When did Stagedooring become a necessity? — Page 2

Magdalene...yeah - it is disappointing how eBay and selling autographs became its own mass marketing that discouraged actors/actress from stopping to sign for genuine fans. I have been buying Broadway show CDs for many years as my show souvenier. I have always tried to obtain the autograph from whoever I enjoyed the most from the performance right on the CD art. I now have a wall display of about 80 cast albums signed by one or multiple people. Each time I listen to the CD I see who signed it and it brought back some memories of meeting them. Now it is more difficult with the combination of eBay pros and the masses but it is what it is.

I never even knew that there was such a thing as 'stagedooring' until I joined a Les Miserables website where there was a whole thread for posting pictures. I'd seen pictures of people with Broadway stars, but I'd always assumed that they were lucky and gotten backstage passes or something.

But when I went to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway, the stagedoor was completely crowded, with a nice metal rail separating the public from the stars. And I, having a vast crush on Norm Lewis, was really excited to get his autograph. I think most of the people there were just little kids who were convinced that they really were meeting the 'real' Disney characters.

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Schmerg, I am with you on that crush! He is a really nice guy also. I got to chat with him a bit here in Denver after a performance. It wasn't until I was face to face with him that I realized I would marry him in a heartbeat!

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"We admire the performers and want to feel like we can call them friend"

Bingo. It can be fun for the actors sometimes, but it does add 15-30 minutes to getting away from the theater. You can walk past everyone and deal with stupid comments on this thread about it so, not that big a deal.

I do feel differently about the standing O though. I loved that tradition for truly excellent work and it kind of sucks that it's so watered down these days. God help the day where the rare stop-the-show-midshow standing O for Lupone becomes common and we have to wait 5 minutes after Warner sings "Serious" for everyone to sit down again.

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Ah, I knew I'd read an article this evening that sortof covered my point about stagedooring not being new:

"In the years from 1944 to 1946, Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson led the Old Vic in triumphant seasons at the New Theatre. People flocked to see Olivier's Lear and Richardson's Falstaff and the alleyway outside the theatre was constantly besieged by autograph-hunters."

Thank you, Michael Billington (emphasis mine).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/dec/06/theatre.shakespeare

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I have only stage doored for special performers and never saw more than 5 - 10 people.
Michael Crawford in Phantom 5 people including my brother, sister-in-law and me.
Angela Lansbury in Mame - 10 people
Mary Martin in Peter Pan - 3 people
Ave Q on tour - just me
Debbie Reynolds in Molly Brown - 6 people

I can't imagine 100 or more. Will have to see the large numbers in person when I go to NYC in December.

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The one thing about stage dooring these days that disappoints me is how unreliable some actors/actresses are about signing or even just exiting through the stage door as opposed to sneaking out. So many people feel like the have become divas and that no one should be allowed to obtain their autograph unless you try again and again for 20 consecutive weeks (yes I've done this before) and finally catch them sneaking out a door on the other side of a building or catch them on their way in 3 hours or so before the show starts...having a poster or playbill signed by the complete cast makes the experience that much more thrilling.

I staged doored for Wicked and there was no more than 20 people when I went.

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I still find the idea of stagedooring bizarre and creepy. But that is just me *shrugs*

...and finally catch them sneaking out a door on the other side of a building or catch them on their way in 3 hours or so before the show starts...having a poster or playbill signed by the complete cast makes the experience that much more thrilling.

Does it ever occur to you at any point you should respect the privacy they are obviously seeking? They are not obligated to sign anything for you...to complete your "collection". Be disappointed, but don't search for them around the building for weeks...when you make that much of an effort, something is wrong.

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Of course I know that some of them are looking for more privacy, however, there are some people that are much more willing to sign on the way into the theatre than on the way out of the theatre. I never really thought of going hours before the show started until May when I was told that's a good alternative option...I caught the people I was looking for the very first time I went before the show started and they were more than happy to sign. I won't get started about how Megan Mullally (and some others) lied to my face about coming out and signing autographs the night before I caught her...she never came out and I was the first one there and the last to leave when they locked up the theatre...

Anyhow, as for what Marianne2 said about Whoopi Goldberg and Xanadu, that is quite true. I've been to the stage door at the Helen Hayes before after a Xanadu performance and I was maybe one of ten who waited around. When I saw Xanadu with Whoopi in the cast last Friday, there were maybe 250+ people there. I was in the area on Saturday again and saw Whoopi come out...again there were about 250 waiting for her. Equus on the other hand, which plays across the street from Xanadu, had people lining up by the door since before Xanadu ended. By the time Equus ended it's 1st preview, there were at least 2000 people there hoping to catch a glimpse of Daniel. Essentially the areas right outside the Broadhurst all the way down towards the Majestic and all the way up to the Shubert theatre were filled with people...the other side of the street (starting from the Sardi's area going down to the St. James) was just as filled.

It all depends on what reason your there for. If you are there to form a friendship with an actor or try to get back-stage, you are there for the wrong reason. If you go to tell the actor that you enjoyed their performance and possibly get an autograph/picture thats totally fine fine. Just dont waste the actors time!

You wouldnt believe some of the things i've heard people say/do to actors at the WICKED stage door. While the actors do appreciate their fans, they most likely dont care how many times you have seen the show/when your coming back/your taking video of them with your camera phone/you want to marry them. In fact they probablly find it creepy. Just dont act like you are the only person who is there. They have to sign for everyone else too!

Going to the stage door should be about meeting the people who you just saw perform and admire. Noting more. Unless an actor knows in ADVANCE that you are coming. I guess thast different.

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