Good Stagedoor experiences?- Page 2

[CJR]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 1:49am

My favorite stage door experience is when I come out of the stage door after work and people think i'm in the show LOL :P *Soon Darlings :)

Oh lord, I love that. I'll be backstage visiting a friend and when I walk out people will start asking me for my autograph, telling me how great I was in the show. I actually had to argue with a woman once that I wasn't in the show. While it's extremely flattering, it almost makes me wonder how much attention they really pay lol

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 8:45am

I got stopped TWICE because people thought I was Mimi in Rent. I was volunteering with workshops for high schools at the show, and after the performance, some woman was chewing Sebastian Arcelus' ear off. Some young girls were waiting to talk to him and their bus was leaving. I felt bad, so I nudged him and went, "Hey, these girls have been waiting for your autograph..."

The teachers or moms they were with must have thought I felt bad, and went, "Ooooooooooh, they're all waiting for YOUR autograph, too!!!!" And handed me Playbills.

Me: I'm not in the show.

Woman: You're not? But you look like the girl in the show.

Shows me Karmine Alers' picture in the Playbill.

At the next workshop, some random girl came up to me and said, "You were really good." I had no idea what she said, I thought she said the show was good, so I just went, "I know!" and walked away. My friend realized that she had actually said, "You were really good" and I replied with "I KNOW!" She must think Karmine is some diva :)

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 9:22am

This is apocropha, but it was heard quite a lot in my performing days.

A man came from Toledo Ohio to see Ethel Barrymore perform. You have to go back 80 years, when Barrymore reigned supreme. After a performance the gentleman waited for Barrymore. When she appeared at the stage door he threw himself at her feet, saying that she was the greatetst actress he had ever seen. Could she give something to take back as a remembrance to Toledo. Of course she could. She reached into her pocketbook, took out her flask of whiskey and gave it to him. "Don't worry, dearest. There are plenty more where that came from."

Miriam

[Britt0913]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 10:30am

The best experience I think I've ever had was at the Public Theatre two weeks ago. I went to see THE NORMAL HEART and thought that it was wonderful. Raul Esparza is such a phenomenal actor and I really wanted to meet him. I waited for ten minutes and then Joanna Gleason came outside. I talked to her for a few imnutes and asked for her autograph. She was very nice and signed for me. Then the rest of the cast came out but no Raul. So my mother and I waited a little bit longer and saw him walk out of the elevator. We waited inside because he was talking to people and then he came over and we started chatting. He was sooooo sweet and signed an autograph and took a picture with me and was very happy that I liked the show. It's actors like him who keep making the theatre better and better.

[Gypsy2]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 12:15pm

Well, when I saw RENT I had an almost-wonderful lobby experience. Since it was freezing and the friend I was with is always cold, we waited in the lobby, where I would know someone came out if the crowd of people started cheering and moving towards someone unseen. It was an ok plan, but we didn't actually catch anyone go out. Instead, my idiocy ruined something that could have been perfect!

It had been a matinee show, which might explain why no one was leaving. So I'm standing in the lobby with my friend, wearing a big long jacket and a hat, looking cold myself, when this cute blonde guy wearing a white tanktop and jeans walks out into the lobby. I was fixing my hat in the mirror when we made eye contact. He smiled and waved at me, really nice, and I smile and wave back, thinking it was just some guy waiting to buy tickets who was flirting with me. So he turns around and starts walking to the theater entrance, and all of a sudden it hits me like an anvil. "That...that was "Mark," wasn't it?" my friend nods, and I frantically beg her to tell me his name, since I was new to the whole Rent scene. It was Matt Caplan, and he was gone. But I did get a nice flirt out of the deal. :)

Coming soon, my many, wonderful Wicked moments.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 12:52pm

May I cut in?
Here's a good one that happened to me the last time I went to New York. My parents and I got tickets in advance to see Bombay Dreams in previews and about five minutes after we sit down, I'm looking through the program to see if I recognize anybody and my mother nudges me and says, "Honey who is that? He looks familiar." I look up to see who she is talking about and it's a little old man in a cardign helping his wife down the aisle. IT'S TOM MEEHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!
So then during intermission my mom goes to get a key chain and she comes back and says,"Honey he's right out there. Do you want to go see him?" You didn't have to tell me twice!
I walk out and I see him talking to another man who looks remotely familiar and ask, "Excuse me sir, are you Mr. Meehan?"
He replied, "Yes I am"
Very fast and excited I respond: "Could/you/please/sign/my/program/I'm/a/huge/Hairhopper!!!"
He looked very surprised and said "Well sure! So you like Baltimore and all that?"
Me, very articulately: "Uhuh"
And then he says "Oh and this is Don Black, he wrote the lyrics"
Don Black? Well of course I know he collaborated with ALW on some shows so I said, "Oh hi! Didn't you write Phantom?"
Mr. Black: "No, but I've seen Phantom and enjoyed it"
Me turn beat red but I recover enough to say "Well can you sign too, I mean you wrote tonight's show anyway" and thank the Lord he laughed.
So when both of them were done, I shook Mr. Black's hand and...gave Mr. Meehan a hugh . He said thank you and hugged me back and said: "Enjoy Act 2!!!"
Still on Cloud 9 Room 10, I flip through my Playbill and see that Don Black wrote the lyrics to Sunset Blvd, Song & Dance, Aspects of Love, and won 1 Oscar, 2 Tonys, 1 Golden Globe etc. I feel like a moron.

[Sheri]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 1:52pm

I've never really had a bad stagedoor experience. All the cast members that I've waited to see after shows have all been VERY nice and appreciative. And I'm not one for autographs, I just like to let them know how much I appreciated their performances.

In particular, the casts of "Urinetown", "Little Shop", and of course "Thoroughly Modern Millie" have all been VERY sweet.

[jezzebelle]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 2:52pm

I've only had good stage door experiences, as well. :) The cast of Hairspray is especially nice. I adore Jenn Gambatese, she's of the sweetest people I've ever met and Kathy Brier talks to you like she's known you forever. I've met Kathy on several ocassions, so she's always very nice to me. Mary Bond Davis is hilarious, Chester is great and Matt Morrison was a sweetie when I met him. All of the newer people (Richard, Brooke and Jonathan) were very nice. :)

I've been to alot of shows and alot of stage doors...and I've never really been treated badly or anything. :)

-Jess

[StateOfJade]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 3:22pm

After 'Between Us' an usherette approached me and asked if I was a friend of Daphne's. Apparently she'd seen me from the stage and asked one of the ushers to hold me there for her. So I was sort of dazed, and then she came out and I talked to her for a while. She kept asking me about how school was going for some reason, and I showed her some pictures from her last gig and she said she'd post some of them on her site. Then we talked about Sesame Street (it had to do with something in the play). Then someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around and screamed. It turned out to be Jonathan Larson's parents .It was very very weird. But interesting. She talked to them for a bit, then came back over to me, we took a picture and some guy purposely jumped into the picture for some reason, so it came out with this blur coming from the side an us laughing. But alas, it was a fun time.

[Broadway724]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 4:44pm

My favs are Joe Machota, Kerry Butler, and Maureen Moore. All very sweet at the stagedoor.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 5:49pm

alright, mominator picked JCS, said so in private message, so heres a story.

I flew to California to see Jesus Christ Superstar's tour open in La Mirada. Opening night, Sebastian Bach came out the stage with Duff McKagen from Guns N Roses. As he opened the door, I overheard him saying to Duff something about me flying there from NY. I was so thrilled, because I was with a group from NY but he was talking about ME. Of course I got my picture and hug and he stood around talking to us for a while, drinking a glass of wine. When he had finished his wine, he said he had a gift for me, and gave me the glass. I took the last sip and kept it. I never washed that glass, just dried it off so it wouldnt get gross.

[bwaymargie]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 5:57pm

I'd have to say the whole cast of Wonderful Town was very sweet, including the guy who was Wreck. I talked to him about Wild Party, and he was really nice and fun and took a pic with me.
Donna Murphy is also extremely nice and gracious...and so glamorous. I told her I loved Center Stage and she signed and took a picture with me, and looked me right in the eye and paid attention to everyone of her fans.

Also, Kristin Chenoweth is the sweetest thing ever. Love her to death. I wanted to meet her a lot so I went to the stagedoor before the show and she graciously spend a few minutes talking to us, and signed and took a picture. She was very friendly and warm and made you feel like your best friend.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 6:06pm

In LA I met Lea Salonga at the stage door of the Mark Taper Forum after Flower Drum Song (not a fan of the show, but I LOVE her)...she was absolutely the sweetest cutest thing...totally put up with me even though I could barely speak!

[Benzy92]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 6:08pm

My favorite wasnt really backstage, but I sent a letter to Kerry O'Malley telling her how much I admired her in Into The Woods. She sent me back an autographed headshot, a personalized letter, and a signed playbill with the entire cast. What an amazing woman. I love her.

Peter Gallagher was so amazingly nice at the Noises Off stagedoor also. -- as was the rest of the cast :) Updated On: 5/8/04 at 06:08 PM

[lvpblues]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 6:53pm

I had a great stagedoor experience at "Noises Off!". It was the week prior to the departure of the original cast and I was there with my best friend. When the performance was over, we approached the stage door - the first time I had ever done something of this sort.

Katie Finneran was one of the first to come out and I decided to approach her with my playbill and sharpie for an autograph. She was most gracious, but to my utmost embarrassment the pen was dead. She said "Ooh, we got a klunker!" After a quick second she asked around and no one gave her one. Then the girl took off her backpack and knelt on the sidewalk rummaging through it (unsuccessfully) for one. She got up and approached what looked like a lawyer. He gave her a sharpie and I got an autograph. After thanking her profusely, she turned to my friend who was starstruck (we were also floored at how drop-dead gorgeous she is) and couldn't manage anything more than "aaoohhwwahhha". I jumped in and saved him by congratulating her on her Tony win. She responded "Thanks so much. It was quite a fun night!" She was nothing short of being an absolute delight.

Peter Gallagher came out of the stage door and was the most energetic man I think I've ever met. He treated everyone outside like they were old pals. Shook hands, signed programs and made some small talk and even discussed some of the things he was doing after he left the play. Someone driving by shouted out to him "Hey, Peter, you look great in real life!" and without skipping a beat, Peter responded, "I FEEL great in real life too!" What a guy.

~Kevin

[cabarethed]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 7:54pm

I have a bunch of wonderful memories, but my favorite is also my most recent-- a couple weeks ago with Raul Esparza after The Normal Heart. Every time with him is always insanely great, but he just went above and beyond that day.

[mominator]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 9:24pm

You guys are doing great!! Keep the good stories coming.

[itstheM]

Posted: 5/8/04 at 10:53pm

Just today I was walking past the Raisin in the Sun theater after their performance. I waited with the others for Sean Combs. He was so polite and nice to everyone. He stopped to sign playbills and take pictures, and even thanked everyone for coming to see the show and support him. It was such a great experience because he was so nice.

[SWTaffy]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 3:56pm

I know this was an old thread but I thought I might bump it up.

I have two favorite stagedoor stories. When I saw Grease(w/Rosie), my friends and I were waiting across the street from the stagedoor and the second Rosie came out it was crazy. So while we were standing there, the actress who played Marty just walked through the crowd and was leaving. My friends and I asked if we could have a picture with her and she was very nice and said, of course. The actress was Megan Mullally. I still look at the picture once in awhile and smile.

The other encounter was in Boston. It was before the Quentin/Marisa show came to NY. My dorm was really close to all the theatres so my friends decided that we wanted to get a picture with Quentin and Marisa. SO we got there around 10 and there is a massive amount of people standing outside. Quentin comes out and is friendly signing stuff and taking pictures and he then walks by us and gets in his car. So, one of my friends pushed me forward and I ask him if he would take a picture with us. He then proceeds to GET OUT of the car and he starts talking us about the show. We lied about liking it because we didn't see it. But ever since that day, I've liked him. I heard Kill Bill, Vol 1 & 2 are interesting movies, but I try not to watch violent movies so it's hard to be a hardcore Quentin fan. :)

Now, Marisa on the other hand wasn't the nicest and she doesn't do pictures. :)

[broadway86]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 4:14pm

Since someone mentioned "Noises Off" before..

I saw that show with the entire original cast. After the show, everyone (incl. Richard Easton, Faith Prince, etc.) came out and signed. I was only one of the only people there. Katie Finneran and Peter Gallagher were two of the nicest people I've met, in general. Gallagher, especially, was so polite and so outrageously generous. Then... came the biatch. Patti LuPone comes out. Several people ask her for her autograph. She says 'No' quite boldly and hops into her car.

Oh, well. I was never a fan of hers, anyway.

[LyTeMyCanDyI]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 4:43pm

I met Adam Pascal at the door for Cabaret. I saw him, started to cry, and had trouble breathing. I took tweo pictures with him, and when my mom asked me if I could breathe yet and I said no, Adam hugged me even tighter and goes, "aawwwwwwwwwww!" Good thing my mom didn't know how to work the camera, because Adam spent a minute hugging me for the picture while my mom figured it out.

I also met Idina twice. The first time I almost cried, and the second time, I did cry. A lot.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 4:45pm

Avenue Q and Rent have the nicest casts...then there was that time I bumped into Susan Egan in the theater circle store and the other time i sat next to al pacino on a bench in Central Park....

[Mamie]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 5:08pm

Two pleasant encounters come to mind:
1. One of those terrifying, hell-raising summer storms hit while we were watching an evening performance of "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia". After the show most folks were afraid of getting caught in another downpour so only 3 of us were waiting at the stage door. Bill Pullman came out and immediately put us all at ease when he said 'OMG - WHAT WAS THAT?!!! I thought the roof was being torn off!'. That started everyone talking and he ended up staying out there with us for at least 15 minutes. We talked about everything - the play, old movies, NEW movies (ID-2), family, everything. He posed for pics with each one of us and he couldn't have been any nicer.

2. Another nice surprise came when I was waiting at the stage door to meet and greet the cast of "Invention of Love". While I was waiting to get Daniel Davis' autograph on my Playbill, I noticed a very familiar face waiting just behind me for her turn. I couldn't help staring and then asked her 'excuse me - but aren't you Peri Gilpin?' - Well, she was. Turns out that she and Davis are old friends and she'd just stopped by to say hi. A very nice lady.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 5:12pm

awwwwww, yay for Adam stories. I love hearing them.

[mominator]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 5:17pm

WOW!! Some one dug up this old chestnut of mine!