Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:28am
-My signed copy of Chenoweth's autobiography and the photo with her from the signing
-My Everyday Rapture window card signed by SRS
Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:33am
Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:35am
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Updated On: 5/31/16 at 12:35 AM
Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:59am
What a wonderful thread! Let's get some images in here to go with these great descriptions!
I have a large collection, so it was difficult to pick just one item. These are some of my favorites.
Copy of King Lear personalized to me by Sir Ian McKellen
Signed Dreamgirls mini-poster from when I met Jennifer Hudson at a mall in October 2006. She laughed when I told her that she'd be an Oscar-winner by February 
Met John Kander at the first preview of The Scottsboro Boys
Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in Romeo and Juliet at The Delacorte
Charcoal drawings done onstage by Daniel Evans in the 2008 Sunday in the Park With George, one of my absolute favorite productions I've ever seen
OBC Company windowcard
Betrayal windowcard signed by my hero, Mike Nichols
Falsettos windowcard signed by OBC and William Finn
Ragtime windowcard signed by OBC
Tony Kushner's opening night gift to The Public Theatre cast of Caroline, Or Change and a call sheet from the OBC of Rent
My ticket stub and Playbill from the first preview of Book of Mormon and my Spider-Man 1.0 Playbill signed by Julie Taymor
Philadelphia pre-Broadway Chicago windowcard
Full cast-signed Hamilton windowcard from The Public (my luckiest show ticket lottery ever!)
The Normal Heart Playbill signed by Larry Kramer, who, of course, was distributing flyers outside the theatre
Satin cast jackets from the OBCs of Nine, La Cage, and Dreamgirls (the BCEFA Flea Market really is the happiest place on Earth)
Wrote a letter to Sondheim once as a kid, and his response...
Signed Playbill from the one-night only Night Music gala starring Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson shortly before her death
Was very stoned at the second preview of Spider-Man 1.0 (shrug) and decided to take notes in the dark, because I wanted to "remember every detail..."
Updated On: 5/31/16 at 12:59 AM
Posted: 5/31/16 at 2:07am
I have been going to the theater for 35 years (I started when I was 8 years old) so I have an enormous collection of things from every season - but here are a few that top my list:
My favorite is my newest acquisition, an original cast (including Groff) signed Hamilton window card.
My second favorite is an original cast signed Ragtime window card (original Stokes/Audra production).
My third favorite is a Dirty Rotten Scoundrels photo signed by Norbert Leo Butz and Jonathan Pryce, two of my all time favorite musical theater performers.
My final item is an unsigned window card of the Broadway production of Macbeth starring Christoper Plummer and Glenda Jackson. I bought the poster after seeing the show on my 15h birthday - and that show changed the trajectory of my life in many ways.. I fell in love with Shakespeare and with both Plummer and Jackson. Although she was my first, Glenda Jackson remains the greatest female performance I have ever seen in a Shakespeare play. Their performances in that production lead to my making many, many more ticket purchases to see Shakespeare - it became my obsession and my life's dream. I went on to major in Acting in Northwestern, after eliminating any programs that did not excel in Shakespeare. I went on to graduate school to obtain an MFA, culminating with my thesis performance of Goneril in King Lear. So to all of you who perform, please remember - you have an ability to change the trajectory of someone's life every night you walk on that stage. I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to see so many greats at a relatively young age and develop a passion that lasts a lifetime.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 3:29am
I have an original physical copy of the Judi Dench Night Music cast recording.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 6:42am
Broadwayworld.com
I feel seeing the actors knock it out of the park is the most prized possession anyone could have. Seeing the amazing stories of Broadway is one of the best things you can see. Better than any theater item
Posted: 5/31/16 at 8:08am
I haven't posted in a while, but this is a very touching thread, and paging through it compelled me to share my most prized theatre-related item, which is an autographed copy of the SHE LOVES ME vocal selections folio signed by Jerry Bock, with a lovely note attached on a post-it. I wrote him about four months before he died, and received this most cherished item about a month or three weeks before he died, and then he was suddenly gone. I think it was a rather unexpected loss for everyone. Anyway, time is fleeting, and it's a reminder of that, but it's also just lovely to know that I think...I think my admiration for him affected him enough to send me the folio and note just before he was no longer among us. I framed it, and look at it very often, very fondly.
BroadwayPeasant, indeed you are correct, but some of these stories are lovely. It's a testament to the admiration that a lot of these folks do indeed have for performers, writers, directors and all the people in the theatre.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 8:24am
Love The Actr's post. Always wondered if Spiderman was better stoned. Apparently not.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 9:27am
A playbill from a summer stock production of Gypsy with Bernadette Peters playing June. Had Miss Peters sign it at Broadway Barks for my mother.
A viny copy of the Hair revival recording signed by members of the cast including Gavin, Will and Cassie.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 9:56am
@jv92: That's such a lovely story. The opportunity tell an artist whose work has truly touched our lives how much we admire them is such a precious gift.
@smidge: That night was only the second preview, before the accidents, and the lawsuits, and the mountains of bad press, so none of us really knew what to expect. It was shocking, and dangerous, and laugh-out-loud ridiculous. One of my absolute favorite nights in a theatre. I cherish that experience.
Updated On: 5/31/16 at 09:56 AM
Posted: 5/31/16 at 10:44am
From London ..... theatre program from CATS during first previews ..... with JUDI DENCH in the cast as Grizabella! The insert said that "at this performance" it would be Elaine Paige! (Dame Judi never did actually perform in the show )
Posted: 5/31/16 at 11:45am
One of my favorite things I own, which I purchased through a Broadway Cares auction, is one of the original marquees from A Chorus Line. It's showing some age, but still love it! Takes up a lot of room, but what are you going to do? =)
Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:48pm
The West Side Waltz playbill signed by Katherine Hepburn & Dorothy Loudon
enormous metal measuring cup from the set of CATS which my 8 foot ficus has been sitting in since the show closed
Posted: 5/31/16 at 1:56pm
One of the accordions from the Off-Broadway run of "Once."
I was THIS close to buying the hydraulic coffin from "Dance of the Vampires," but they refused to ship it to Pittsburgh.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 2:59pm
Polka Dot2 said: "
Posted: 5/31/16 at 3:21pm
A playbill signed by Comden and Green of their smash hit "A Doll's Life." I also have four huge cardboard-backed photos from the production that were displayed outside the Hellinger during its run. I have the three-sheet subway poster showing Gretchen Cryer putting up the poster of "I'm Getting My Act Together," and the three-sheet for the original production of "Chicago" with David Rounds still listed.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 4:12pm
Honestly? My memories. Not trying to discount anyone with this, but nothing could replace the memory of how I felt watching Sunday in the Park with George for the very first time. Or Extremities. Or Night Mother. Or dozens and dozens of magical moments.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 4:22pm
beilis32 said: "Polka Dot2 said: "
As a huge fan of the light in the Piazza , and also someone with a disability, I love the story about your sister. I'm very curious to know more about how it changed her life. It makes a lot of sense, but I'm curious. I hope she is doing fantastically now. It probably means a lot to Performers When people say things like that about their performances!
"
I first saw The Light and the Piazza with my mother and sister (who was about 14 at the time). My sister has a learning disability called Sensory Processing Disorder and behaves in a similar way as Clara. She appears young, has always had trouble learning, and gets overwhelmed very easily when she is under stress or when her senses are overwhelmed. My mother has always been very open with my sister about her disability in order to teach her coping mechanisms for when she gets overwhelmed.
The day of the show my sister was having a hard time. My mom thought that the two of them would have to sit in the lobby while I watched the show. But my mom got my sister to sit still and calm down. During intermission, my mom turned to my sister and saw tears streaming down her face. She was sobbing uncontrollably and told my mom, "Clara has a disability but she doesn't know! I have to go backstage and tell Clara that everything is okay!" Then she turned to my mom and said, "Clara's mom didn't tell her what was wrong, so she doesn't know and that made Clara very sad. I'm so glad that you told me." She gave my mom a giant hug and everyone around them burst into tears, as well.
That my sister understood all of this from ACT 1 was astonishing. It was the first time that she saw herself on stage. and the experience opened her up to trusting our mother more. After the show, she still wanted to talk with Clara, and my mom told her that Clara was happy.
I don't go to stage doors often. I'd rather let the actors go home and rest. But if I were an actor coming out of the stage door, I would wish that someone would tell me a story like this, so I went after I saw The King and I. Kelli was so sweet and incredibly moved. She said that she wished she could have met my sister. Maybe someday she will :)
Posted: 5/31/16 at 4:25pm
dramamama611 said: "Honestly? My memories. Not trying to discount anyone with this, but nothing could replace the memory of how I felt watching Sunday in the Park with George for the very first time. Or Extremities. Or Night Mother. Or dozens and dozens of magical moments.
I couldn't agree more - the memories are absolutely THE THING! I enjoy having some mementos too - they are nice to look back on - which is why I have programs, playbills and ticket stubs, etc back all the way since I was a little kid - and when I walk by the show cards I have hanging in my apartment, they always bring a smile to my face.
"
Updated On: 5/31/16 at 04:25 PM
Posted: 5/31/16 at 4:31pm
morosco said: "Complete male finale costume from the original production of A CHORUS LINE. The hand beading is extensive and absolutely exquisite. Sadly no top hat (yet).
WOW!!! What a cool piece of theatre history to own! I hope you get a top hat someday soon!
"
Posted: 5/31/16 at 4:53pm
TheActr97J said: "What a wonderful thread! Let's get some images in here to go with these great descriptions!
I have a large collection, so it was difficult to pick just one item. These are some of my favorites.
Copy of King Lear personalized to me by Sir Ian McKellen
Signed Dreamgirls mini-poster from when I met Jennifer Hudson at a mall in October 2006. She laughed when I told her that she'd be an Oscar-winner by February
Met John Kander at the first preview of The Scottsboro Boys
Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in Romeo and Juliet at The Delacorte
Charcoal drawings done onstage by Daniel Evans in the 2008 Sunday in the Park With George, one of my absolute favorite productions I've ever seen
OBC Company windowcard
Betrayal windowcard signed by my hero, Mike Nichols
Falsettos windowcard signed by OBC and William Finn
Ragtime windowcard signed by OBC
Tony Kushner's opening night gift to The Public Theatre cast of Caroline, Or Change and a call sheet from the OBC of Rent
My ticket stub and Playbill from the first preview of Book of Mormon and my Spider-Man 1.0 Playbill signed by Julie Taymor
Philadelphia pre-Broadway Chicago windowcard
Full cast-signed Hamilton windowcard from The Public (my luckiest show ticket lottery ever!)
The Normal Heart Playbill signed by Larry Kramer, who, of course, was distributing flyers outside the theatre
Satin cast jackets from the OBCs of Nine, La Cage, and Dreamgirls (the BCEFA Flea Market really is the happiest place on Earth)
Wrote a letter to Sondheim once as a kid, and his response...
Signed Playbill from the one-night only Night Music gala starring Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson shortly before her death
Was very stoned at the second preview of Spider-Man 1.0 (shrug) and decided to take notes in the dark, because I wanted to "remember every detail..."
WOW! WOW! WOWQ! Some very cool stuff! Quite a collection!
The Ian McKellen/Lear & the Streep/Kline R&J are just amazing. And the Kushner/Caroline or Change piece is, I'm sure, so rare and a wonderful piece from an unbelievably moving show - but my favorite is the Mike Nichols show card. He is my hero too. His production of Death of a Salesman is truly one of the greatest memories I have and I imagine will be one of the greatest memories I could eve hope to have. Did you see it? The direction was perfection - and Hoffman & Garfield were both so viscerally gut-wrenching! A gem. I'm still sad that Hoffman died without winning a Tony.
I totally love those jackets so much, especially the one from 9. Dreamgirls and 9 were among the first big musicals I saw - and I loved them both! The jackets are so fun and just gorgeous! The 9 logo is so stunning and the original production of 9 is very dear to my heart. I saw when I was 9 with my 40 year old very Guido Contini-like Sicilian father who was in a midst of a mid-life crisis and involved with a harem of women. I wondered if the show would change him - seeing it played out in front of him - but, unlike Guido, my father never realized he had to grow up.
I hope you see many more masterpieces and add more treasures to your amazing collection!
Posted: 5/31/16 at 4:57pm
jv92 said: "I haven't posted in a while, but this is a very touching thread, and paging through it compelled me to share my most prized theatre-related item, which is an autographed copy of the SHE LOVES ME vocal selections folio signed by Jerry Bock, with a lovely note attached on a post-it. I wrote him about four months before he died, and received this most cherished item about a month or three weeks before he died, and then he was suddenly gone. I think it was a rather unexpected loss for everyone. Anyway, time is fleeting, and it's a reminder of that, but it's also just lovely to know that I think...I think my admiration for him affected him enough to send me the folio and note just before he was no longer among us. I framed it, and look at it very often, very fondly.
Wow - incredible! She Loves Me is such a wonderful show and Bock was such a unique talent. It is wonderful that your admiration touched him to the point that he sent you a prize like that just before he departed. Really beautiful story - thanks so much for sharing. I saw the revival a couple weeks ago and I bawled my eyes out!
Posted: 5/31/16 at 5:25pm
@nicnyc: I bought a rush ticket to Salesman during previews and got a great seat in one of the boxes. Just before curtain, Mike Nichols himself took an empty aisle seat just below me with his notepad. Not only did I get to enjoy that unforgettable production, but I got to look down and watch my hero figuring out how to further shape it. One of the best nights of my theatregoing life.
I've long been a huge PSH fan. I once bumped into him heading into Shetler Studios on 54th and got to stop and chat with him for a few minutes while his assistant held the elevator for him. So gracious and one of our greatest actors. I'll always adore him.
Posted: 5/31/16 at 5:39pm
TheActr97J said: "@nicnyc: I bought a rush ticket to Salesman during previews and got a great seat in one of the boxes. Just before curtain, Mike Nichols himself took an empty aisle seat just below me with his notepad. Not only did I get to enjoy that unforgettable production, but I got to look down and watch my hero figuring out how to further shape it. One of the best nights of my theatregoing life.
I've long been a huge PSH fan. I once bumped into him heading into Shetler Studios on 54th and got to stop and chat with him for a few minutes while his assistant held the elevator for him. So gracious and one of our greatest actors. I'll always adore him.
Wow! How awesome - what a great thing to get to see! Salesman was one of the best nights of my theatergoing life as well. We bought seats as soon as they went on sale - and got front row which was an amazing experience. I wished I had the foresight to have bought a second set of tickets. I would have given anything to see it again - but at that points, tickets were scalper only and impossibly priced (at least for my budget).
Yes, PSH was an amazing talent and always incredibly gracious. One of my closest friends was in his company at The Labyrinth - I was unbelievably fortunate and, as a result of that friendship, got to see him a few times at Lab events and actually see him work once (he was directing the benefit performance of "Jesus Hopped the A Train). Tragic loss.
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