Lion King and Les Mis Stage Doors

Hello,

I will be in NYC for the weekend of July 18-20 and decided to see two shows, Les Miserables and The Lion King. I have been fans of these shows for quite some time now and I am happy to have the opportunity to stage door for these two amazing shows! I have a few questions that apply to both and would be very grateful if someone answered them for me:

1. Approximately how much time does it take for the actors to come out? Up to how many minutes/hours should I expect to wait? I've gotten varied results from different people concerning Les Miserables, but I have not been able to find anything concerning the Lion King, although I expect it would be longer due to the heavy makeup.

2. Do most of not all the principals come out? Do they all sign the playbills if asked politely?

3. Is there someone that is known to not stage door (Ramin Karimloo, for instance?)?

4. Is the stage door extremely crowded for these shows?

5. Should I bring my own Sharpies?

For reference, I'm seeing Les Mis on the 18th at 8PM; The Lion King on the 19th at 6.30PM.

Thank you very much!!

The Les Mis stage door, in my experience, is always relatively crowded due to the popularity of the show. Luckily, the barricade is usually very long, so there's plenty of opportunity for you to be at the front, if that's what you're looking for.

Just based on my own philosophy, ALWAYS take your own sharpies. Just in case. I like the metallics but black is also good to have.