Waiting For Godot Stage Door

[musicals2]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 12:24pm

Does anyone know if the cast comes out and signs after the show?

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 6/19/09 at 12:28pm

They do.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 4:00am

John Glover -- signs, friendly.
Nathan Lane -- signs, not friendly at all.
Bill Irwin -- signs, insanely friendly, kind, accommodating, humble.
John Goodman -- might sign a couple if you're lucky but often ignores, unfriendly.

[Shakespearean]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 4:43am

I saw the show a few nights before the Tony Awards. Nathan Lane and John Goodman snuck out the front door and avoided the few of us waiting. Bill Irwin came out quickly and was the most friendly, personable gentleman one might imagine. He asked us questions about some technical stuff in the show, if we heard the bartenders putting the bottles away (we did), about ourselves... it was, well, awesome. John Glover had guests backstage but I've been a fan since L!V!C! and it was his nomination week so I stuck around. He was very friendly and happy to chat for a moment. So there we have it, 50/50 .

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 7:34am

I've met Nathan a few times and he has always been very kind. It depends on what's going on. If he's in a "not friendly at all" mood, he will not come out at all. If he has things to do after the show or is tired, he has a right to go home out the 'other door.' If he's up to it, he'll come out. Don't expect to become his best friend, but he's pleasent to you. If you smile, he'll smile back. If you ask him a question, he'll answer. If you compliment, he'll thank you.

Nothing "not friendly at all" about that.

Bill Irwin was WONDERFUL. GREAT guy. Can't say enough good things about him.

I do unfortuntely agree about John Goodman as well.

I saw it the Saturday night before the Tony's.

Updated On: 6/20/09 at 07:34 AM

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 11:55am

Nathan Lane is not "shy." Celebrities who make their living in TV, movies and theatre and are big, loud, flamboyant personalities who go on talk shows and make publicity rounds are not "shy." If they're unpleasant/disinterested towards "normal people" (i.e. their fans), that's not them being "shy" -- that's them being "assholes."

Look, they're actors -- they don't need to bend over backwards to be friendly. They're there to do the work, not to be the random person waiting at the stagedoor's best friend. But why must you guys always make apologies/excuses for actors who have reputations for being flagrantly nasty/rude?

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 2:13pm

Some celebrities are very shy (Matthew Broderick comes to mind), but Nathan Lane is definitely not.

I've only stagedoored a show with him once (Godot) and he was pleasant and grateful.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 2:20pm

Even though Matthew Broderick is shy though, he still signs and is very humble at the stage door- at least, he was at the time of The Odd Couple.

I'm not saying actors have to be gracious and patient at the SD, just saying that even though MB is shy, he is still very very sweet to those waiting.

EDIT: Also, does anyone remember the rumor going around a few years ago that Nathan only signed for people w/brown eyes?? haha

Updated On: 6/20/09 at 02:20 PM

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 3:34pm

Updated On: 6/20/09 at 03:34 PM

[flahooley2]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 11:23pm

You're the asshole. You don't "know" Nathan Lane, and he is not a big, loud, flamboyant personality on talk shows. His job is over once the curtain goes down.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 11:30pm

Are you kidding flahooley2?

Nathan Lane is totally "a big, loud, flamboyant personality" on talk shows. I'm a huge fan of Lane's theater work, but I actually think he's funnier in interviews. He's definitely one of the best interview subjects around today.

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 1:07am

Definitely agree that Bill Irwin is an absolute sweetheart. Really took tons of time to talk to everyone as well as thank everyone for coming to the show.

John Glover was lovely as well. I saw the show a week prior to the Tonys and wished him luck, which got me a joking smack on the head. But he couldn't have been sweeter.

John Goodman was not thrilled about signing, but did. He wasn't rude or anything, just seemed in a hurry, which was fine.

Nathan didn't come out the SD.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 1:48pm

To suggest that one knows and can generalize about every celebrity is foolish. Everyone is different. Furthmore, if you know anything about actors you know that many of them are very shy and withdrawn off stage. I have worked and lived in and around the theater all my life and went to school with other actors. Many of us were attracted to the stage because it allowed us to 'be ourselves' or to express things we could not express socially. Lane IS a very animated interview on talk shows and if you have seen him in a more subtle interview format like Charlie Rose or something more serious, he is very intelligent about his art.

He is famously uncomfortable with adoration, fans and the stage door but he does his job. The added consideration with Lane or ANY actor is that NY theater allows fans unfettered access to actors unlike TV or movies where fans are buffered. NY theater actors understand the stage door obligation but it has become very commercialized in the past 15 years and people now want photos, and want the actors to sign 3-4 items which appear the next day on eBay. People also show up to get signatures when they didn't even attend the performance. It is no longer a crowd of erudite, educated theater goers and even if you are such a person you are lost in the crowd of others who may be rude or gush like an 8 year old at a birthday party.

All of that said, no audience member should expect to be the best friend of the actor. Say what you have to say, get the autograph and let the actor move on. They owe you a good performance for the price of the ticket...not a huge smile or the right to take them home and introduce them to your family and friends. If you don't think they are friendly enough, you may have to adjust your expectations. Of course, every PERSON is different. So Broderick is different than Lane, Glover is different than Goodman who is different than Irwin. They are people. Let them be themselves, be happy you got the chance to say hello and don't place unreasonable expectations on them. They may be tired, sick, hungry or just in a bad mood or maybe they are just SHY and uncomfortable with strangers. Yeah, weird, huh?

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 5:12pm

You're an idiot. No one pretended like they KNOW celebrities/actors. We're simply stating how they acted when we met them. Stop being a defensive little bitch and listen to people.

Also, you're missing the point. These guys are not your theatre pals from college just because they're all actors. A MASSIVE part of these guys' jobs (jobs they've been doing for decades, by the way) is the publicity game. Going on shows, giving interviews, sitting down with journalists, non-stop interaction with "the public" or fans. You simply can't perpetually engage in that kind of activity for such an amount of time and still be "socially awkward" or "shy."

These guys are NOT shy. They may hate talking to fans, or find it an annoyance -- fine, whatever -- but that's not the same thing as being "shy."

Like we've all said, they don't owe us anything besides their performance. But if they act like a jerk, we should be able to call a spade a spade and say "they acted like a jerk."

You calling someone like f***ing NATHAN LANE "shy" is ludicrous, and bending over backwards to be defensive of a celebrity you adore.
Updated On: 6/21/09 at 05:12 PM

[ArtMan]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 6:18pm

I stage doored Godot Memorial Day weekend Sunday matinee before the show. There was only one guy who got there before me. Nathan came minutes after my arrival and I let the other guy do what he needed to do since he was there before me. (STAGE DOOR MANNERS!!!!) He asked for an autograph and Nathan obliged but was not too happy about it. I then asked if I could take a picture, since I always ask first. He didn't say no or hell no...he just ignored me, which I thought was worse. Now granted I could have just taken it, but as I stated I always ask. Now the few seconds that I experienced with Nathan Lane..he came across like a D**K in my opinion. Now Bill Irwin is another story. Although I never saw him at the stage door at Godot, he was behind me in line going in at Equus (November 0. I had just seen Rachel Getting Married. I turned to him and told him how much I loved the film and how good he was in it, as well as Anne Hathaway and Debra Winger. He seemed generally touched and he engaged me in a conversation about the film. My impression of him after a few minutes was...hes a sweetheart. Now yall can agree or disagree...it doesn't matter..its still my opinion.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 7:08pm

You're right about Irwin. I asked him at the stage door if he would sign a DVD for me, and he said "Of course!" followed by, "uh oh, for which film?" When I pulled out my copy of "Rachel Getting Married" he smiled and said "Oh, good!" and talked a little bit about the film and how divisive it was and how great it was to work on. He was just a kind, genial, gracious man to anyone who approached him, but it did seem he had a warm place in his heart for that film.

[flahooley2]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 7:32pm

Well, you weren't asking Bill to take a picture, you were complementing him on his work. Of course he was nice to you. You're the dick!

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:50pm

Um, perhaps I'm a bit dense for trying to respond rationally, but.... whuh? COMPLIMENTING (not complementing) an actor on his work makes one a dick... I ... don't... follow...

[ArtMan]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 7:16am

FlaFOOLey2...as I stated it was my opinion. If you don't understand the definition..I'll be in the city on July 15..I'll "discuss" it with you then in person.