Posted: 6/15/16 at 10:10am
If anyone goes tonight (Wed pm), can you report back? I'm seeing the show next week (Wed pm) with my two teenagers. Does anyone come out after a two-show day? Will we even get a spot?
Posted: 6/15/16 at 10:15am
Stage door if you want, just dont join in with the sing-a-longs that the cast can hear from the stage that start DURING the show.
Posted: 6/15/16 at 10:17am
I sat in the left front orchestra yesterday and wasn't planning to stage door anyway, but by the time I got out it was such a zoo that we could barely even get around the crowd to get to 8th avenue. The line (if you could call it that) was so deep it went to the street. Much worse than when I went last summer when I was actually able to chat with some of the cast members briefly. Unfortunately I have a feeling most of the crowd is not people who saw the show. So it may be difficult to get a spot after actually seeing it (although maybe if your seats are such that you'd be one of the first people out... I think there are doors near the right orchestra? Don't remember for sure though.)
Posted: 6/15/16 at 10:21am
BroadwayMomma said: "If anyone goes tonight (Wed pm), can you report back? I'm seeing the show next week (Wed pm) with my two teenagers. Does anyone come out after a two-show day? Will we even get a spot?"
My friend went last Wed eve to stage door but only ensemble came out. Most of hte cast go out the other exit near the Marriott that is not officially stage door. Good luck! Every evening is different.
Posted: 6/15/16 at 10:21am
The stage door is never accessible if you're in the theatre, even if you leave early. You have to get there an hour before a performance ends to get a spot at the barricade. I have seen it on multiple occasions walking to the train from other shows.
Posted: 6/15/16 at 11:13am
Well, that doesn't sound encouraging. Thanks for the info though.
Posted: 6/15/16 at 11:53am
Yeah, it's hard to stage door after a show. Granted I saw the show the Saturday before the Tonys, but people were literally crowded on the street. There was a police man trying to usher people back onto the sidewalk but there was really no place to go and the crowd formed all the way down to the Les Mis theater. I saw that and said nope and left.
Posted: 6/15/16 at 11:59am
Broadway_Boy said: "The stage door is never accessible if you're in the theatre, even if you leave early. You have to get there an hour before a performance ends to get a spot at the barricade. I have seen it on multiple occasions walking to the train from other shows.
"
Absolutely not true.
I was at the show last night, the first post-Tonys performance. I managed to stay through the curtain call, including until the music completely stopped, before making my way out of the theatre from my front mezz seat. I don't usually do the stage door (I despise crowds, so keep in mind that all of the below is from someone who hates crowds to begin with), but my friends were staying, so I stayed.
It's very crowded, yes, but it's a very well-run, organized chaos kind of crowded. The security and NYPD before anyone even comes out announce basically "if someone comes out they will make it all the way down the line, so please don't push and shove. If it gets to be unsafe out here then no one will come out." and work at keeping a clear path on the sidewalk and getting people out of the street. The crowd around me (including yes some people who hadn't seen the show, I was next to a group of them - very lovely theatre kids from out of town who couldn't get tickets, so their parents (who were with them) were letting them do this stage door thing) were very respectful of keeping the clear path, moving when asked to by security/NYPD, shifting around so that people behind them could get things signed/get photos, etc., at least as far as I could see around me. (With the exception of one very annoying woman who was basically kicked out of the area by security - long story that I only saw the end of.)
And, true to word, the cast that did come out and sign made their way down the entire line, which extended maybe to halfway down the Les Mis theatre. I was at about the Les Mis stage door, and there were still people beyond me. Leslie ran out without stopping (no surprise as he was doing WWHL at 11pm), Pippa came out and signed but did no photos and was very gracious in repeating/explaining that she wasn't stopping for photos, Daveed/Rory/Renee/Chris signed, did photos, everything. And I really loved that the handful of ensemble that came out came down the line with their BC/EFA red buckets.
Honestly the only thing that I would worry about in that crowd is people passing the Hamilton books over people's heads to get them signed. That's one slip of a hand, book crash to someone's forehead/eye waiting to happen.
BroadwayMomma - if your kids want to do it, and you're ok with letting them do it then I say go ahead and do it!
Posted: 6/15/16 at 12:20pm
I did the stage door in May on a Monday (when they still had Monday shows), and although It was pre-Tony craziness, it was still very busy. That being said, I stayed for the whole show (I was sitting rear mezz), and still managed to get to the stage door after. I did book it down the stairs after the show, but there was a girl in front of me doing the same, so people kind of just let us go.
The stage door is NUTS when you come out of the theatre, but it gets less nuts as you head towards the Les Miz theatre. And like Anakela mentioned, the cast is amazingly gracious with their time and travel down the whole line. People are also pretty supportive about leaning out of the way so people behind can say hello and get their stuff signed. I was happy to pass things along for people, too. I met Daveed, Renee, Chris, Anthony, and Rory that night, and they were all the sweetest, most patient people.
I also noticed a lot of people come out, wait fifteen minutes, then give up because they didn't realize the actors take a bit to come out. So the crowd thinned a bit as we waited.
So don't give up hope! Honestly, if you're already going to be there, I don't see the harm in trying.
Posted: 6/15/16 at 1:16pm
Anyone know how crazy a Sunday matinee is, or if anyone comes out? It's not a 2 show day so I assume more than a sat matinee but it's also a matinee so not encouraging. Also, I'm still trying to figure out if it would be rude to stagedoor even though I saw the show a while back and didn't get photos from most people because of the ridiculous crowd.
Posted: 6/15/16 at 2:43pm
I hung around inside last night for as long as possible (it was fun to walk around, see Kail on stage chatting with people, and pick up Playbills people left behind to bring home for friends), and I still was able to see Daveed, Pippa, and Leslie when they came out. It was busy but I just wanted to see them real quick before I kept walking, so mission accomplished.
Posted: 6/15/16 at 8:13pm
Thanks for the additional encouragement! We will give it a shot then. Our seats are orchestra side right so we should have an easy time getting out. My two boys withstood the Newsies stage door with a bunch of screaming, pushing teenage girls so they know how to handle their own. Thanks again!
Posted: 6/15/16 at 8:50pm
BroadwayMomma said: "Thanks for the additional encouragement! We will give it a shot then. Our seats are orchestra side right so we should have an easy time getting out. My two boys withstood the Newsies stage door with a bunch of screaming, pushing teenage girls so they know how to handle their own. Thanks again!
"
Good luck! I hope they do well! Report back and let us know how it went! Also, ENJOY THE SHOW! It's incredible.
Posted: 6/22/16 at 9:40am
Stagedoored last night, no one came out. Guards said that was a first.
Posted: 6/22/16 at 10:01am
We walked by last night after Color Purple (which was amazing, btw) just to check out the scene, and there were probably 100 people already waiting before the show ended. Now that I know no one came out we might not even bother after seeing the show tonight. How long did you wait before they announced no one was coming out?
Posted: 6/22/16 at 10:11am
Not passing judgement on anyone that does, but I wouldn't want to stage door even if I knew people would come out at this point. When I did in August, it was so chilled, everyone came out except Renee and Groff, had mini conversations with everyone including Lin, no screaming, just appreciation. Now I feel like (and I could be wrong) most of the actors don't want to be there even if they do come out. I know I wouldn't want to deal with crowds like that at all.
Posted: 6/22/16 at 10:22am
BroadwayMomma said: "We walked by last night after Color Purple (which was amazing, btw) just to check out the scene, and there were probably 100 people already waiting before the show ended. Now that I know no one came out we might not even bother after seeing the show tonight. How long did you wait before they announced no one was coming out?
"
Don't stagedoor if you're seeing the show. Some people start waiting at 7:00. By the time the show lets out, the stage door is at least 2-3 people deep all around.
It was 11:00 when they announced no one was coming out (it was a 7:00 show day), but like the guard said, it was the first time that no one came out. He seemed really surprised at that (but also weary in general. The stagedoor for Hamilton must be exhausting to monitor. He seemed like he's seen it all.)
I heard Rory and Daveed almost always come out and sign and talk (and, by some reports, even enjoy it). But I can't blame any of the actors for wanting to avoid the stagedoor, and this one in particular.
I wonder if the matinee is better.
Updated On: 6/22/16 at 10:22 AM
Posted: 6/22/16 at 11:28am
They should add a section to their sign out sheets for the night where they add a little column that says stage door and the actor could either put Y or N. It would make things much easier in a situation like last night and like every night in general. It wouldn't put pressure on the actors, and the crowd wouldn't have to wait 2 hours and not no. This happened to me a few weeks ago. I waited about an hour and a half and only Rory and Chris Jackson came out. I absolutely appreciated them coming out, and understood that the others just didn't want to, but if I knew only two actors were coming out I'm not so sure if I would have waited that long. What do you think?
Posted: 6/22/16 at 11:44am
I think that would put too much pressure on the actors to commit to their choice. What if they feel they could stage door but the night is rougher than they thought and they just want to go home? It's an audience member's gamble, not an actor's obligation, and I think a sign-in sheet like that would send the wrong message that the stage door is more official than it is.
Updated On: 6/22/16 at 11:44 AM
Posted: 6/22/16 at 11:54am
I agree with what you're saying, and it is definitely NOT an obligation but what I mean is that if they definitely know if they're coming out or not to just put a check. If an actor is unsure, maybe they can just put a N or U and then surprise them if they actually do end up coming out. I'm only saying it because if it made it easier for both parties, it would be a win win. Personally, I would feel bad if people were waiting for me and they didn't know whether to wait or not.
Posted: 6/22/16 at 2:14pm
donethatalready said: "Stagedoored last night, no one came out. Guards said that was a first."
Leslie popped out long enough to say hi. He came back out around 11 pm when most everyone had left, and signed/took photos with the small remaining crowd. I was in the cancellation line so I got a picture with him :) The only others I saw were Lin and Pippa but I think they just waved and smiled before leaving.
Posted: 6/23/16 at 4:01pm
Has anyone stage door-ed lately on a Saturday matinee? Do the cast usually come out even if they have a night show? Also, around what time do they usually start to come out from the theater/how long is the wait usually? Thanks so much!
Posted: 6/23/16 at 7:27pm
pmsept said: "Has anyone stage door-ed lately on a Saturday matinee? Do the cast usually come out even if they have a night show? Also, around what time do they usually start to come out from the theater/how long is the wait usually? Thanks so much!
"
I was there on June 4. Ariana DeBose quickly signed a few autographs and that was it for the afternoon!
Updated On: 6/23/16 at 07:27 PM
Posted: 6/25/16 at 11:12am
Most matinees nobody comes out. I came last Wednesday Austin and Carleigh. However, on Thursday my friends and I went and had the best expirience. The past four nights before then nobody had come out, and some nice people from Texas told us about the night before. Apparently, Anthony and Chris were trying to come out and a mob came to them and people had to get escorted out by the police. Then, the bouncer made everyone go home. So on the night we were there the police officer (who is very nice) warned us that no one may come out. We luckily decided to take our chances. Later he just looked into the crowd and yelled at a pickpocket to go home. He told us all that he was a regular and that we should keep our belongings with us. He also told us that Leslie, Lin and Anthony weren't coming out. He also said Chris and Rory probably would and everyone else maybe. First out was Phillipa, she spent so much time with everyone and was the sweetest. The crowd got super excited. Then we all assumed that would be it. Then Alysha came out (a swing who played Peggy/Maria that night). Then we really assumed that was it. Finally, Leslie came out. Let me tell you the crowd went wild. My friend and I started jumping up and down. Leslie is like the coolest person ever and sings like an angel. Especially when he stepped down to sign and take pictures. Usually he just waves then leaves. He spent about 45 and took the time for everyone. The bouncer stayed close to him the whole time, probably based on what had happened the night before. Everyone went crazy, this was one of the first time he has come out in a few months. I got a picture with him and I told him he has the best voice ever (which he does). All in all this was one of the best stagedoors ever because Leslie came out even when the police officer said he wouldn't. I recommend stagedooring as long as you know someone may not come out. Even the time before when just understudies came out I had the best time meeting new people who all love Hamilton around me.
Posted: 6/25/16 at 11:12am
Most matinees nobody comes out. I came last Wednesday Austin and Carleigh. However, on Thursday my friends and I went and had the best expirience. The past four nights before then nobody had come out, and some nice people from Texas told us about the night before. Apparently, Anthony and Chris were trying to come out and a mob came to them and people had to get escorted out by the police. Then, the bouncer made everyone go home. So on the night we were there the police officer (who is very nice) warned us that no one may come out. We luckily decided to take our chances. Later he just looked into the crowd and yelled at a pickpocket to go home. He told us all that he was a regular and that we should keep our belongings with us. He also told us that Leslie, Lin and Anthony weren't coming out. He also said Chris and Rory probably would and everyone else maybe. First out was Phillipa, she spent so much time with everyone and was the sweetest. The crowd got super excited. Then we all assumed that would be it. Then Alysha came out (a swing who played Peggy/Maria that night). Then we really assumed that was it. Finally, Leslie came out. Let me tell you the crowd went wild. My friend and I started jumping up and down. Leslie is like the coolest person ever and sings like an angel. Especially when he stepped down to sign and take pictures. Usually he just waves then leaves. He spent about 45 and took the time for everyone. The bouncer stayed close to him the whole time, probably based on what had happened the night before. Everyone went crazy, this was one of the first time he has come out in a few months. I got a picture with him and I told him he has the best voice ever (which he does). All in all this was one of the best stagedoors ever because Leslie came out even when the police officer said he wouldn't. I recommend stagedooring as long as you know someone may not come out. Even the time before when just understudies came out I had the best time meeting new people who all love Hamilton around me.
