what do you think of show groupies??? — Page 8

Was it the eve of her wedding? If it was some wild bachelorette party night out and she was being silly wearing a bridal veil...that is an explanation that completely makes sense. I'm serious...if that's what was going on, great, let her have her fun.

I'm just saying, as an outsider, it looked incredibly weird. Not cute, not funny, weird. Just making an observation...maybe people shouldn't act like that in a public place if they don't want people passing judgement on them.

Not trying to be snarky, just stating my opinion.

This topic sure has grown! Though I do not understand why this has become a post about defending yourselves and your show habits. The fact that we post at this site alone makes us 'groupies', 'fans', 'lovers' of theater. Aren't we all in the same boat? No need for personal attacks. Just because I have seen DRS 8 times does that make me better than anyone who hasn't. Its just my personal preference. More power to you if you like a different show.

WRQ, I have had a smiliar situation except it was myself who lost an older brother. Theater is a wonderful salve for emotional pain. It's pure escapism. I would never never never knock anyone who chooses to spend their money on shows because it makes them feel better. Denying them that pleasure is like saying, "Go eat chocolate instead' or "cry alone in the corner"
"Theatre (and love) Heals". Plus, many of us have made wonderful friends from this hobby, haven't we? What can be wrong with that?

Ok, I may be setting myself up for attack. But that girl with the wedding veil ... was me.

And no, I was not getting married. The performer was Kevin Kern - a swing in Altar Boyz, it was his last night in the show and we had a running joke ... I once joked that I was his secret wife and he ran with it. I didn't ... my friends made a birthday video for me and he recorded a message calling me his wife and telling me he missed me. It was a running joke and for his last show, he declared we had a proper wedding picture and even insisted we hold hands ... I am gonna post that picture - that story still makes me smile as it wasn't my idea, but his and he loved joking about it.


I can see how that would look weird to others, but hey, like I said, you don't know the full facts and stuff. And that he claims is his "wedding face" ...

Heck, you all could still think its weird.

But I still like you because you said Kevin was attractive .... you have good taste lol ... he is also one of the kindest men on the planet.

And I just have to interject another thing .... yes, most of the time, people are slightly delusional and think there is more to a relationship with an actor but there is. But there is that small 10 percent who really do have friendships with certain actors and developing them through supporting them at their various shows.



Wedding picture

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Updated On: 12/29/05 at 10:45 PM

You had to go and post that huge picture and make it impossible to read this thread!!!!You of all people know better than that.

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Cute.

ooooooh wickedrentq, I looove it, "passionate supporter". I am then a passionate supporter of Les Miserables. Seen it over 20 times in various cities and countries, but I've never done the stage door thing...too shy.

I think this thread has gotten too complex for its own good. I totally understand where insomniak is coming from in that, rather than seeing a show that you're bored with 20 times, you could do other things or donate that money to charity. But people go to shows for all sorts of reasons, and no one is going to shell out money for a theatre ticket if they don't enjoy some aspect of the production. If that aspect happens to be a particular performer, what's the problem with that? As long as you avoid being a stalker and/or basing your entire existance around seeing a show, I say to each his/her own.

As Americans, we waste tons of our time and money on luxuries and entertainment. There are people who are otherwise living in poverty who have cable television. I don't think that you can point to people who happen to spend their money on a theatre tickets rather than some other form of entertainment and say that they're being wasteful. $25 at the least for a ticket to a show seems like a lot of money to me, but on further evaluation that's roughly the price of seeing two movies (which I do frequently). Even if people weren't spending hundreds of dollars on repeat visits to a show, the odds are that they wouldn't be donating that money that they saved to charity, even if you think that they ought to. I don't think that it's show groupies in particular that should irk you, it's the general hedonism of American society. I take part in it, and I'm aware of that. Nearly everyone does, on some level.

On the other hand, I do hope that those who are in a position (location-wise and financially) to frequent the theatre appreciate that opportunity and realize that that's not a possibility for the majority of people. Neglecting to realize that is where I think people get into a more spoiled mentality. If you have the means to see shows multiple times, go for it, but always appreciate the experience.

Well said.


Did you join just to post that?

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People don't become friends with the Starbucks cashier they see everyday, why do they think Broadway actors are any different?

Maybe one should take an interest in who is serving you your coffee everyday...

That is a good point. As soon as I read that, I realized people have become close with the people they saw behind the counter at Starbucks every day. A friend of mine evacuated New Orleans before the hurricane and said that even though all her immediate friends and family were safe, she still wondered about her "peripheral friends" were alright, like the woman that worked at her favorite coffee shop and the man that lived down the street that she always ran into when they walked their dogs. Just because you're not hanging out every weekend amd gossiping on the phone doesn't mean that you can't have a friendly relationship with them.

Anyway, I just think this is a bad comparison to the situation with Broadway actors.

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"Even if people weren't spending hundreds of dollars on repeat visits to a show, the odds are that they wouldn't be donating that money that they saved to charity, even if you think that they ought to."

This is one of the flaws that the RIAA had with the illegal music downloads. They claimed to lose all this money, but the fact is, they don't know that were it not for the illegal download, the downloader would have purchased the music. It's presumptuous and rude to tell people how to spend THEIR money. My Starbucks example was an example. It's one thing to have a friendly rapport with him/her. It's another thing to call him/her a friend when that is all you have. I see a lot of theater, and I actually see Barrett Foa walking down the street all the time. Not once have I ever stopped him or talked to him, though I'm certain he recognizes me. Why should I? I've never met him, I don't know him personally, and unless I'm friends with a person, I wouldn't want to be stopped, yet there are people here who would stop him on the street. I've seen Hairspray a bunch of times, and I occasionally see the cast as they leave (or arrrive) at the theatre. I know most of them recognize me. But I've never met them, never approach them or ask for autographs, etc. I think it's tacky. That was really my point. If you want to meet them and tell them they were great, fine for you. But some people, for reasons I cannot comprehend, want these people to be their friends. They should ask themselves this: if they weren't in the show, would you want to be their friend?

Some of them sort of *nod* knowingly. Even people you only see once or twice a week that you don't even know you will begin to recognize after a while. A person can generally tell if someone recognizes them, whether or not they've actually met them or even said anything to them. Plus, I tend to get roughly the same seat each time (that's mere coincidence though).

Updated On: 12/30/05 at 11:04 AM