Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
romain2
Featured Actor Joined: 12/16/10
#1Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 8:21am
So we were at the Saturday, May 30 evening performance of An American in Paris when in walked Bill and Hillary Clinton. This caused quite a stir to say the least.
At other shows I have seen in the audience: Whoopi Goldberg at Waiting for Godot (sat right behind her), Nicole Kidman at Jerusalem, director Steven Soderbergh at The Play What I Wrote, David Schwimmer at (oops, can't remember which show), and others.
Who are some famous people you have seen in the audience for Broadway shows?
#2Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 8:29am
The MOST famous person I've ever seen at the theater was Streisand at a performance of PORGY & BESS. But I see celebs at theater all the time.
fb1123
Understudy Joined: 6/25/08
#3Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 8:35am
Katherine Hepburn and Shelley Winters in the 80's.
More recently, Jon Voight, Woody Harrelson, Oprah, Rudy Giuliani.
"Buried Child" play author and actor Sam Shepard kneeled beside me during previews
Updated On: 6/1/15 at 08:35 AM
Brian07663NJ
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/21/06
#4Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 9:26am
Barbara Walters sat behind me at Hello, Dolly!
#5Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 9:33am
I see Sondheim frequently at the theater and more often than not, I end up sitting right in front of him which always makes me nervous and I can't concentrate on whatever I'm watching since all I can think about is how The Lord is 2 feet away from me.
#6Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 9:38am
I saw Reba McEntire at Mormon during its first year. And I saw Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio at Jersey Boys in Las Vegas (it was their second anniversary).
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#7Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 9:40am
I've seen Sondheim as such varied things as Into the Woods in the Park and, most recently, Clinton the Musical.
I saw Sandra Bullock & Sting at Book of Mormon a few years ago, Frank Langella at Hair, Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt and many others at the Public.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#8Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 9:43am
Rita Moreno (looking terrific) sat two rows in front of me at a performance of THE BEST MAN, and last September, just a few months before he died, Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer were sitting with Tom Stoppard at a performance of his play INDIAN INK. Lots of others through the years ......
2016 These Paper Bullets (1/02) Our Mother's Brief Affair (1/06), Dragon Boat Racing (1/08), Howard - reading (1/28), Shear Madness (2/10), Fun Home (2/17), Women Without Men (2/18), Trip Of Love (2/21), The First Gentleman -reading (2/22), Southern Comfort (2/23), The Robber Bridegroom (2/24), She Loves Me (3/11), Shuffle Along (4/12), Shear Madness (4/14), Dear Evan Hansen (4/16), American Psycho (4/23), Tuck Everlasting (5/10), Indian Summer (5/15), Peer Gynt (5/18), Broadway's Rising Stars (7/11), Trip of Love (7/27), CATS (7/31), The Layover (8/17), An Act Of God (8/31), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (8/24), Heisenberg (10/12), Fiddler On The Roof (11/02), Othello (11/23), Dear Evan Hansen (11/26), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (12/21) 2017 In Transit (2/01), Groundhog Day (4/04), Ring Twice For Miranda (4/07), Church And State (4/10), The Lucky One (4/19), Ernest Shackleton Loves Me (5/16), Building The Wall (5/19), Indecent (6/01), Six Degrees of Separation (6/09), Marvin's Room (6/28), A Doll's House Pt 2 (7/25) Curvy Widow (8/01)
#9Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 9:46am
Every time I see Diane Sawyer at the theater, I think "My God, this is the most stunningly beautiful woman I've ever seen in person".
lotiloti
Broadway Star Joined: 1/23/06
#11Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 9:53amYour opinion has been noted.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#12Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 10:27am
I saw Michael Urie, Laura Osnes, and Victor Garber at "The King and I" yesterday.
Oh, Victor. What a fox.
"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop
mar6411
Broadway Star Joined: 9/19/09
#13Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 10:28am
I saw Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban at a performance of Stuff Happens at the Public.
#14Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 10:28am
Susan Sarandon and her sons sat next to me at Fun Home a few weeks ago. And Audra McDonald was across the aisle fro me at The Last Ship.
#15Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 10:41am
It seems that I've been to a few shows that other BWW posters attended. I saw Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban at JERUSALEM and Sondheim at CLINTON (also INTO THE WOODS but the one at the Roundabout).
The number of celebs I've seen at the theatre is countless but recently Michelle Pfeiffer (who is STUNNING in person), Jimmy Fallon and Andrea Burns at HAMILTON and America Ferrera at PERMISSION.
The biggest sighting for me was seeing Dolly Parton at one of the last performances of BONNIE & CLYDE. She was the only person I've really been awestruck by seeing and I almost wanted to talk to her.
"Pardon my prior Mcfee slip. I know how to spell her name. I just don't know how to type it." -Talulah
pc1145N2
Broadway Star Joined: 5/28/07
#16Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 10:46am
I've seen many famous people at shows over the years. One of my favorite moments (and sightings) was waiting at the doors to enter the theatre for "Drowsy Chaperone," turning my head to tell something to my friend and seeing Tyne Daly directly behind him. Wow! We both tried to act cool but I'm sure we failed.
However, the most famous people I've seen at a show at one time was when I went to see BOM during previews. At the show were Kate Hudson, Michelle Williams, Gerald Butler, Toby Maguire and Leonardo Dicaprio.
#17Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 11:08am
This is not Broadway, but Audra McDonald was in the audience for the opening night (or I guess first preview) of Bull Durham in Atlanta to support her husband in the show. That was cool!
Hairspray0901
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/29/08
#18Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 11:33am
Most recently, at Hand to God, I saw Sutton Foster. At The Elephant Man, Steven Spielberg was sitting two rows ahead of me and I saw Katie Holmes in the lobby during intermission. In January at On The Town, I was sitting across the aisle from Jerry Stiller (they also called him out for the start of act 2).
A few years ago I was standing behind Didi Conn in the bathroom line at the Al Hirschfeld (I forget which show, though). I also Lance Bass at Priscilla.
#19Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 11:39am
Hillary Clinton at Matilda.
Magalamb
Chorus Member Joined: 7/28/08
#20Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 12:04pm
Idina and Taye when they were still together at Romeo & Juliet.
#21Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 12:07pm
Gladys Knight* - Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk
Dina Merrill - Chicago revival
Richard Dreyfuss* - Titanic
Barbara Barrie - Amadeus revival
George & Barbara Bush - A Little Night Music (Houston Grand Opera)
Hank Azaria* - The Full Monty
Steve Balsamo - Peggy Sue Got Married (London)
Sandra Bernhard* - Closer to Heaven (London)
Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Beautiful Game (London)
Marvin Zindler - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (tour)
Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman - The Pillowman
Alex Kapp Horner - Mary Poppins (tour)
Neil LaBute - In a Forest Dark and Deep (London)
Jerry Mitchell - Kinky Boots (tryout)
*chatted with them
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Updated On: 6/1/15 at 12:07 PM
#22Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 12:30pm
I, too, have seen many famous people at shows but my favorite interaction was with Penn Jillette at REASONS TO BE PRETTY.
I walked up to him (it's hard not to notice him, especially since he was on an aisle seat in front of me) at intermission and told him I had been a big fan of his work and he'd been an inspiration to me. He thanked me and immediately offered me one of his Milk Duds. I do enjoy celebrities with their heads on straight.
Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.
#23Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 12:48pm
She may not be "famous" to some but I totally geeked out when I sat right behind Ute Lemper and got to talk to her during intermission during Chicago. And then I was stretching and this older gentleman was standing next to me and was asking me what i thought about Chicago and seeing as i have now seen this production (on Broadway) 8 times, I spoke of my love for it etc etc... Then as i started to walk away, someone informed me it was Barry Weissler.
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
playbill-love
Featured Actor Joined: 7/30/13
#24Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 1:03pm
Sondheim at Heathers. Zachary Quinto right in front of us at curious Incident.
MegInManhattan
Stand-by Joined: 3/10/14
#25Famous People You Have Spotted at Broadway Shows
Posted: 6/1/15 at 1:12pm
The Clintons (Bill, Hillary and Chelsea) at "All The Way" last year. Having the secret service presence caused an extra stir compared to most celebrities, and them being at a presidential themed play felt like a special moment.
