Debra Messing - Stage Door?

[DonnaNYC]

Posted: 2/10/14 at 10:51am

Has anyone had any success getting Debra Messing's autograph after her show? I stood at the stage door yesterday afternoon, but was told she left through another exit at the back of the building (?) There were maybe 10 of us waiting for autographs, not a crowd scene.

Any advice/experience/hints would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 2/10/14 at 11:18am

I had no luck after an evening performance the weekend after it had opened, they gave the reason of her feeling ill after the performance. All the other cast members did come out. Honestly, I haven't seen anything on Ebay showing up either, not that I suggest obtaining things that way, but I often use it to see what my chances are before wasting my time at the stage door. As has been said, it is not their obligation to do anything for anyone other than perform onstage, so I don't hold it against those that do not make an appearance. It should be noted after another play I ran into some friends outside another stage door and they had mentioned the door man at MCC had said she wasn't feeling well the night before and she didn't come out. I can't fault anyone for being sick! Try your luck, you never know!

[joeyinpa]

Posted: 2/10/14 at 12:27pm

I saw the play on Jan 17th. I waited at the stage door and got my window card signed by the cast and playwright. Debra Messing was lovely. She signed but didn't take pictures with people and told us she wanted to get home to her kid. She is very pretty in person. Maybe she stopped doing the stage door?

[musicman_bwayfan]

Posted: 3/5/14 at 1:47am

Bump…any update? Has she signed at all recently? I know the show closes in 11 days.

[atuomala]

Posted: 3/14/14 at 11:31pm

I saw the show the other night and she left through another exit on the opposite side of the theater entrance. I knew right away that she would be leaving that route since the house manager was standing outside the door, ready to escort her to her waiting car with an umbrella. So, she didn't stop to sign for anyone, but I'm sure she has her reasons. Brian F. O'Byrne always exits out the stage door and stops to sign, and is very pleasant.

[homeimp]

Posted: 3/15/14 at 10:38am

I had no luck either and was told that Debra seldom comes out the stage door.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/15/14 at 10:50am

Debra seldom comes out as she tries to race home to tuck her son into bed each night. I was lucky enough to meet her though, and she was lovely.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/15/14 at 1:20pm

"Debra seldom comes out as she tries to race home to tuck her son into bed each night. I was lucky enough to meet her though, and she was lovely."

That is very sweet and nice to hear. There are more important things in life then signing "Playbills".

[DonnaNYC]

Posted: 3/17/14 at 2:42pm

I just wanted to mention that I was lucky enough to catch Debra on her way into the show one evening a few weeks ago. She was very gracious and I couldn't thank her enough for stopping and signing for me. It meant a great deal to me.

On a related note, I hope that whatever caused her to miss her last few shows wasn't serious. I look forward to seeing her future projects.

[musicman_bwayfan]

Posted: 3/17/14 at 3:58pm

A friend of mine also had some luck with getting Debra on the way in the other day, however she was anything but pleasant. She was cursing people out, shoving her co-star & elder Dearbhla Malloy out of the way so she could sign something that Ms. Malloy was signing, and talking down to her security guards.

I believe her absence from the shows this weekend had been planned and was announced on Telecharge.

[darreyl102]

Posted: 3/17/14 at 8:54pm

Oh no she didn't push that sweet Helen Mirren Look alike out of her way- that's awful!

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/17/14 at 9:50pm

I'm not sure I can believe that... Can anyone add?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/17/14 at 9:58pm

Something tells me that is complete B.S. Or at the very least, highly exaggerated.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 12:01am

Well.....a close friend of mine tried to go before the show last week to ask if she'd sign his playbill and said when he asked her if she would please sign, she just looked at him for a second and walked right past him.

I wasn't there but there's no reason he would have lied to me about that.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 7:08am

She clearly doesn't like the stage door. But my experience with her was lovely. So....

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 9:52am

"Something tells me that is complete B.S. Or at the very least, highly exaggerated."

I agree, can't imagine her cursing and pushing co-star. Heck, we all know if you don't want to be bothered with stage door you can avoid it and she has so this sounds "fishy" IMO.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 10:33am

I do find it mildly fascinating how people know which performers do not like to stage door, but that doesn't seem to inspire people to avoid them. There's always anecdotes of, "I heard that, too, but then when I met her..." and I always wonder, if you know someone doesn't like something, why not leave them alone?

I honestly think Broadway took its cues for preview pricing from StubHub, etc., and it is going to solve the stage door with Vegas as an example. Want to meet the performer after the show? We sell 25 VIP tickets per show for people to meet the stars... get in line, we'll take the picture and you can download it from the URL on the card, you pose, say hi, they sign your Playbill and one other item maximum, and keep the line moving.

Of course, Vegas makes it easy for performers to leave the show without signing anything, since most of them park in a private lot right behind their stage with no actual stage door.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 3:26pm

I agree, leave them alone. If some loser followed me and harassed me on my way to work, I would have done the exact same thing. In this social media age, people actually think they "know" someone, and think they can walk up to them at any given time(not stage door), and ask for something. Incredible.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 4:16pm

If some loser...

Why do you feel the need to label the autograph seeker "a loser"?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 4:22pm

Only a loser would hunt someone down before work, and harass them about an autograph. That is what the stage door is for. If she doesn't want to come out and sign for people, people will just have to accept that and move on.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 5:23pm

Only a loser would hunt someone down before work, and harass them about an autograph.

How do you know this autograph seeker "hunted down" Deborah Messing?

Asking for an autograph is not harassment.

You come off as extremely hyperbolic.

Updated On: 3/18/14 at 05:23 PM

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 5:46pm

How do you know this autograph seeker "hunted down" Deborah Messing?

Why would someone want Deborah Messing's autograph? I've never even heard of that person.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 5:46pm

No, asking for an autograph at the stage door is not harassment, you're right. When they come out and sign for people, they are taking their time to sign autographs. However, there is a protocol for that kind of thing, and trying before a show, when they are preparing for the show and in a hurry, is probably annoying and something they don't welcome. Debra Messing and Denzel Washington are just two examples. It's just my view.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 6:08pm

"In this social media age"

It's actually has always been like this. I just read one of Barbra Streisands biographies and it talks about how people would follow her to her house and jump out of bushes just to get an autograph. Of course social media has heightened it to a phenomenal level. Which is pretty scary in itself. I don't see a problem with going up to someone you see on a street, but I feel like you should only interfere if they don't look busy and if they don't have company. My friend and I passed Andrew Rannells once in NYC and he looked like he wanted to run far, far away from Times Square so we just passed him and that was that!

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 6:32pm

Debra yelled at fans when hew a visiting Sean Hayes at Promises Promises so I don't put it past her. She's not a fan of the fans.

In All About Eve Margo complains a out the stage door fans. Clearly it's always been an issue. Just back then no one has cameras and you could guard your image better