Stage Door Experiences - What's That All About? — Page 2

You should definitely stage door Sweeney Todd. The cast is one of the sweetest I've ever met, and it has never gotten crazy or fangirly there. They are also a very chatty cast - I ended up talking to Michael about Hedwig And The Angry Inch for a few minutes when he saw my Hedwig button. You'll only be perceived as pushy or fangirly or a "groupie" if you act like one.

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It's about how you act, not that you just stand there, in how you're truly percieved. So basically, be respectful, be friendly, don't do anything stupid, and you'll be fine.

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Wedding Singer and Sweeney have the most fangirl potential but it depends on which night you go. I'd suggest waiting off to the side by yourself and just wait quietly til the actors come out. Wedding Singer was a little unbearable because they have so many young actors in the cast and it was mostly teenagers stage dooring that day. Sweeney was fine but there's definitely a Cerveris/Feliciano contingent that adds to the fangirl feel.

The actors for both were very very friendly and happy to pose for pictures and talk with people. Don't expect to see Lupone tho. My friend has stagedoored that show twice and neither times Patti came out.

I would have to disagree about the fangirl contingent at the Sweeney stage door. I have been there on several occasions, and I have *never* seen that. Sure, there are sometimes teenage girls (and really, people most likely to stage door in the first place are tourists and the younger crowd) - but not all teenage girls are squeamish and fangirly. In fact, regarding Mr. Felciano, I have been at the stage door when he zooms past the crowd, only because he simply doesn't think anyone wants his autograph.

And LuPone does come out, except not after matinees. You just have to wait a while.

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I've seen quite a lot of teenager wicked fan girls at DRS waiting for Norbert too. They are the ones who say, "We'd loved you as Fiyero OMG XOXO" every freakin' time, totally disregarding his performance as Freddy.

I stage doored Sweeny when I was in NYC, and I thought it was alot of fun. The only previous experience I'd had was at Wicked in Chicago (my home town), and Jersey Boys the night before (only because Bobby was going to take me backstage).

The entire cast of Sweeney is so sweet. And Patti came out and signed for everybody when I was there. Michael, and Manoel are the best though, and Benjamin Magnuson comes in right behind them. They're all fantastic, and so appreciative of all their fans. In the little experience I have, most actors know that without their fans, they're really nothing.

Some stage doors can be kind of fangirly which really gets on my nerves. At Wicked a few months after Idina won the Tony there were these girls with black witch hats waiting for her at the stage door. Then Taye Diggs comes out (he wasn't in the show at the time) and these girls look at him, look at each other and then start chasing him down the street. It was so horrible but I have to admit I laughed pretty hard.

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Right CJR. I hate the negative connoctation of "groupies." From my experience, if the fan is respectful, kind, never too pushy, etc, a very mutual benefitting relationship can occur(and I'm not even thinking of a friendship--just an acquaintanceship I suppose). The fan sees the show again and again, which you know gives money into the show and higher attendance. He or she also usually brings friends, which also increases money and attendance, and when possible, most likely shills the show to whoever he/she meets or whoever he/she knows who asks advice on what to see. I'm sick of writing he/she so...he sometimes also tries to go to all the concerts a favorite performer participates in, again, giving the performer more support and sometimes more fans. These fans as a group tend to be very enthusiastic whenever they come to the show, and they sometimes get the rest of the audinece more energetic and enthusiastic which benefits the actors.

And for the fan well, sometimes it irrationally means a lot to be recognized or get a hug from a favorite actor. Not that one's under a delusion that they're best friends, but for no good reason, it means a lot to be recognized and feel appreciated by people you admire so much. And you know as long as you're respectful...like if you visit a stage door often, accept that a performer you know isn't always going to have time to chat, and just say hello and good-bye, etc.

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If you don't call it a delusion, then you wouldn't think to do so would be a delusion and you wouldn't use the word delusion at all.

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It was an actor who told me the story about another actor occassionally hooking up with the fans. He'd chat them up, take them for a coffee around the corner, etc. It got to be a problem because one time the women waited at the stage door after the shows on the same nights.

I don't doubt that the sweeney cast would be friendly and accomodating.

I went to see Hairspray when Diana Gearmo was in it, very "Fangirly" esq. Screaming girls for Diana. She signed and posed with almost everyone of the 70 girls there.

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Yes, but when I hug delusions everyone calls me delusional.