What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
#1What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:26pmI've sometimes wondered what cast members of shows say about their audiences. Do they peek thru the curtains to see the size of the house? Of course, we talk about individual cast members all the times, at the theatre and here on BWW. Would any current or former show cast members care to share? from RC in Austin, TX.
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
willep
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/08
#2What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:44pmOne of the Mormon boys saw me hanging around the theatre afterwards and said: "You were in the front row, weren't you? You kept us entertained the whole time!" No lie.
#2What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:01pmActors are very much aware of the audience. Everything from "Who pays all this money to sit front row center and falls asleep?" to "Fifth row, 3 seats in from the right aisle. Total hottie" to "Wow, this crowd really doesn't get it, do they?"
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert
#3What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:04pm
Not on Broadway, but I'm totally guilty of participating in the fifth row hottie gossip backstage. 
tommyboy
Broadway Star Joined: 12/21/06
#4What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:04pm"Typical Wednesday matinee, all blue hairs, from White Plains, sitting on their hands."
#5What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:07pm
CATS, don't feel guilty. I've played scenery many times and when you are put up on a platform to stand there looking important through a full 20 minute scene, there isn't much else to do but scan the audience, and be thankful you're getting insurance weeks for it.
I should also mention that casts also recognize the positive audiences as well. They especially appreciate the great audiences (or audience members) but the bad ones just make better stories.
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert
ahhrealmonsters
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/11/10
#6What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:08pm
Kyle Dean Massey once tweeted about a woman in the second row of n2n wearing a Snuggie.
As a house manager, I've had stage managers complain about patrons on behalf of the actors. If a patron is doing something distracting, the actor will tell the ASM, who tells me, so I can stop said person.
#7What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:15pmI must admit that I've been tempted at times to wear a glow in the dark t shirt to see a show. Would that be too distracting? Just wondering... A "Chicago" fan in Austin, Texas
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
#8What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:29pmI was doing Seussical once for a children's theatre and there was a performance where I kept seeing a blinking red light (like from a camera) coming from the back of the audience during the opening number. The ushers at this theatre were crazy about no pictures whatsoever and would dart across aisles to reminds parents and teachers so I was a little surprised no one had caught this person. I notified my dresser backstage and a few scenes later, when the right light persisted, i was informed that it was some kid's Lightning McQueen shirt that light up. I laughed it off for the rest of the show.
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert
#9What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:33pm
Discussion about audience and/or certain audience members is common.
"Did you see Chita Rivera's house left?"
"Michael Riedel's in the house tonight!"
"There's a little girl wearing a Belle costume in the front row. Let's invite her backstage after!"
"If this woman doesn't stop unwrapping her candy by the next act, I'm gonna throw her up on stage and take her seat!"
And a personal story, I was once in the crew of a professional production of a musical in the round. We discovered that an audience member on one end of the stage was texting another member on the opposite end. Backstage, all the actors kept talking about ways to make them notice that they were aware of their rudeness. Finally, one of the leading performers (a person who shall remain nameless, but know that this person is a celebrity and could get away with the about-to-be-mentioned stunt) entered her scene by dismissing all lines and blocking, walked dead center stage, said "I will not move from this spot until the house lights are turned up," and after an awkward minute, stomped into the house right audience, asked one of the audience members for their cell phones, took the battery out, kept the battery and returned the phone. She then walked house left and said "would the audience member that was texting please stand up and give me their phone?" Nothing happened for another awkward minute. "I'm waiting." The audience member stood up and handed over the phone. Again, she took the battery out and handed back the phone. She then walked back to center stage and said "for those of you not paying attention, I want to catch you up to speed because something GREAT is about to happen and I want you to know why!" She then proceeded to perform a great monologue a la "Betrayed" in THE PRODUCERS summarizing the events so far while singing snippets from the show. HUGE APPLAUSE. Then she went house left, returned the battery, walked house right, returned the battery, and returned to center stage and said "if anyone feels that their phone conversation is more interesting than what's going on where I'm standing, then please proceed with it and I'm sorry to interrupt you. Otherwise, house lights off and let's move on!" THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
--Aristotle
#10What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/20/11 at 11:39pmThat is an awesome story! Can you imagine what Merman would have done to those idiots? from RC in Austin, Texas
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#11What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/21/11 at 12:03amWhy wouldn't you just say who it was?
#12What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/21/11 at 12:09amInorite..it happened publicly. It's not as if they took them backstage and raped them.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#13What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/21/11 at 12:19am"My stalker's here."
Twitter @NamoInExile
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#14What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/21/11 at 12:20am^ What Kate Monster said every night when she saw Corine.
sbflyfan
Broadway Star Joined: 4/12/07
#15What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/21/11 at 8:24amSometimes actresses say they'd like to throw pins at girls in the front row...
"I'm seeing the LuPone in Key West later this week. I'm hoping for great vocals and some sort of insane breakdown..." - BenjaminNicholas2
dumbosbigears
Swing Joined: 4/25/11
#16What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/22/11 at 9:03pm
When I saw Jerusalem, Alan David (The Professor)told us stagedooring about someone in the second row who was asleep through the majority of the show. He also went on to tell us that when the actors were "watching" the video of Johnny smashing up the television on the phone, Danny Kirrane used the phone's camera to zoom in on the sleeping audience member. They were all watching him...
This story made me smile.
#17What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/22/11 at 9:06pmYes can someone explain to me that whole Kerry Ellis thing about the pins?
BigGuy
Swing Joined: 4/19/05
#18What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/22/11 at 11:41pmDon't wear a glow in the dark T shirt. Yes, it would be distracting to people on stage.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#19What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/23/11 at 12:11amI saw Equus from the front row during the BC/EFA collections. The show really affected me and I was crying quite freely (NOT audibly). As I deposited money into one of the actor's buckets, I thanked him and told him that I was quite moved by the show. His response? Yes, we know. We saw you and were moved by you, too. (or something like that.)
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
rmusic11322
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/07
#20What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/23/11 at 12:14am
Every time I saw In The Heights, each cast member showed so much modesty to their fans' compliments. And one time I was eating lunch on the stairs of the Richard Rodger's and got recognized by atleast 3 cast members as they walked inside. (Greatest feeling in the world.) I even got a huge bear hug from Clifton Oliver and he was the one who walked up to me. 
#21What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/23/11 at 12:28amThe only thing I've ever had happen to me like that was when I saw In the Heights last year. We had won our seats through the lottery, and actually were sitting front row, dead center. When the show was finished, the actress who played Abuela Claudia (I cannot think of her name to save the life of me) spotted me outside and was like "Oh hi! I saw you!" Took me by surprise since, before then, I'd just assumed they saw the audience as just a mob of people.
Okayfine
Stand-by Joined: 6/2/08
#22What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/23/11 at 12:33am
At one show, the boys on stage all talked about the boobs of the woman who came in late & sat in the 1st row. They were big & shiny!
At another show, which garnered a lot of rabid teen fans, most of the cast were grateful & kind to them, but thought they needed a life. One actress, though, used to trash them all the time. They found out & it was all over their website what a miserable witch she is. And she is. As my friend said, "May she achieve continued success in television ... & never come back to Broadway."
They complain about cell phones & how stupid & selfish you need to be to not turn yours off - & they mean the power, not just the sound.
They complain about people who get up in the middle of a scene, esp. at an intense moment.
At Les Miserables, the actors who were "dead" on the barricades or "drunk" in the tavern used to watch the audience & identify the cameras to ... the ... seat. They were rarely wrong. They could see the things the ushers couldn't.
#23What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/23/11 at 12:39amWhen I saw Spider-Man I was in front row. I saw the Saturday matinee and Matthew James Thomas was Peter Parker. At the stagedoor he said "I remember you, you were in the front row, right?" It was cool.
lizliz
Understudy Joined: 2/19/09
#24What Do Show Cast Members Say About Their Audiences?
Posted: 6/23/11 at 1:08amI was a, er, non-teen rabid fan of the show I believe is referenced above, and I was always surprised at how much the cast saw in the audience. I remember one night I was talking to Hunter Parrish at stage door, and I commented on something he'd changed in his performance, because it was something we had talked about before, and he said, "Yeah, I had hoped you noticed that when you were here last Thursday sitting 7th row on the aisle, but you didn't stage door, so I couldn't ask you!" My jaw pretty much dropped, lol.
