Sitting next to a celebrity at a theater — Page 2

I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. He's a great guy. He'd bend over backwards for Stephen.

I did sit next to Lauren Bacall at A Steady Rain, it was quite thrilling

At the Frank Loesser Actors fund concert, I sat a row in front of Annette Bening, at the Who's Tommy Reunion Concert I sat right behind Christine Ebersole , and I got Christine Baranski's autograph when I saw her sitting with Meryl Streep and Benny from ABBA at Kristina

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Barbara Walters, Anderson Cooper, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Matthew Broderick, Sienna Miller, and many more at one of the best bars in Manhattan. (Note: not all on the same night.)

I sat across the aisle from Stephen Sondheim at West Side Story in DC. When the fire alarm went off, he ended up standing next to me as we slowly evacuated the theatre. I said something. He said something. Then I called 10 people in 3 minutes, and almost got hit by a fire truck because I was so distracted. It was a great night.

Yes, the boyfriend was there. He's acknowledged him by name in articles; you don't have to dance around it like gossipy fangirls.

There were other celebrities, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

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Updated On: 12/19/09 at 11:37 AM

Fun topic! I've been real lucky, but then I've been to over 300 performances. Sitting either right next to, or directly in front of or behind:

George Burns (Barnum)
Gene Wilder (Producers)
Barbara Streisand, David Bowie (Tommy)
Thomas Meehan (Hairspray)
Jerry Orbach (Will Rogers Follies-he left at intermission)
Lily Tomlin (9-5-she left at intermission)
David Hyde Pierce (Thoroughly Modern Millie)
Tyne Daly (Royal Family just last week)
Bruce Springstein (Spamalot)
Betty Buckley (Into the Woods)
Stephen Sondheim,(Legends benefit)
Mathew Perry (The Graduate)
Louise Pietra(Man of No Importance)
Ralph Lauren (Movin Out)
Natalie Schaefer-Mrs Howell (Loot)
Marcia Lewis, Phil Donahue (Fasettos)

Ever since my first 'sighting', I never say anything other than a how ya doin. It avoids embarressment.

Updated On: 12/19/09 at 12:02 PM

Oh, just reminded of one. I saw Jon Hamm with Jennifer Westfeldt at In the Next Room last month. He was across the aisle from me and I opened the door onto him during intermission.

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Not cool Mel. That is my biggest pet peeve (with the exception of cell phones going off) is when someone leaves before the curtin call is over. It is so disrespectful to the actors who just busted their behinds to entertain you for two hours. So rude!!!

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I sat a couple seats away from Norm Lewis at the final performance of [title of show] and we spoke about the show and Les Miserables before the show began since I had a friend in Les Miserables with him and the people sitting between us hadn't arrived yet. We ran into each other after the show and he started another conversation with me since I had mentioned I was going to school for theatre. He was absolutely pleasant.

My parents sat in front of Jane Seymour during the original Ragtime run.

I feel like I have sat near a celebrity, but I can't remember at the moment.

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Not at a show, but when Louise Pitre was rehearsing for Toxic Avenger in Toronto, I was rehearsing for a show in the same space and I ran into her a lot. She's a lovely woman, really sweet and funny.

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Whatever happened to Daniel Davis? He seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.

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At a performance of "The Resistible Rise of Arutro Ui" my wife and I had aisle seats with Yoko Ono sitting across the aisle with a very very very large bodyguard type guy sitting next to her.

During intermission, I got up to let the others in our row exit, and because one of my feet had fallen asleep I had a slight misstep and fell towards Ms. Ono. I've never seen such a large man move so fast. He actually caught me easily (I'm no lightweight myself) no harm done. I apologized, he apologized, and Ms. Ono was very polite and gracious to me.

I resisted my urge to accuse her of breaking up The Beatles.

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