Running into Broadway stars on the streets of NYC

On this thread, tell your tales (if any) about running into various performers on the streets of NYC...

My stories:

When I saw 9 to 5 in '09, I nearly knocked over Marcia Gay Harden (who was carrying armfuls of Applebees) while I was making my war to the Marquis stage door...I also walked by Chrstine Ebersole (then in Blithe Spirit) in front of the Marquis.

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I also ran into Gregory Jbara twice and Will Chase once walking past the stage doorat the Imperial...I just recognized them when they had both walked into the theatre....

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I have a recollection of being in Manhattan in 1998, obsessed with the DePalma film Obsession and its score by Bernard Herrmann. Cliff Robertson, Genevieve Bujold, and John Lithgow starred. Anyways, I stepped out of a Chinese restaurant and there was John Lithgow lightly jogging past. I turned to him and abruptly said, "I loved you in Obsession." He turned his head, still jogging, wrinkled his brown in confusion and said, "Thanks!"

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Looking back this doesn't seem as surprising now as it did then, but a few years ago my friend and I saw "Sunday In The Park With George" and Norbert Leo Butz was visiting a friend in the show at the stage door. It was my first time in New York, and my first time seeing shows on Broadway, so seeing a "big star" like him was pretty cool! We did not acknowledge him, though, because we figured since he wasn't in the show it would be kind of rude to bother him when he was just there to support a friend. But who knows, maybe he wouldn't have minded!

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Jennifer from N2N twice on 9th ave., Christopher sieber on the subway, Catherine zeta Jones w/ hubby Michael Douglas right outside the al hirschfeld theater

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when Jude Law was in town for Hamlet, my parents were literally next to him at Bubby's in Tribeca. I got there as soon as I could, but a minute before I got there he was escorted into a private room. I was really upset, however the next day as I got out of class, I was talking to someone outside and saw Jude walk by with his father and sons. Needless to say I was freaking out. not only because it was Jude Law but because what were the chances I got to see him after missing him the previous day!?

when i was in nyc i saw many broadway stars. it was so fun.
i LITERALLY walked into constentine (sp?) from rock of ages, as he and i both turned the corner. it was cool, i didn't know it was him until a moment later he got into a cab and i said stupidly, 'rock on!'
i also saw one of the original broadway boys from billy elliot. he had a billy elliot shirt on. it made me smile.
and jennifer damiano from next to normal walked by me while i was outside avenue q. i didn't say anything.
when i was in toronto my friend and i were waiting to be let into the canon theatre to see the final tour of rent. we were the only ones there. anthony rapp walked by us, and we didn't say anything cause we didn't know how to process it. but it was a great moment. he looked at us, we looked at him, and he was gone. i will always have that memory. a few seconds later we heard a bunch of screaming girls down at the end of the street, and we knew he had arrived.
it's cool seeing stars on the street. makes you remember that they are, for the most part, still people like us with jobs to go to and things to do. except they have the coolest jobs ever.

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A lot of times I see actors on their way to work, for example...
Allison Janney on 45th as she was heading to the
Marquis for 9 to 5. I was just about to take a sip of my water when I did a double take of this TALL woman in white walking passed me... good thing I didn't spill or spit anything out.

Andrea Burns walking to the In the Heights stage door as we were standing outside the theater.

Bryce Ryness (sp?) walking up 45th (presumably to Hair).


And Richard H. Blake and Manuel Herrera (sp?) walking into Second Stage while Next to Normal was playing there.

I use to work in a very popular building on 43rd Street (houses Telsey, Dodgers, BB&B, etc...) and one morning I shared the elevator with Catherine Zeta Jones. I didn't talk to her out of intimidation, but that same day on my way home I shared the elevator with Angela Lansbury. I turned around and started a conversation and she was such a sweetheart.

I feel like every time I eat at Eatery on 9th Avenue I see Cheyenne Jackson, Nick Adams, and Vanessa Williams. I literally see one of those three every time I go there.

And last night I was standing outside Emmett O'Lunney's on 50th and Bernadette Peters walked past me walking her dog. Her dog stopped right in front of the building to take care of his business...her response was, "Damn thing always picks the most embarrassing places to do this." lol

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Martha Plimpton on the subway she was very nice talking to strangers and even offering to throw out there trash when she got off at her stop.
Sutton Foster refusing to take a picture with me on the street. Woops. Stanley Tucci outside of Angus's he was very nice and signed for me.

I've walked past Christopher Seiber, J. Robert Spencer, Greg Jbara, and Heidi Blickenstaff. I saw Marc Shaiman visiting the stage door of another show (I think it was Mary Stuart) and Phylicia Rashad getting take out from Juniors. I saw Bye Bye Birdie at the same time as Lori Loughlin, and according to someone else in the audience, I saw Next to Normal with Chris Matthews, but I wouldn't recognize him from a hole in the wall so I don't know if the person was right. I also literally ran into Alec Baldwin once when I was leaving the theater after seeing In the Next Room. I don't know if he was also leaving the theater or just walking by the door.

Wonder: Bernie walking and chastising hey dog cracks me up. I can so see it.

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Let's see...

When I saw Rent with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, Tyra Banks was also in the audience. She sat way down front in the orchestra and didn't come in until about a minute before curtain. I remember telling my companion, "Gee, that woman looks like Tyra Banks" as she walked down the aisle, and the girl in front of me turned around and said "That IS Tyra Banks!".

Walked past Justin Kirk once on 45th. That same day, I saw Alice Ripley, looking very excited in a pink trench coat, carrying furniture from the Booth stage door to a car. I ALSO ended up walking behind Aaron Tveit that day as he walked to work.

Ended up accidentally following Jeff Daniels as he left God of Carnage. We were going to the same place.

Ran into Brian D'arcy James and Adam Chanler-Berat(?) at the Marquis Starbucks on my birthday a few weeks ago (also almost knocked over Douglas Hodge as he was leaving La Cage, and saw The Soup host Joel McHale filming a movie in Times Square. It was a pretty good birthday!).

Well that was long.