Orion's pics

Orion, you have some great pics of some great people. From all that everyone has said about Bebe--how the heck did you get her to pose with you? Is she really so mean? Do tell what that was like!

Other stories of people you (or other members of this board) have met would be cool to hear.

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If you want stories, I have plenty.

Bebe was actually very sweet. I met her through a friend rather than outside the stage door where she is assailed by fans and at a time that she is worn out from performing. That may account for her rep as being nasty. She really is very nice when you meet her at a time that she is relaxed.

Carol Channing is also very nice but, you have to meet her in a controlled environment. Her eyesight is very, very bad and she is very small and fragile. Because of this, she is a bit frightened about being in a crowd of fans and will aviod that at all costs. She prefers to meet people in her dressing room where she is safe from being knocked over by crowds or losing track of the people who watch over her and guide her around due to teh eyesight problem. This has given her a rep also that is undeserved.

Chita is fantastic. I thought the biggest thrill would be metting her but i was wrong. The biggest thrill was when she groped my rear in taht photo and said "Hmmm! Nice, you must be a dancer". The expression on my face says it all.

Other people that I have found to be very gracious and sweet are Matthew Broderick (although he is extremely shy off stage and that has given somewhat of a rep of being stand offish), Eric McCormick, Elton John, Alan Cumming and Glenn Close.

Patti Lapone can be a dear when you are intruced by someone she knows and trusts but off the street? Forget it.

Brian Stokes Mitchell is a great guy and dreamy in person.

Mario Cantone is the same off stage and at home as he is onstge.....he zaps the enrgy right out of everyone around him. He's totally frantic, but nice as hell and cute.

The worst are Lauren Bacall, she can't be bothered with you if you are a "nobody" (I actually had some words with her and called her a few names that I won't repeat here, Celine Dion, nice but dumb as a brick and Nathan lane depending on his mood.

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Now let's hear some stories from some of the others who posted pics with celebs they've met.

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Who really wants to hear about me stopping Ann Reinking on 8th Ave? lmao

Yeah.. I don't normally do that. I know enough actors and actresses to not stop people randomly on the street. But I mean, this was ANN REINKING. One of my childhood idols! I HAD to stop her! It was this time last year, actually, and I was on my way to the Talkin Broadway Tony Party with a friend of mine. I saw Ann on the opposite street corner with two men (one of whom I later realized was Walter Bobbie) and stopped dead in the middle of the street I was crossing. Said friend told me not to stop her, but I told my friend if I didn't, I would never forgive myself. So I waited for her to be done talking and I went over and politely introduced myself. And as I attempted to talk to her, I suddenly became very flustered, and apologized for doing so -- telling her "I usually don't stop people randomly, and if Im not making a whole lot of sense I apologize for that too.. but you're my childhood idol.. and I dont think I could have forgiven myself if I didn't tell you how much I admire you." I then suddenly remembered that we shared a mutual friend and added "oooh! and I was told by a friend of mine that if I ever met you, I should tell you she said hi... (Ann: Who's that?) Vicki Frederick." Next thing you know it's like she's my new best friend and we start talking about Vicki then and now and about Chicago. That meeting solidified why I'm a fan of hers. When I met her a few months later (the picture in the fan gallery) she was very nice and remembered meeting me the first time, and even told me to say hi to Vicki for her. She was VERY VERY sweet.

Bebe, I have never been personally introduced to, but I have almost knocked her on her ass. Though if some of you post to talkinbroadway as well, you may have already heard this story from a thread over there last year. I'll share anyway. I saw Chicago in February 2001 to see Tracy play Roxie opposite Bebe. After the show, there were about 70 people at the stage door, behind barricades waiting for Bebe. I was there with my two friends Jamie and Ashley (who had met Tracy on tour with me the previous October) and Jamie's mom and younger sister. I asked the house manager if someone could let Trace know we were there, and he told me to just go in the stage door and ask for her. Anyone who knows the stage door at the Shubert, knows there are two doors to walk through -- the brass door and then an inner door where backstage security sits. As I walked in the brass door, Bebe was walking out the inner door with Tracy in tow. I slammed right into Bebe, not even realizing who it was, said "Oh I'm sorry! ooh, *there's* Tracy", turned and walked back into Shubert Alley. All I saw when I walked out was 70 people gaping at the fact that I had no idea what I had just done. They came out, and as Tracy spotted me I came back to her side of the barricades to say hello and whatnot. According to Jamie's mother (which I didn't find out till months later when at a Forbidden Broadway Parody workshop when the three of us parodied seeing Bebe and Tracy together in Chicago.. if anyone wants to read said parody, PM me and I'll be glad to share) Bebe stood pen poised, ready to take my playbill when I ran over to hug Tracy and start talking to her. She turned to Jamie's mother, shrugged her shoulders and began to sign autographs for other people. When I first shared this story, I got a few emails from people saying "ooh my god, YOU were the one who blew Bebe off!!! I HEARD about that!" Heh :) I found that rather amusing especially when I had no idea I had even done it till WAY after the fact.

I did meet Marcia (Lewis) on several occasions. She always told me I should be there every night screaming and applauding, and she always commented on how I had my Chicago pin on my winter dress jacket. She's such a sweet, sweet woman.

First time I met Roxane, she caught me completely off guard. At the stage door of the Chicago tour's Stamford kickoff, there was a group of girls taking pictures of everyone from far away. They couldn't have been more than maybe 14 years old... and they would get right next to, say, Roz, Robert Urich, Rox, Trace... ask them for their autograph, and then wait till they were walking away to start snapping pictures of them. So Rox, very openly says to them as they're walking away "You know you COULD come over here and take a picture... we don't bite......!!! (turns to me and adds) Hard."

I looooooved meeting Chita Rivera. I was so unprepared in meeting her, I wish I had a camera with me, but alas, I did not. Next time. Anyway so Daisy Hilton and I were at the stage door of Nine (with me in my Chicago hat -- remember that, it's important later). We met Antonio (who is SO short, omg WOW), and Jane Krakowski, who as I stated in a previous post was SO incredibly sweet and took the time to talk to us even as she was signing other autographs. Chita was the last one out, and Daisy and I were two of the few people left outside (it was freezing out, and we had been waiting about an hour). Chita signed on the one side, and then turned to our side. She pointed right at me (moreso, my hat) and came straight for us. We all chatted about Chicago and (pardon the pun) all that jazz, while she signed our playbills. I told her what an honor it was to meet her and Daisy told her she loved her. Chita replied "Oh aren't you just the cutest!" and gave Daisy a big hug. Then she turned to me and gave me a big hug as well. She also told us we could be the next Velma and Roxie in Chicago :) Melanie and Deidre move over! It's Daisy and CJR! (Daisy would be a better Roxie anyway!:))

I think that's it for my fun stories... I have lots of fun *backstage* stories, but I won't take up anymore room than I already have with this single post! I also have how I met and became friends with Vicki Frederick (my other childhood idol) and didn't realize just WHO she was till about 3 months after I met her... But that's not fun, that's just me being an idiot lol

Yeah, good times, good times :) :)

CJR

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Updated On: 6/2/03 at 02:28 PM

sweet.

nice stories, as well, CJR.

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I wasn't worried about her being mean or anything -- Vicki had always told me what a sweetheart Ann is, and that I SHOULD stop her if I ever ran into her somewhere.. I was worried about making an ass out of myself which I almost did.

Fun story about Faith and her son. Henry is such a cutie! You're not the first person he's run into on the street either -- apparently he's made a habit out of that and Faith apologizes to people for it on a regualr basis lol :)

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Who? Me or Orion?

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I ran into Bette Midler when I was walking along Central Park West in March when I was there. I was way too shy to stop her and say hello.

I do wish that I'd gotten around to the stage door for Cabaret the night I saw the performance. It would have been great to get the cast to sign, and maybe pose for a photo or two.

Maybe next time. :)

~D

LOL CJR ... very good.

Not in the same league, but still from FAME always really liked her, I ran into Debbie Allen once. It was in one of those "sidewalk tunnels" where the construction has you pinned in, and so I almost had to speak. I told her I really admired her work, but didn't even ask for an autograph. She took my arm for a second and said "thank you, child." It was so nice, I didn't even care that I didn't get an autograph. It just seemed just like her TV persona. Also once saw Susannah York in an American play while it was trying out and got taken to her dressing room. I did get an autograph that time, and she was amazing, asking if her "Yank accent" sounded right. Later in the West End when she was appearing in WOOLF (replacing Diana Rigg) I had sent a note saying I'd like an autograph afterwards with the doorman. She sent back a note that he had for me afterwards that said she remembered me but was so tired after the play came down (she had just started and it was three hours of almost non-stop emoting) that she didn't meet anyone. But she actually wrote "let me know about the accent" so I knew she remembered. I treasure that note and sent her flowers the next day.

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Years ago, I also met Chita Rivera at Ted Hooks' Backstage -- anyone remember that restaurant? Anyway, I was in college, and in NYC on one of those theatre trips. BRING BACK BIRDIE was in previews.

I was eating a pre-show supper there with friends, and our waiter told us that Rivera was a couple of tables down. I peered over, and lo and behold, he was right. She was having a bite between the matinee and evening shows. I think she was with her agents. Donald O'Connor was NOT there.

Like CJR and Reinking, I would have never forgiven myself if I hadn't gone over and spoken to her -- I'd loved her ever since I could remember.

So, being the respectful southern boy that I am/was, I waited until they had finished and were getting up to leave. I got a menu, went over and said "Miss Rivera, would it be possible for you to give me an autograph?" She graciously said yes, and proceed to ask me how to spell my name. Well, I have an unusual first name which warrants spelling, and at the time, I also stammered when I was nervous, so THAT was an experience...very embarrassing. As she was writing, I'm afraid I gushed a bit, and ended with "...and I hope your new show is a huge success."

She stopped, looked me dead in the eye, and said "Darling...THAT was the BEST thing you could have said. Thank you so much."

I think about that now -- Chita's no fool, and she knew, you know she knew, that BRING BACK BIRDIE was never going to make it, that it was going to be a joke, and that she felt it was going to be a black mark on her career. In other words, she had every reason to be in a horrible state of mind and somewhat depressed. And she took the time to be charming to me, an obvious starstruck gay college/tourist boy, who approached her in a public place to get her to sign her name to a menu. Wow. What class.

Post-Script to story: I went from there to the box office of the Martin Beck and got a ticket to BBB. Yes, it was horrible. Chita was the best thing in the show. I remember one number she did -- solo -- that got a great ovation because...well, she was good in it. It was as if the audience was hoping for something to applaud in the show -- and she sure delivered.

BRING BACK BIRDIE closed within the next two days.

And then...there was the time that Anthony Perkins cruised me in The Colony music store -- with a copy of The Judy Garland Songbook in his hand. But that's another story for another day.

Updated On: 6/4/03 at 08:58 AM

Don't apologize about your story. I think it was cute. Aside from which I don't find me stopping Ann Reinking on 8th avenue and practically forgetting my own name all that entertaining. (well, maybe the practically forgetting my own name part lol )

CJR

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I agree completely Orion.. Im still a little too incoherent to get out a complete and cohesive thought. lmao :)

you took the words right out of my mouth

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