"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)
Gee Hater...did it make your day to pounce on someone's inadvertent mistake?
"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)
Rivalry within the fandom is bound to be explored if this film. I love the broadway fandom, but sometimes it can get a bit too much dealing with all the competitiveness.
I would be curious to know if any of our BWW members might appear in this documentary?
"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)
Patti LuPone FANatic said: "Gee Hater...did it make your day to pounce on someone's inadvertent mistake?"
Not sure how to interpret what I said as personal, rather than a comment on a site that is already predicting Tony face-offs based on shows that haven't opened, but I guess you can read it however you like...
I ended up going to this. It was quite exciting to be at the first ever screening of it. Did anyone else here go? I thought it was really well done. Such a great insight into reasons why we might go to the theater, and why we do things over and over again. The german starlight fan was a fantastic character. It was a real celebration of the broadway fandom.
It's now available to rent on Vimeo. I watched this morning and enjoyed it. It's nothing groundbreaking and I don't know how interesting it would be for someone who isn't a theatre fan but nonetheless, it's a good watch! The scenes with Debbie Gibsons stalker are particularly interesting/terrifying.
It also made me realise what absolutely, truly bizarre shows Starlight Express and Cats are.
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Next revival of Gypsy starring the Starlight Express mother as Rose???
This is an interesting documentary. I do have to wonder where the line between us having a passionate theatre interest starts to uncomfortably turn into what looks similar to heroin addiction.
"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
It is an interesting documentary. As long as people are enjoying themselves, and not turning into stalkers at the stage door, more power to them. So many people who stage door have the mindset that they are "friends" with the performers simply because they get their autograph & picture taken with them multiple, multiple times, after seeing the show multiple, multiple times.
I was looking forward to seeing this based on the trailers but overall it was slightly disturbing and bordered on exploitation. I realize the goal of seeing a show 1,000 times is weird but every subject they featured had emotional problems.
The German lady said over and over that she thought she was too overweight and too old to play her dream part. She needs to take a break from Starlight Express for a night and watch Gypsy.
I don't understand the lady that was obsessed with Les Mis. Why would you see a show 977 times if it doesn't emotionally effect you in some way? And like the actors said, hanging around the stage door after a performance is fine, but watching them walk in is just creepy.
The Cats lady. Congrats on having that much money to spend on memorabilia for a show you love... add also marrying a man that will obey to your whims and photograph you in the costumes. Not much to say beyond that because of all the musicals she picked Cats.
As for the Debbie Gibson guy. He's obviously a crazy stalker. His story didn't belong here.
I'm guessing the doc was filmed around 2015-2017? I see Jonathan Groff was still in Hamilton and the Dear Evan Hansen rush line for SRO before they changed that to digital lottery.
If that doc were to be updated to today, what do you think they may add? One thing that pops in my head is Alex Brightman's stalker (hence why he stopped doing stage door for a time.)
I'd been waiting to see this for so long and was thrilled when they FINALLY released it in some way.
I found it to be an enjoyable documentary, though I was a bit disappointed it focused so much on our dear Starlight-obsessed German rather than more Broadway-focused experiences. Perhaps they're a European-based filmmaking team? (I'm too lazy to look it up / doesn't really matter.)
If they'd made it sometime in the past 2-3 years, it could definitely have focused heavily on SpongeBob, Beetlejuice, Mean Girls, and Be More Chill.
The VOD release is quite a bit different to the version I saw at the film festival here a few years ago. Much better ending. It still made me emotional watching. The starlight ladies story is very powerful, and I love that they celebrate theater and fandom, showing the quirky and potentially scary/dangerous side too. Good balance. We’re all a bit weird and unique. Interesting how the girl points out that within the fandom, some people are judgemental of other fans, and then exhibit A is on display above. Point perfectly made. We should unite in our passion, not exclude, judge and ridicule. I’m going to try to better at that.
Does anyone think it’s worth $8? That seems a bit pricy for a documentary that’s an hour and a half. I may consider still. Looking for things to watch during this Quarentine. Looks interesting but will keep on reading what you guys think.