Worst Stagedoor Experience Ever- Page 4

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:18pm

Not bad, but kinda weird and funny...

The first person I ever tried to meet after a play was Tate Donovan about 4 years ago. I LOVED him.I had a crush on him forever. (I was a weird teenager. Why on earth would I have a crush on Brad Pitt or Justin Timberlake when I could crush over some B-movie actor who was more famous for the women he dated?:))

He was EXTREMELY nice and made such a big deal when I approached him (they were collecting for BCEFA) I dropped a dollar in his bucket and told him I was a huge fan and he flipped out. I asked him for a picture, and was fumbling with my camera, and my mom went, "Oh, geeze, she's trembling." Tate put his arm around me very tightly and went, "Ohhhhhhhhh, I'm the one who should be trembling!"

This was my 18th birthday and he knew it was...when we were walking away, my mom was like, "Okay, he seems like a nice guy...but I REALLY didn't like the way he was looking at you."

Looking back, it was kinda creepy since I had been legal for about five minutes and he was in his late thirties...:) I think he was just flattered that a young girl was making a big deal over him, and, hey, I'm not exactly a troll :) But I had the biggest crush on him, so, weird as it seems thinking about it, it was quite a thrill. I'm happy for him that he at least has a successful TV show now...he's cool.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 1:48pm

Nathan Lane made fun of me, the little bastard.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 1:49pm

HUH????

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 1:54pm

I was standing at the stage door, my playbill in hand, talking to Roger Bart. Nathan stormed out of the door, grabbed my playbill, and started signing it. I was taken aback, so I babbled something like "You're so cool!" He looks up at me with a disgusted expression and goes, in the ultimate sarcastic voice, "Ohhh. 'So cool.' Isn't that INTERESTING." Then he tossed the playbill back at me.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 1:56pm

That's horrible!

(Side note, I think it's hilarious that the thread subject is still Marisa Tomei. I HATE her. You wanna talk about rude, go back a few pages!)

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 1:58pm

Ha! I saw that. What a bitch. Whenever I've met her, she's been willing to sign but rather reserved, so somehow I'm not surprised. Quentin's a cool guy, though. Nice of him to apologize for her, but I wish he hadn't needed to.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 2:09pm

I worked for one of the bitchiest bitches who ever bitched - but I have to say, she was INCREDIBLY gracious with her fans. Anyone who had to deal with her on a daily basis couldn't stand her, but she would stand and sign playbills till the cows came home. Some people realize that the fans are the reason they have a job.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 2:21pm

I know. I mean, I understand them not wanting to sign EVERYONE's playbills, posters, etc. I mean, they are human after all and they just got done putting on a show and probably just want to go home, curl on the couch, eat take out, and go to bed. But, they have to understand, without those people asking for autographs, they would not have a job. If you are that tired, sign two or three. I mean that is not a lot but at least you took an interest in your fans. That is why Hollywood actors suck, because they don't care about their fans at all. Only when there is a news camera on them, they will do something to make themselves look good. Oh well. But the point is, without the fans, they are nothing.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 2:31pm

wow, what a story ShbrtAlley44!

[SammyGal]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 2:47pm

Just for the record, there are barricades at Avenue Q now but the cast doesn't seem to really care about the crowds and signs everything. Sweet cast! :)

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 3:42pm

Are the barricades inside that corridor or outside of it?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 4:12pm

only sign two or thre?? That NEVER works.. cause THEN They bitch that the actor didn'tsign for everyone... so it is MUCH easier just to not sign. It is their job to perfrom the show... not meet and greet. Once they step off of that stage, their job is done for the night.

[SammyGal]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 4:23pm

the barricades are outside the corridor so when they walk out, thye have space to actually walk.

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 7/9/04 at 5:23pm

I need to go see Avenue Q. I have been wanting to see it for TOO long.

I havent had any bad experiences w/ actors but i have witnessed some very rude fans outside the stage door of WICKED. It was the very first performance after Idina won the Tony's so it was packed. There was a photographer there and everything. Kristin and Idina took a long time as usual, but I didnt mind. I was standing there against the barricade and there were some ensemble members standing there talking to some friends. Someone in the back of the crowd shouted "We dont want to see you. We want the Tony winner!" I was COMPLETELY appauled. Even if this is the way you feel, you have no right to shout that out. This is THEIR job and they have every right to stand there talking to friends and fans. I bit my tongue on this to not start anything. I dont think i could even if i wanted too - I could barely move. I don't think i will ever forget the rudeness of those "fans"

[insomniak]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:14am

That does suck. Even if you aren't there to see ensemble people, there's no excuse for yelling at them.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:59am

NuggetMonkeys- i'm guessing you must have caught harriet on a bad day, I went to the last wednesday matinee before the show closed and she could not have been nicer and stayed longer than anyone else

leslie uggams on the other hand refused to come out for the matinee audience, something i found especially ironic since she was out of the show for most of that week appearing in a workshop

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:29am

This was actually one of my favorite overall stage door experiences, except what I witnessed before the good stuff, was one of the worst.

It was a fairly major Equity regional production, which had its share of fangirls, one of whom was at the show for over a dozen performances straight. It was my first time at the show.

After the show, she would walk up to ensemble people and ask, "Is ----- out yet?" "Have you seen -----?" Not, "Hey, great job, and did you see if ----- has come out yet..." It was awful. They were obviously politely avoiding her that day, too. Even the performer she so longed after.

Posted: 7/10/04 at 10:40am

In the mid-1980's, I had made arrangemets for my students and I to briefly meet Matthew Broderick after his performance in "Brighton Beach Memoires". It was a blustery March evening, and the kids and I waited a half an hour outside the stage door of the theater to say Hi. Just as he was coming out, I saw him spot us, and do an abrupt left turn and a minute later he was running out the lobby door....That was cold.

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 10:55am

GirlinaFrock, that's horrible! I tend to always like random ensemble members and understudies myself, so it's awful to see them get treated like that.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:00am

I love the ensemble people as well. They work SO hard and get SO little credit. It's always funny when I run into chorusters and recognize them.. they tend to look COMPLETELY shocked.. at Hairspray, everyone was waiting for carly and Rich and Michael and not really paying attention to anyone else... but I was teh only person to grab Tracee Beazer, Serge Kushnier, Jeff Martin, and Todd Michel Smith... it was pretty funny when Tracee did a double take and asked "Me??" when I asked for her autogrpah and Serge said to me "You are the ONLY one out here who recognized me"..

[Gypsy2]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:13am

Laura Bell Bundy had asked my friends and me to come backstage after a show of Wicked where she went on as Glinda, so we tell the stagedoor guard what she says and he gets really mean and rude, like we were lying, so then he told us to go wait somewhere, kept giving us dirty looks and acting like he was so much better than us. Finally, he calls one of us in to radio for Laura to give evidence that we weren't lying, then he lets us in looking like he wanted to slam the doors in our faces, or make it so one of us got caught in the elevator door. He was an *ss.

[MegGiry]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 3:21pm

When I saw Thoroughly Modern Millie, Susan Haefner said she didn't want to give me her autograph, and walked off. That was rude.

Hugh Panaro was a lot nicer to me when I went to see Phantom.

Meg

Updated On: 7/10/04 at 03:21 PM

[Matt_G]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 3:23pm

If I were you I would have punched her in the back of the head.

[MegGiry]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 3:24pm

I totally agree with you!!

Meg

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 3:27pm

NNY, i LOVE ensemble people! Some of the most memorable stagedoor experiences are w/ them. They are all SO nice and willing to talk, take pictures, and sign! When i saw AIDA over spring break, i did RUSH and was first row. At the stage door an ensemble member was like, i remember you! (caught me completely by surprise) You are the girl with the Towson University shirt on (i had my jacket on over it at the time i was talking to him). Apparently he went to that college and said he was "trying to get my attention" to tell me that on stage. I REALLY hope he meant during the curtain call.