Something strang happened to me at the stage door of The Little Mermaid — Page 3

At least they fired that actor who was SMOKING near the stage door!

I used to enjoy stage-dooring many years ago. I loved meeting actors (the nice ones, anyway) and getting an autograph or on a rare occasion, a quick photo. I only believe I've gotten a handful of photos over the last 20 years (less than 10 anyway) and one in particular is pretty funny, since the actor was surprisingly rude to people and gives a classic look of annoyance in the photo. Said actor (allegedly) posts here under a pseudonym, so I won't call them out, but if they choose to sign autographs in a barricaded lineup (and not everyone does), I'm not quite sure why they would be so rude and bitter about it. It certainly did have an effect on my opinion about them afterward. But that was many years ago and I digress. Maybe they just had a bad night.

But in the last 7-8 years or so, the experience has become mostly negative due to rude security or in most cases, rude fans. I just don't want to put myself in that position any more. The last time I stage-doored, it was actually by accident. I ran into Houflip at a performance of Les Miz and we chatted outside the theatre after the show. I noticed some of the cast come out and pointed out a few of them to my boyfriend. I really wanted to meet Lea Salonga, but she was hoarded with fans. She seemed very polite and gracious and glanced at me a few times (I assume she expected me to approach her), but I decided not to add to the spectacle and simply let her get home. I did say a quick hello to Max Von Essen as he was off to the side by himself and told him how much we enjoyed his performance, but didn't bother him with autograph or photo requests.

But as to the original post, I can certainly understand the cynicism by security staff at the theatres, especially when dealing with the behavior of fans and/or those simply looking to make a quick buck (ticket scalpers and lottery/rush scammers creep me out), but it certainly could be handled a lot better.

Honestly, the NYC/Broadway experience is getting less attractive to me after each visit. This was the first year in many that I have not visited NYC and I find that I didn't really miss it. There are friends I'd like to visit and shows I'd like to see, but NYC itself is losing its appeal and considering the cost nowadays, not worth the price.

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Dooring and doored are not words.

That's all I will say.

Winston, no I do not accept private messages. I have had some issues with people getting into a sniping contest over things and it is just easier to keep everything public.

I did not mean to say that you were in the wrong. My intention was to provide an overview of all the issues. As I said in my original message, you are well within your rights and should complain to the house if the security person continues to be a problem.

As an actor I can say there are days when you just want to be left alone because you are tired, sick or hurrying to another appointment - perhaps dinner which most of us do not eat until after the performance. While most actors do their best to hide their attitude on bad days you can sometimes have a bad experience with an actor too. I know that. It sounds as if you have had no problems with the cast and more problems with the house security. They are there to provide security but not there to intimidate the audience or fans. If he is giving you a hard time, ask to speak with the house manager or, if you feel comfortable, let the actors know so that they can speak to someone about it. Talk to the right people and someone will talk to him. Good luck.

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The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get him fired.

Seriously, either make a complaint or don't.

When I saw Mermaid and stage doored, the security guard was EXTREMELY nice- he kindly asked "older" fans to step aside for the little ones to fit in front and when we got out of the theater early to get a good spot, he told us where the best spot to stand was...

Different guy you think?
Humph.

I still want to know what Sierra Mist Bogus autograph is fetching on ebay.

Has the doorman been fired yet? We need an update!

Well, that is a Strang thing to happen!

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