Boorish fans at stage doors

[sparkleplenty]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 4:45pm

I've seen the fans rant about rude stars, how about the other side of the coin; what are the most extreme instances of rude, obnoxious and uncouth behavior by fan you've witnessed at stage doors? (Ok...this has probably already been a thread, I'm sure, - complain if you want.)

[ThatBroadwayBitch]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 4:49pm

I once had a job where I exited from the stage door every night. It was a show that had a few stars. Once in a while, it got very chaotic, so there were usually cops there to help in case anything went wrong. One night I got smashed against the barricade and a cop had to lift me out. Boorish is a perfect word for it. Get the hell off of me, I wasn't even in the damn show!

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 4:52pm

This is possibly the scariest example of awful stage door behavior

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 4:55pm

See also: Rent this summer.

[BenKaye]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 4:56pm

That is pretty damn scary.

This isn't as bad as that example, but when I went to see "The Glorious Ones" in December, the only people at the stagedoor were me, and these 4 people, who were only waiting there to get the autographs, and sell them on eBay. I doubt if they had even heard of these actors before.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 4:57pm

Two stand out in my mind:

When Gale Harold did Uncle Bob, there was one girl (and that's being kind) who was waiting outside the theatre after every performance with at least 20 programs for him to sign. When others started to downright insult her, her response was "It's a free country and I can do whatever I want to." Kicker on the whole thing was that she NEVER saw the show ONCE.

Other was opera-related. Montserrat Caballe was appearing in Chicago (this goes back 30 years). One guy had the audicity to shove the libretto to every reocrding she made, every newspaper article in which she was interviewed and a zillion programs into her face for autographing. Mme. Caballe, usually most gracious and patient with her fans, gave him an astonished look and said, incredulously, "For signing?" and ducked into her car, leaving the rest of us speechless and not having gotten her autograph once.

There's gotta be a point beyond which these freaks can be told to go pound sand (I'm being euphemistic). They ruin it for everybody else.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 4:58pm

I honestly can't stand autograph hounds and obnoxious fangirls... They make me regret being an actor. Lol

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 5:01pm

And of course, Eve Harrington.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 5:05pm

About three years ago my ex-girlfriend dragged me to see Wicked. This was during the time Ben Vereen was in the show as the Wizard. That night Usher happened to be in the audience. We went to the stage door and got autographs from Megan Hilty and Shoshana Bean and they were nice. Then Ben Vereen came out... followed by his god son Usher. All of the teenage girls start freaking out and both Usher and Ben Vereen run away to the sushi place across the street. Actually the more I think about it... I'm more pissed at Usher for just being there than at the girls who were screaming for him.

[jarred03]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 5:10pm

love idina and she was getting stalked by people who wanted to kill her for being with Taye Diggs but she was probably safe from the 12 year old little girls so she shoulda went outside, but they shouldn't act so crazy.

[trinaaron]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 5:26pm

My feeling is that half the people here are boorish fans and don't even know it. They are the same people who then complain about how rude the actors are for not treating them with respect.

[mikem]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 5:36pm

I still remember the post from Rent this summer where the poster said that she got paper cuts on her FACE from people behind her at the barricades shoving Playbills past her -- that was disturbing.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 6:56pm

YAY!!! wonderfulwizard11 posted the pizza man story!

I saw some doozies at Jersey Boys in SF. Nearly every time I went (and that was a lot of times...).

[winston89]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 8:32pm

I never feel that I am deserving of an autograph from any performer at all. If they don't want to sign that is fine. I ask very nicely and that has worked well for me. No pushing or shoving at all from me.

That being said, I was at a performance of Wicked and the stage door was pretty full of fans. But, I was one of the first people there so I was right against the barricade. That being said, when Shoshana and Megan came out there was this cam group ( a whole ton of kids and they were all there which is why the stage door was full) they started to run against the barricade. It almost fell over with me right in front. There was a cop there but it wasn't that out of hand that he needed to step in at that point. I turned around and yelled at them to take ten steps back. They eventually did. I then jumped over the barricade and did my stage dooring from there. Both the cop and Shoshana and Megan gave me a high five for having the guts to take care of the annoying group of girls on my own.

[jwonjy119]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 8:42pm

Let me start by saying I am not a fan of people throwing undergarments on stage...which unfortunately happeneed one time when I saw Jersey Boys.

At the stage door, the lady asked one of the cast members if he was going to frame it.

I've never seen that poor guy look so uncomfortable.

[greybaby231]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 9:11pm

Clay-mate riot. 02-29-08. Clay didn't come out of the stage door. David Hibbard actually started yelling at people. Rick Holmes ran away as fast as he could. And, Christopher Sieber walked out, turned around, and walked right back in. Damn it. I wanted to meet Christopher Sieber.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 9:36pm

Nobody was rude per say, when I saw Spamalot a couple of weeks ago, but the funniest thing happened, which actually makes me sort of glad it happened. I was happy with getting anyone's autograph, because that's just how I am. I was actually not near the barricades set up by the door, because there were too many people in front of me. I thought I was gonna end up getting nothing. Well, as soon as we were told that Clay Aiken already left, people got mad and left. Then I was able to get right up next to the barricade.

That pissed me off a bit because I spent the money on my ticket because I really really wanted to see the show, regardless of who was in it because I listen to the soundtrack all the time. Heck, most of the songs in my top 25 on my iPod are from that show. LOL! I should say it pissed me off that people only were going to the show to see Clay Aiken. Thankfully he was good, but he was honestly not the reason I went.

Anyway, I was able to get an autograph from Tom Deckman, Hannah Waddingham, and Rick Holmes, and that was good enough for me. I even thanked them for signing my playbill because that's all I expected.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 9:46pm

The character who decided they were going to rest their program on my face at the Company closing stage door will always be my favorite.

[greybaby231]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 9:47pm

I know what you mean,Marianne2. I love Monty Python, and I love the soundtrack. The actors are just a bonus to getting to see the show. More than half of the people at the stage door didn't even see the show, and just wanted to see Clay. I got to meet Rick Holmes when I left. He was just a block down, standing on the corner. He was really sweet, and geniunely happy that I was excited to meet him. I was able to have a lengthy conversation with him, sans clay mates. He said that the rest of the cast hardly ever gets recognition anymore, since Clay joined. I'm not putting down Clay or his fans, but the other people in the play need a little more respect. That's all I'm saying.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 3/28/08 at 9:55pm

I know what you mean. Okay, I probably would have been a total fan girl if Sara Ramirez was still in it. LOL! But I still know other people make up the show too besides her. And I like her for more than just Grey's too since I personally think she is one of the best singers in the universe.