsets her so much. Totally freaks her out. I'm glad she didn't witness the scene that night.) Idina put up with the nonsense for well over an hour and seemed calm and pleasant the whole time.

Yesterday's crowd seemed slightly larger, but better behaved than Saturday's....even without the cop. All of the cast came out to sign, but it was clear that Idina was not going to exit by the stage door because her car was parked by the alley door.

I will miss this show more than I can say. I'll miss the music, the great language of the book, the lights.....I'll miss Liz and Beth and all of her friends....and I will miss talking about it with all of you. It is something we all shared for over a year!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 6:26pm

The internet is not to blame. It is the crazed fans .

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 6:29pm

^ But many of the crazed fans became fans through watching and listening to Idina's work online. (I wouldn't call myself a "crazed fan" by any means, but I know that that's how I became familiar with her in the first place.)

Updated On: 3/23/15 at 06:29 PM

[Pootie2]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 6:52pm

Thanks for the report, delongpre. The fact that Menzel exited another door explains why she looked a bit surprised in the photos of her actual exit.

"Yesterday's crowd seemed slightly larger, but better behaved than Saturday's....even without the cop."

Well, that's only because Menzel hadn't appeared. If she did, I'm betting it'd be Saturday night all over again.

Hm, I guess I underestimate the power of Youtube to funnel new fans, since it's part of the whole social media circus anyway. But screaming "adults" is so incredibly off-putting, wow.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 10:02pm

""I traveled from X and waited Y in Z weather so I deserve to meet this celebrity face to face" entitlement."

Not to get off track but I do wish they'd let the guards know that they can tell everyone to go home. I don't see the incentive of just letting everyone hang out at the stage door if the weather's bad.

"I consider myself a pretty huge fan of hers, but her fan girls are beyond disrespectful to her. Not to mention absolutely delusional. Some will absolutely be committed at some point in their lives."

I was there Saturday. A girl in the back shouted a little speech about how Idina was an inspiration. The group around me couldn't help it... we burst out laughing.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 10:12pm

Jesus Christ could appear to tell the crowd she was not coming out. Not only wouldn't they care it was JC but they flat out would not believe him. This is how delusional some of these folks are.

[delongpre]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 10:16pm

"I was there Saturday. A girl in the back shouted a little speech about how Idina was an inspiration. The group around me couldn't help it... we burst out laughing."

Snarker, I heard the girl yell the comment. It was right after she threw her playbill at Idina.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 10:17pm

In my experience, when they take the barriers down, people disperse. Or at least, I leave and I don't stick around to see if everyone else also goes home. I also fled quickly on Saturday and apparently missed the craziness.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 10:19pm

And people wonder why she did not come out

If she ever returns to Broadway, she will remember the stage door insanity of If and will react accordingly.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 10:22pm

"Not to get off track but I do wish they'd let the guards know that they can tell everyone to go home. I don't see the incentive of just letting everyone hang out at the stage door if the weather's bad."

That's a fair point. I don't know why they don't announce sooner, or why Menzel didn't tell the guard to relay such information sooner. (Was it like this during her Wicked days?) The only reason I can think of is to avoid people from the stage door migrating to the other exit before she left.

Edit: Seriously, throwing playbills? Come on.

"In my experience, when they take the barriers down, people disperse. Or at least, I leave and I don't stick around to see if everyone else also goes home. I also fled quickly on Saturday and apparently missed the craziness."

Actually, I do remember spotting a tweet from a girl after a matinee who said the guards told them no one would be coming out and that they should leave, but she and a few others decided to stay just in case. There's dedication, and then there's obsessive ridiculousness.

Updated On: 3/23/15 at 10:22 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 10:26pm

The crazies would not believe the guards.

[Broadwaydreaming]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 11:05pm

I went to the stage door a few Sundays before the end of the run.

That door was madness. People were practically hitting her in the head with their posters. Even after they said no pictures, people were still begging her.

When I asked Anthony Rapp to sign my playbill, he gave me a look and said... so no picture? "I kindly said no thank you. The performance was wonderful" He smiled as the person next to me was freaking out and begging for a picture.

I really don't understand the whole "I need a selfie with the actor to feel validated" mindset.

[delongpre]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 11:22pm

The connection these people are making to their "idol" is really so negative that I can't imagine what goes through their heads to make it seem like it has value. Do they even stop for a moment to think how their "inspiration" is feeling about all of this?

Pootie, when I watched from across the street, people were waving posters AT HER HEAD....sticking cameras on selfie sticks in front of her face. And the guy standing on whatever was making him 7 feet tall who was shooting down at her with a huge camera. That was on Saturday. I have a few pictures of the scene that show the craziness but I don't know hot to add them here. And they wonder why she escaped on Sunday? It's amazing she doesn't have nightmares about it.

Yesterday, a wave of young girls bashed into a wall of people, throwing their Playbills over the heads of the crowd. A middle aged man shoved his way towards the front of the pack like he was going for a touchdown. Is there a camera above the area? There really should be, for security purposes.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 11:24pm

The guys in the rubber truck would have had a field day there.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 11:55pm

Broadwaydreaming, your "I kindly said" (mis)punctuation threw me off. :P I firmly believe current selfie culture has ruined a lot of things; there are articles about how people socialize with each other less at restaurants and are more concerned with taking photos of food and selfies, which also slows everything down.

"throwing their Playbills over the heads of the crowd."

Okay, I really don't understand this. When they land on the ground, do they honestly expect Menzel or anyone else to pick them up, sign, and return them? Yeesh.

Also, another curtain call speech video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoHT3DKzhs4

This has a clearer shot of Menzel asking Colella to get (shove) Jackie Burns to the center stage, which was quite nice.

[atuomala]

Posted: 3/23/15 at 11:58pm

I don't consider people who mob performers to be 'fans'. Too many 'fans' treat performers like they're animals at the zoo. The people who yell and scream and throw things spoil the experience for people like me who are quiet and try to handle the stage door with courtesy and respect. I wish people would just calm down, take a breath, and remind themselves that performers are people too and they deserve respect.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:00am

Try saying this in front of a mob like this. They will drop you like a bad habit. You cannot reason with nutcases like these.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:03am

Has no one read "Day of the Locust"?

[Pootie2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:07am

"Has no one read "Day of the Locust"?"

No, but if it involves setting rude/crazy fandom mobs on fire, I may be interested.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 12:38am

See, what was lovely about Saturday (while I was there) was the camaraderie in our little section. We chatted to pass the time and the people in front passed our Playbills up in a calm, orderly fashion and we all ended up with our items signed. Part of the reason I like stage-dooring is talking to other theatre fans. Offline, I mean.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 1:21am

"It's amazing she doesn't have nightmares about it."


Now, are you SURE she doesn't?



In my experience, Idina is unnecessarily patient and accommodating to fans who are needy and pushy, and engaging, heartfelt, and generous with those who just want to show her genuine appreciation.


Sidenote: I don't ask for selfies, but I get the appeal. What I don't understand is autographs. What are you going to do with it? Stroke it and say "*sigh* One time Idina Menzel touched this"?

[Pootie2]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 8:49am

VintageSnarker, fair enough. It's good that there are still well-adjusted adults wanting to wait for the likes of Menzel despite all the other nonsense.

"Sidenote: I don't ask for selfies, but I get the appeal. What I don't understand is autographs. What are you going to do with it? Stroke it and say "*sigh* One time Idina Menzel touched this"?"

Well, the reason why I've gone to book signings is that the addition of a personalization and autograph underscore my enjoyment of the work and add evidence for meeting someone I admire. Nostalgia value increases a bit. I imagine stage dooring is the same with regard to selfies and autographs as memorializing the entire event or "meeting," but I'd still never do it because it's unplanned and chaotic.

I mean, stage dooring is really like an employee volunteering to stay another hour after hours without pay to deal with a bunch of potentially unruly and possibly nonpaying customers. That's crazy, from my point of view.

If it was possible to make the stage door experience more orderly, like requiring evidence with a ticket stub, I think that'd cut down on a lot of BS. But that's impractical and still "unpaid volunteer" time. Frankly, I think Menzel should just avoid the stage door as a blanket rule and have guards announce early; she can't win if she only comes out sometimes. That's also an opportunity to let the cast have their moment, since they're eclipsed in cases like this otherwise. (All of this in retrospect, of course.)

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 3/24/15 at 9:48am

I think the insanity of the If/Then stage door was hard on the other cast members too. Exiting the stage door and signing is a nice way for a performer to endear his/herself to fans and yes, this show helped many of them gain popularity. But they also had to deal with signing for throngs of people if they wanted to participate.

The times I was near enough to get my poster signed by cast members I was thrilled to thank them and chat for a second about the show. But all around me I heard "wait who's that?" "who did she play ... oh nevermind" and saw people just shove a playbill in a performer's face without even saying a single word. It was horrible and rude.

As I said before, I stood to the side on Sunday and watching people just passing faceless, nameless playbills up to the front to get signed seemed to totally defeat the purpose.