Spotted Celebrities in Audience — Page 2

Have seen or sat close to Nathan Lane (several times), Rebel Wilson, sat next to Christoph Waltz at Hamilton, in front of Eric Idle at Spamalot (Chicago tryout), Candace Bergen (recent Once/Mattress), sat behind Tobey Maguire at Fun Home, sat near Laurie Metcalf at least twice, sat by Duncan Sheik at American Psycho, Andrew Barth Feldman at MHE and Parade, exited Moulin Rouge next to Timothee Chalomet...

BEST was sitting behind Martin Short, Andrea Martin and Victor Garber at Hadestown. Andrea left at intermission. Odd, And ended up in restroom line with Short; was nice. Didn't pester him, but he said "hey... like the show?" etc so quick chat.

(Edit: Donna McKechnie at Life of Pi and Tony Goldwyn at Here We Are.)

Updated On: 5/6/25 at 02:56 PM

Met and got autographs from Lauren Bacall and Mia Farrow in front of the Music Hall in Boston after a Liza concert on 10/20/79. I remember the date 'cause I recorded the concert on cassette and still have it. Lauren signed immediately, but Mia was hemming and hawing a bit...until Lauren said, "Oh Mia, sign the autograph!" They were both very nice, though.

Sat right in front of David Geffen, Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue at opening night of DREAMGIRLS at the Shubert Theatre in Boston; 1981. The audience went crazy after Jennifer Holliday's big number. It was the biggest reaction to a number I've ever seen at a show. Geffen was ecstatic and there were people in the balconies above who were actually shredding pages of their playbills and throwing them like confetti!

Carol Channing and her husband, Charles Lowe, sat in the row in front of me for a pre-Broadway performance of RAGTIME at the Shubert in Los Angeles; 1997. During intermission, her husband dropped his glasses and Carol was on her hands and knees trying to find them.

At a 1993 pre-Broadway performance of SUNSET BOULEVARD at the Shubert in Los Angeles, I was sitting a row in front of Meryl Streep and Carrie Fisher who were there together. It was a little embarrassing for me because during intermission I got up to use the restroom, noticed the two of them and proceeded to trip and almost fall over three people sitting in my row.

In 2011, I sat two rows in front of Barbra Streisand, James Brolin and, I'm pretty sure Jason Gould was with them, at a performance of GOD OF CARNAGE at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles. I remember there was a lady who was trying to take a picture of them with her iPad before the show started.

John Tesh at an OBC performance of Hamilton

RuPaul at Beetlejuice

Stephanie J Block, Sebastian Arcelus and Jonathan Groff were all sitting next to each other at Into the Woods a few rows up from me

Danny Devito at The Lehman Trilogy

Forgot to say Elisabeth Moss goes to the ballet all the time. She's a tiny lady and people never recognize her. She was standing behind me in the bathroom line and I saw her and she smiled at me like "Don't blow my cover" so I didn't.

Met Josh Groban at the final performance of Great Comet. He was lovely.

Leslie Odom Jr. sat next to me at an Alvin Ailey gala (I was reviewing and had a press ticket). So charming.

Faye Dunaway was at Death of a Salesman tonight. Two seats away from me!

TotallyEffed said: "Jay Lerner-Z said: "Faye Dunaway was at Death of a Salesman tonight. Two seats away from me!"


There has never been a better Pride Blessing. Were you in her eye line at all?"

Yes! She spoke to me at intermission!

A woman a few seats down had approached her for a few words, and after she left Faye turned to me and said ”Are you with that woman?”. I assured her I was not.

Over the years I have spotted a number of celebs.

Two that come immediately to mind are:

Early preview of "Some Like It Hot". It was like a who's who of Broadway there the night I saw it. A lot sitting with the show's creators center orchestra. The upper lobby was wall to wall crammed at intermission. I was trying to get across to step outside. Someone was slightly pushing me from the back. I turned the top part of my body around to just look and let the person know they were pushing me and I was face to face with Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber. I almost died. He was very polite and apologized and we both just rolled our eyes at how hard it was getting across the lobby. I finally got outside and saw Amber Ruffin just pacing back and forth on 44th.

I have shared in other threads, on the night I saw "The Visit". Donna McKechnie was in to watch the show. (She was scheduled to go into it, as we know) At the end of the show I was at her row as she was stepping out. I, of course, paused to let her out. She took my arm and we walked out of the Lyceum together arm in arm having a wonderful chat. My friend that went with me was ahead of me when we left and his jaw dropped to the ground when we stepped out onto the sidewalk! Still upset that she never got to go on.



A bit of a connection and my favorite is the night I attended the opening of the musical "Platinum". Lisa Mordente was in it and Chita was there on opening night. Chita knocked me down in the lobby as she was sweeping through and my soda went down with me. She had the person with her replace it. Knowing who she was, I was not upset at all! Fast forward to the stage door of "...Edwin Drood", I just wanted to see her up close. There were only a few people there. She came out, signed my Playbill and I started telling her about the night at "Platinum" I was halfway through and she finished the story! She remembered and apologized, again! We then took a great picture together, which I cherish.

Updated On: 6/20/26 at 12:14 AM

Both times I saw Oh, Mary gave celeb sightings. When I first saw it at the Lucille Lortel, Blythe Danner was standing outside waiting for her plus one for the evening while I was smoking before the show, made the opening joke that much better. Then when I saw the show on Broadway during Tony week, I clocked Mia and Ronan Farrow being sat in the front row, I was so excited both times.


Also was sat in a house seat through the cancellation line off Broadway for Merrily, perfect seat. At intermission I turn around and am in the row in front of Andrew Garfield and Lin Manuel

Updated On: 6/20/26 at 10:25 AM

I usually have poor recollection of celebrity sightings, but sitting behind the voluminous red hair of Bernadette Peters at a performance of the John Tiffany Glass Menagerie definitely sticks in my memory.

Right in front of Hillary and Chelsea Clinton at the SUNSET Glenn Close revival.

schubox said: "John Tesh at an OBC performance of Hamilton

RuPaul at Beetlejuice

Stephanie J Block, Sebastian Arcelus and Jonathan Groff were all sitting next to each other at Into the Woods a few rows up from me

Danny Devito at The Lehman Trilogy"

Adding on to this. Bernadette Peters was behind me at Death of a Salesman a few weeks ago.


also forgot I saw Ben Stiller at Great Comet and Kamala Harris at Othello



Oh and Cherry Jones at Grief is the Thing With Feathers and I just remembered Josh Groban was sitting immediately behind me at Gypsy with Audra. I said a couple things to him at intermission and he was very nice

Updated On: 6/20/26 at 01:39 PM

Everyone posting in this thread is quite lucky. I have never seen a celebrity at any show I attended even shows I was only a couple of rows from the stage.