Sitting next to a celebrity at a theater- Page 4

[HOUFlip04]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 9:48am

"My dad sat behind John Travolta and Kelly Preston when he saw Chicago. John left before the final curtain call though."

Wow! According to your dad, even though Kelly Preston was there, she didn't see the show and John left without her. Nice! :)

[James2]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 10:39am

This November, I sat behind Mary Rodgers Guettel at Juilliard's production of Savage in Limbo.

As far as sightings go, some confirmed ones include Fyvush Finkel at Jonathan Pryce and NLB's last Dirty Rotten Scoundrels performance, Peter O'Toole at Blithe Spirit, and Jerry Stiller at Exit the King.

One that I saw but am not 100% sure about is that I think I saw Judi Dench at The Producers.

[Paris400]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 11:18am

Back in January 2002, at one of the final performances of The Fantasticks at the Sullivan Street Theater, I sat next to Bill Murray. We tried to ignore him because the place was so small and we didn't want to make a scene. He didn't smile the entire performance, but when the actors came out swinging around the pole he looked to me on one side and his son on the other and said, "You can do that!" He also wouldn't stop singing "Try to Remember" in the deepest voice on line for the restroom.

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 2:57pm

I sat 2 rows in back of tennis player John MacEnroe(and his kids+their friends) at Wicked a few months ago. I sat next to New York Times photographer Rob Bennett at Wicked last Sat night. He is Julie Reiber's boyfriend and she was on at the time.

At Defying Inequality I was surrounded by celebrities.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 3:20pm

I was surrounded at a 1998 performance of "Lil Abner." Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson and Goldie's son with Kurt Russell directly in front of me, Victor Garber one row behind me.

Didn't say a word but smiled at Kate and Goldie as they came back from intermission.

[italianpride888]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 6:56pm

oh I meant John and Kelly. Oops

[nealb1]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 7:20pm

My first trip to NYC in 1988, Sean Penn sat right next to me the night that I saw Madonna in "Speed The Plow." He asked me if I liked the show, once we got to talking, house lights went down and the 2nd act started. He sat down right when Act 1 started, and right when Act 2 started, as well.

Perhaps he was going back stage to talk to the wife.

[froggy2]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 12:57am

Sat in the row behind Connie Britton (Mrs. Coach!) and the lead dude from Counting Crows at Saved off-broadway. I will never understand how he gets so many hot chicks.

[pennypingleton1994]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 1:29am

Oh! When I saw Spring Awakening on tour (for my fifth time...lol), I was in the same audience as Darren Criss of A Very Potter Musical. I got to meet him after the show, he was very sweet and appreciative of his fans. Now THAT, for lack of a better term, was totally awesome.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 1:45am

What's with all these celebrities leaving these shows at intermission?? Pretty disburbing trend. I'm sure they wouldn't want people leaving their shows!!

Maybe they're going backstage. Most of the time when you see pictures of "So and so visits such and such" the photos were taken during intermission.

Take this picture of Miley Cyrus for example. The cast are all in their costumes for the Act II opener.

And maybe they don't return to their original seat so as not to disturb the production because they often end up having to take time to chat with reporters and the show has started up again.

But there are so many reasons. I doubt they're trying to be rude.

Updated On: 12/22/09 at 01:45 AM

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 5:21am

I sat directly behind a number of High School Musical cast members at an early preview of Wicked in London. I think they were here to launch HSM on an unsuspecting UK, but I had no idea who they were or why so many American children were asking them for autographs in the interval…

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 9:13am

I sat a two rows behind Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara when Gypsy was at City Center (Interestingly enough, it was the same night the musical version on Hairspray opened in theaters).

I sat a few rows behind Maury Povich and Connie Chung at American Buffalo last year. Can't say if they liked the show, they left in a huge rush.

I sat directly across from Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs at Everyday Rapture in May. It was particularly amusing watching their responses to Sherie's routine about Rent and Aida.

And finally, I sat across from Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith at Desire Under The Elms that following Tuesday. They arrived right before the lights went down. It seemed like they enjoyed the show.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 11:40am

Sat in the row in front of Jerry Springer once at Spring Awakening. Totally knocked into him running to the bathroom at intermission.

[stee]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 12:16pm

I sat beside Matthew Broderick at Die, Mommy, Die .. it was kinda surreal. I was hoping that Sarah Jessica Parker would sneak in right before the curtain, but unfortunately she didn't come. Matthew was with an older gentleman caller. Or a friend. I dunno. But not SJP. Boo.

[cglaid]

Posted: 12/24/09 at 12:01am

I recently read this thread and thought about it tonight when Anne Heche and her boyfriend + son sat next to me at Billy Elliot . She was very nice - I recommended a booster seat for her kid and since she didn't know that was an option, thanked me multiple times and had her son thank me as well. I didn't bother her after that.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 12/24/09 at 12:14am

I saw A Little Night Music tonight from standing room and at the end of intermission, Stephen Sondheim came in and was standing directly behind me for part of the 2nd act.

[ifuweregay93]

Posted: 12/28/09 at 12:04pm

I've never sat next to anyone myself, but my aunt sat next to Tom Hanks at a Second City show.

[beaemma]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 11:13pm

I've seen many celebrities at the theatre over the years, but these were my favorite incidents.

I was directly behind Helen Hayes at the Angela Lansbury revival of GYPSY. The show was so great that I was able to forget that she was Helen Hayes and just be grateful that she was short, which gave me a perfect view of the stage.

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were sitting two rows behind me at a touring production of a Noel Coward review which played Milwaukee. (They were retired by this time and living at their country home west of the city.) I've never approached a famous person at the theatre, but a number of other people approached them at intermission. The Lunts seemed wonderfully gracious to all of them.

The person laughing uproariously behind me at ME AND MY GIRL turned out to be Liberace.

I was across the aisle from Katharine Hepburn at CARMELINA. Everyone noticed her. Nobody approached her. I couldn't focus on the show. What a thrill!

One of the many times I saw the original production of SWEENEY TODD, I was extremely annoyed by a man and woman behind me who kept explaining everything to two young girls who were with them. In a break between scenes, I whipped my head around and threw them the angriest, nastiest glare I could muster. It was Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. They shut up for the rest of the performance.

[springawoken819]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:30am

Bill Nye sat a few rows in front of me my 1st time seeing Spring Awakening on Broadway. I didn't really know much about him then, although now I've seen several of his movies (previously I'd only seen Love Actually), so I didn't bother going to talk to him, but it was cool.

[italianpride888]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:38am

When you said Bill Nye, I thought you meant Bill Nye "The Science Guy". I was like good lord that's amazing!

[singalongsong2]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:42am

^^ I thought the same thing.

[Weez]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 11:12am

Oh, Bill Nighy? See, that's pretty freakin' cool, but Bill Nye the Science Guy would have been AWESOME. (And I'm English and scarcely know who Bill Nye is... D: )

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 11:25am

See, I wouldn't recognize Bill Nighy without tentacles protruding from his face, or Bill Nye without a bow tie and a lab coat, but either one would make my whole week.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 11:29am

I totally would have been more excited if you'd meant Bill Nye The Science Guy.

[greensgreens]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 11:38am

I sat next to Madonna & Rosie O'Donnell @ CHICAGO many, many, many moons ago. It was incredibly unexpected and I just about had a heartattack when they both rushed in right before curtain. Of course, they also left halfway through the second act and arrived late at intermission. But, they seemed to be enjoying a girls night out. In retrospect, I really regret not getting M's autograph.