Any bad stage-door experiences?

[maybethistime2]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 10:51am

It's really great sometimes to meet and interact with the cast after a show you love, and they are usually very nice. However, it's not always like that. Have you ever had s 'not so pleasant' stage door experience?

I flew to London to see Wicked with Idina Menzel. I was really excited about seeing her perform and meeting her.
I waited at the stage door after the show. It was freezing.
She finally came out. I told her I came a long way especially to see her. She responded : "ah, ok"
I asked her to have my photo taken with her. She responded : "No, I have to go, I have 2 shows tomorrow"
I handed her a CD booklet and the show's program to sign. She signed only the booklet and went away.

I was really disappointed and lost a lot of respect to this performer. I hope she's not always like that and just had a bad day.

[BenKaye]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 10:59am

When I was at the stage-door of Xanadu, I was able to get all the autographs of the cast, and I got pictures with a few of them as well. Then, when Mary Testa came out, I got her autograph, and I asked her for a picture, and she said "Yeah sure." Then, I took out my camera, looked up, and she had walked away. I tried calling her back, but to no avail.

[BenKaye]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:00am

Double Post.

Updated On: 3/16/08 at 11:00 AM

[jeffrey1dog]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:09am

It must have taken you a really long time to get your camera out because Mary Testa is a doll.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:15am

The first time I met Idina was after Wicked in New York. It was freezing, she was sick, there was a huge crowd, and she stayed to sign for everyone before she left. No pictures, but she signed my RENT book, her CD (which was for a charity auction), and my Playbill (which I hadn't intended to get signed, she just grabbed it and signed it).

The second time I met her was outside the RENT movie premiere. Again, it was freezing and she was wearing a flimsy little dress, but she was really nice and signed a bunch of stuff before she was pulled into the theater.

The third time I met her was at the 92nd Street Y a few weeks ago. After the talk, she sat at a table and signed copies of her CD and took pictures with everyone. The line was ridiculously long. Again, she was friendly and smiling. I didn't stay to see if she signed for everyone, but I assume she did.

I think you probably caught her on a bad day.

[Amneris]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:21am

Jane Curtain was a Bitch after Noises Off. Everyone in the cast was so incredibly nice. There were 6 of us who were ranging in age of 14-18 at the time and we all clapped when she came out...she literally Pushed everyone out of her way and ran into a car. I totally lost respect for her.

[futurebroadwaystar1]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:23am

Charlotte d'Amboise didn't even look at me when signing my program at the Chorus Line stage door. Krysta Rodriguez grabbed my Spring Awakening program out of my hand and signed it. I didn't even want her autograph. Now, I have nothing nice to say about her.

[ILuv2shop531]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:33am

At Hairspray back in November 2006 Shannon Durig was kinda rude. I told her she did a really amazing job as Tracy & in a really snobby voice goes "Thanks Honey". & then i'm about to ask her to sign my playbill & for a pic but she walks away.

[italianpride888]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:35am

There was a rent ensemble member who had the diva attitude when they came out. No pictures or autographs. "I have places to be".

Chya right, they act as if they started in the show. I saw them on stage like a handful of times.

[puppetman2]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:48am

This is going way back, but Yul Brynner was extremely unpleasent and refused to sign autographs. He had body guards and just pushed past everyone,

[staticradar]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 12:04pm

Luckily I haven't had any bad stage door experiences with the actors, except being disappointed when someone didn't come out at all, the things I've had problems with are the people there. Some that push you out of the way or interrupt you when you're talking with someone you've waited all that time to talk to and ask for pictures/autographs.

My friend stage doored Wicked once and a little girl was just wanting autographs and gets trampled by teens that have seen the show like 100 times. It's people like this that give stage dooring a bad rep.

So far everyone that I've met have been more than gracious. *knock on wood* Too bad the same can't be said for some of their fan bases.

[tgn915]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 12:06pm

Justin Johnston was never the sweetest man at the stage door. Probably because he's been in the show so long and he's just tired of it's fans.
But recently, I was at the RENT stage door (didn't see the show, but one of my friends did.) and I went up to Nicolette and told her how great of a performer she is, she replied "yeah.." and walked across the street.
I was a little surprised at this because my past encounters with her have been sweet on her part, but I guess everyone has bad days.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 12:31pm

This ages me, but I saw Amy Irving in Amadeus in 1981 and I'd brought along a publicity still to have her sign. When she came out, with a man on each arm, I apporached her and she kept walking...and looked back...and kept walking...she eventually did sign, asking me rather curtly where I got the picture.

[oohshizz146]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 12:55pm

Phoebe Strole and Johnny B Wright were pretty rude at Spring Awakening

[Parks]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:09pm

Mary Testa was pretty nice, I thought! Especially considering I freaked out when I realized it was her. She signed my program and took a picture with me. I have even more love for her now :).

[East Village]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:09pm

To be fair, the stage door at SA is really over the top. I don't know how the actors deal with it if they're having a bad day. Every time I've been there those kids have been giving the fans a good 30-45 minutes more at the door -- and very generous about it.

[chutt]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:13pm

This happened in Las Vegas, technically not at a stage door, but in November I saw Patti Lupone in concert at the Suncoast. I waited for about twenty minutes to see if she would come out and as I was walking away from valet with my mom and two friends, she came walking past and was standing there talking to two guards. I went up to her and told her I have been a life long fan blah blah and asked her if she could sign my ticket or take a picture and she looked at the guard who took a step in front of me and she looked at me and says, "I prefer not." and rolled her eyes. I was completely shocked and stood there completely dumbfounded. I was the only one there and it wasn't like there were 100's of people begging for her autograph. She lost a fan in me!

[FlyingMonkey1223]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:22pm

Molly Ringwald in "Sweet Charity". There were only a handful of people waiting at the stage door and when she came out people clapped and this little girl said "I'm a big fan of your movies!" and Molly says "Haven't heard that one before..." and puts her purse in front of her face and then takes off to a parked car and that was that. No "thank yous" or autographs or anything. I heard the cast of the show hated her too.

[nygrl23]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:30pm

After a show I met a Drowsy Chaperone cast member who was nice to me and signed my playbill, but afterwards I overheard him sort of having a laugh at my expense with his buddy. I would have thought I was imagining it if he hadn't said my name and "that person I just talked to" in the midst of it. I'm not sure what he said, but whatever it was made him and his friend have a chuckle. Oy, I felt about 2 inches tall.

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:33pm

Some of these responses are surprising to read, and not in a good way. I guess it's best to give them the benefit of the doubt. We all know what it's like to have bad days.

I don't stage door much, but the first time I did was Legally Blonde. Everyone who came out was very sweet. The only one who didn't say a single word to me was LBB, not even after I said something like, 'You were fantastic.' She put on this fake smile, signed my Playbill, and walked away. It was a Wednesday evening show though, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

[antiandrewx]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:35pm

The people who were "guarding" Miss Patti at the Gypsy stagedoor were awful. Miss Patti was SO nice but they were all grabbing her and forcing her into her car. They weren't even giving her enough space to breathe; it was horrible. I could understand them being protective if the crowd was big and rowdy, but it wasn't. It was calm and very quiet.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:39pm

I had a fairly unpleasant experience meeting Matt Cavenaugh after Grey Gardens. He seemed to be of the attitude "I don't want to bother with you people right now but I'm going to anyway and let you know exactly how much I don't like it." Personally I didn't care because I think he's really talented.

[SpellingBeeFan4Ever]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:39pm

In 2005 after Spamalot in Chicago, I met Tim Curry in a freezing cold blizzard.I asked him to sign a Rocky Horror DVD booklet. He went to sign it and because of the snow he yelled "THE PEN WON'T SIGN" Then my mom quickly handled him a new marker and he signed it, then walked right away. He was a bitchy attitude. Maybe because of the snow.

[Broadwayj1]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:57pm

Megan Mullaly was sort of a bitch after Young Frank. Not to many people were at the stage door. And she came out and lets just say was "In a world of her own" And so i'm not a big fan anymore. Sutton/Roger/Andrea had all left through another door. At least thats what they had said! But Shuler Hensley was so nice it made up for "Superstar Mullaly"

Kerry Butler was also very nice in front of the theatre for Xanadu. We talked for 10 mins. And she said that the whole cast had fingers crossed for any Tonys. She was super, super nice! And has a super cute coat!

The Little Mermaid Cast was all very nice as well, but Sherie Rene Scott who just didn't want to be around.

[nygrl23]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 2:17pm

It sounds like your YF experience was the end result of the cast drawing straws, Broadwayj1. :)