Best Stage Door Experiences- Page 3

[darreyl102]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 5:05am

I talked to Linda Hart after Catch Me If You Can for an Hour- no ****, an hour!
She was the absolute best person i have ever gotten to meet and we talked for ages about acting, Hairspray and just normal stuff like the weather back home. She gave me the most incredible advice about acting and i will cherish everything she said. For me, Linda Hart is EVERYTHING so to be able to talk to her like that was mind blowing for me.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 7:34am

I just had a great one with Jessie Mueller last night. She's such a beautiful person (inside and out). She looks directly at you while you speak to her and I think that's a major plus when you are talking to ANYONE, famous or not. There weren't many people stage dooring for Beautiful (maybe the age of the crowd? I got told multiple times that I was the youngest in the theatre and that I was bringing the age down... I'm a 23 year old who loves Carole King and Broadway, what can I say?!) Anyway I was able to tell her how I introduced my mom to Carole King through this and we got a picture. But the lightin was awful and she was kind enough to take another picture with me after she signed everyone else's stuff!

Kelli O'Hara and Kate Baldwin were basically the same. Such humble, gorgeous people!

[PeterPan2]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 9:48am

When I sang legally blonde songs with andy karl at the rock stage door!

[phantomcrazy14]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 1:35pm

When me and my (then) boyfriend went and saw Nice Work If You Can Get It, it was his first show and I wanted to stage door. But when we got out it was one of the worst thunderstorms I've ever seen, and the door wasn't under the marquee, so we stood under watching it. After ten minutes, the stage door man poked his head out, saw me with my Sharpies and goes "Are you guys really waiting? Come here" and we ran over and he let us inside the door and a majority of the cast was there and signed for just us. I was shocked.

When I saw Ghost, I went alone and my parents went around during the show. Richard Fleeshman was the last out, so after he signed everyone cleared out. As he was walking back to the door, he saw me still waiting there and asked if I was okay, and I told him I was waiting for my parents to come pick me up, and he stood with me for the next couple minutes until they got there. <3

And lastly, Michelle Williams at Cabaret. I saw it during previews, actually the performance where Leeds went on for Alan. It was raining, and the guy said that Michelle wouldn't stop for pictures. But when she reached me I helped shield her from the rain with my umbrella as she signed and told her how much I enjoyed the show and mentioned a bit about her performance that I loved. She looked me right in the eye, grabbed my hand and thanked me and told me I was one of the sweetest people she's met at the door. It was also really exciting to see how excited Leeds was after performing :)

[RachelJean]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 2:01pm

My stage door experience after seeing "Peter and the Starcatcher" was one of my favorites. Celia Keenan-Bolger and Adam Chanler-Berat are truly the sweetest, most genuine people. I also met Laura Osnes that day (she had seen the show as well) and she was just as lovely!

[eyehrtfood]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 10:08pm

I saw Richard Harris in the 80s tour of CAMELOT (in Indianapolis, at the now-gone Starlight Musicals...) I recall reading he was making something like $100,000/week on that as he owned the tour or something, But when we caught up with him at the stage door of the outdoor theater, he graciously greeted the small group of us (maybe 5-10) and signed autographs and answered questions until we had run out of them. Probably 20-30 minutes worth of almost one on one attention. Memorable - and showed how a true star - arguably a legend - handled himself.

Mandy Patinkin (after a concert) was wonderfully chatty and asked my noticeably pregnant wife about the baby... Very nice...

And Zachary Levi - hardly a big star - but still with a following - couldn't have been better with the crowds following First Date. My teen daughter was in heaven.

[KC91WFU]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 10:37pm

I had seen Corbin Bleu in In The Heights, but I went to the stage door to get an autograph for my niece and nephew. I was alone, and I asked just to take a picture of him. He allowed me to do that, and then he asked one of the other fans to take a picture of him and me. I certainly would not have bothered him to do that. He was very nice and gracious.

I also was treated very kindly by Giuseppe Bausillo at Newsies. A friend of mine had arranged a backstage tour as a birthday present. He came out of the stage door, greeted me by name, and said Happy Birthday. I just thought it was really nice, and something I will never forget.

I also witnessed something really nice. There was a gang of very young teens waiting outside of Book of Mormon, and Andrew Rannells showed up for his call and stopped and talked to each of them prior to going in the stage door. Rory O Malley did the same thing. And this was late in the run...very post Tony Awards.

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 11:32pm

I'm looking up at my walls full of autographed posters and I can think of three stories that immediately come to mind.

- When I saw BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON back in 2010, I waited at the stage door after a Saturday matinee and it was about 30 degrees outside. I couldn't hold my poster with my bulky gloves, so I risked frostbite and took them off. By the time Benjamin Walker (*swoon*) came out, my hands were shaking from the cold and when he saw my hands as he signed my poster, he chuckled "Good God, put on some gloves, man!"

- When I saw FIRST DATE, I went to the stage door after and when Zachary Levi came over to me, he took one look at me and put his hand on my shoulder, and said "I don't think I've ever met anyone who was taller than me." (For the record, he is 6'4 and I'm 6'7). I chuckled and then when I made my way down the line to take a picture with him, he greeted me with the moniker "Gigantor" and then squatted in the picture making a goofy face to emphasize my height. I have the picture and will forever cherish that moment.

- At AFTER MIDNIGHT, a few days before it closed, I waited at the stage door to meet Patti LaBelle, and when she came out, she was the sweetest woman I had ever met. She didn't have a Sharpie, so when she signed my stuff, she went to give it back to me and I told her just to keep it (I carry spares). She was touched by the gestured and said "Aw, thank you baby" as she pulled me in for a kiss on the cheek. I was kissed by the Queen of Soul and nobody can take that away from me!

[gleek4114]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 12:09am

Can someone please link the worst stage door thread? I am looking and I can't find it. Thanks!

[mamaleh]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 8:59am

Without a doubt, hands down, Hugh Jackman provided the best stage door experiences I have ever had, beginning with THE BOY FROM OZ, through A STEADY RAIN and most recently BACK ON BROADWAY. He always made time for as many people as possible, learned people's names and was always genial and friendly. A close second: Paul Rudd and Michael Shannon post-GRACE. They were chatty and very funny.

[teresa2]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 11:29am

I totally agree regarding Hugh Jackman. For a star of his caliber to be so gracious and considerate to his fans is a really lovely thing to see. I have never seen him be anything other than nice and sweet!!
For Broadway stars, the nicest and friendliest have been Andy Karl, Jeremy Kushnier Zachary Levi and Jim Stanek. They all take the time to speak with you and are always friendly and unassuming. They are all very special men!!!
For the ladies i would say Orfeh, Margo Seibert, Krysta Rodriguez and Jenn Colella. They also take the time to speak with you and are always friendly and unassuming. They are all very special ladies!!!
For a cast of a show i would say the friendliest and nicest i ever encountered was the cast of Spring Awakening. They were all really wonderful and accomadating to the fans. They stayed at the stage door till everyone got a picture and an autograph. They were all really young and really appreciated the fans coming to the show and showing their support.

[IronMan]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 12:25pm

I was never really one for stage-dooring, but in 1987 (?) I saw one of Donna McKechnie's last performances as Cassie- the show was in incredible shape and I was alone in Shubert Alley afterwards when Donna came out, and I had to say hello and thank her for such an amazing experience. She was lovely, saw the 'Working Actor' button on my coat (remember wearing buttons?) and we had a nice chat about working in the theater until I felt I should let her get on her way.

A short while later I was at an audition at Minskoff studios (remember them?) and she was there rehearsing the Sweet Charity tour- she saw me in the hall and said, "Hi! How are you?" with an 'I'm not sure how I know you, but I know you' look (making everyone around me jealous). I took the opportunity to go up to her as she was talking in the hall with Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse (with cig in mouth)... I'm sure I was interrupting them, but introducing myself to the three of them together was a moment I'm glad I didn't let go by.

[broadway86]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 12:41pm

One of my favorites was Donna Murphy after Wonderful Town. My friend and I waited outside in the freezing cold to meet her after the show. She eventually heard that we were there and invited us backstage while she met with her guests. Once she got around to talking with us, she could not have been nicer. It was really unexpected, especially from such a respected and awarded person.

Hugh Jackman, Geoffrey Rush, Julianne Moore, all class acts. Dame Eileen Atkins and Cherry Jones were very generous with her time, asking me about the drama school I was attending and such.

[lmaura1920]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 12:51pm

My sister and I went to our first Broadway show this past Saturday, and also had our first stage door experience. It was fantastic! We saw A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (absolutely brilliant and hilarious)! After the show, we got to the stage door where three barricades were set up. There were about 15 people standing around, and nobody was against the first barricade, which the cast would go to first. We snagged the spot and, sure enough, the cast came to sign our playbills first.

The cast was incredibly sweet. As soon as Lisa O'Hare, Jefferson Mays, Bryce Pinkham, Catherine Walker (Phoebe's U/S for that performance) and Jane Carr came out, I fangirled just a tad :) I told them all how wonderful they were, which was really cool to do and to have their thanks was awesome. I had a short conversation with Jefferson Mays about this being our first show, and he shook my hand and told me how honored he was.

I took a picture with Bryce Pinkham, but had to leave (and was quite starstruck) so didn't say much besides gushing about how wonderful he was, and thanking him for the picture and for signing my playbill.

I've become totally hooked to Broadway. The show, the idea of meeting the cast--everything was perfect. I can't wait for my next in a couple of weeks!

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 12:55pm

I saw Deuce when it was playing on Broadway. Meeting Angela Lansbury for the first time was a wonderful experience. She couldn't have been more gracious to her fans at the stage door.

[Shannon Bo Dannon]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 1:42pm

I met Gavin Creel and the whole cast of Hair back in 2009 and it was so wonderful; they were all incredibly kind and I got to have decent conversations with each of them. I told Gavin how much he meant to me and I remember he gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, it meant so much.

I also met Norbert Leo Butz when he toured with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in Dallas in 2006. He was the first Broadway star I ever met and he was so funny and nice. I was so nervous to meet him and he put me at ease immediately.

I don't think I've ever had bad experiences when I've been at the stage door. Fans were nice and respectable and everyone I met was really great; I hope I never have a bad experience.

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 4:02pm

I posted a few years ago in this thread, but have had some lovely experiences since then, so I thought I'd share a few. Still all tours, still never actually been to Broadway But wonderful people all the same!

- On the La Cage tour, there were only a few people at the door, and all for George Hamilton. But I talked with Chris Sieber instead, and he was so funny and nice! He was a guest villain on a TV show I used to love (Pushing Daisies, if anyone remembers that old thing!), and when I mentioned that, he lit up so fast and spent the next fifteen minutes telling my mom and me all about what it was like to work on that show.

- The entire Les Mis touring cast was delightful, but special notice had to go to Jason Forbach and Joe Spieldenner, who played Enjolras and Grantaire. I was working at the theater by that time, so by the time I saw the show as a patron and went to stage door, I'd probably sat through around 6 performances in one week. I told Jason that the staff fought the most over who got to sit in on his portions of the show, and he blushed and gave me a hug, and I had sat close enough that I could see those two were the dancing waiters at the wedding- I mentioned that and they got all giddy and started talking over each other about the funny things they did to amuse themselves during that- after all, they said, "we're already dead!"

- National tour of Cathy Rigby's Peter Pan. Heading past stage door at intermission to go to the restrooms no one knows about on the other side of the building. Outside the door is Captain Hook (can't remember the actor's name right now), in full costume, with his cell phone in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and his very friendly shih tzu at his feet. Illusion shattered :)

- Priscilla tour last year. I had seen Bryan West several years ago as an understudy Fiyero (the first time I ever saw the show), and, being a dorky teenager, had given him a little fan-note/card back then, which he had said was his first ever fanmail and had apparently been gleefully parading around backstage, according to other cast members. When I met him again at Priscilla, I mentioned that card, and he recognized me, even called me by name, and chatted for a while.

Those are the best I can think of right now but I've really never had a bad experience, to be honest. Most actors have been really sweet, even the ones in a hurry to leave, and a lot have said they enjoy hearing from the audience, especially when they've had a bad day or know their performance wasn't up to par, they like hearing that people enjoyed it anyways. Everyone's different, I know, but I've been very lucky indeed!

[jjohnson5]

Posted: 7/30/14 at 10:51am

ooo I have so many but I'll pick some favorites.

Michael Cerveris- I joke that he's a god, but basically my bf and I were the only people at the Evita stage door one day. It started lightly snowing and as we were about to give up, MC came out and was like "I'm so sorry, I didn't think anyone would be here". Long story short he literally talked to us for 15 mins in the snow about college, life in general, and a bunch of random stuff. Nothing about theater or the show which was so odd. Still one of my favorite SD memories.

Hugh Panaro- my very first Broadway show was Phantom, when Hugh was doing his first run as The Phantom. (my mother saw him as Raoul in the early 90s). I stayed a big fan of his voice over the next decade or so, so this past March post seeing Phantom, I decided to stage door in hopes of having him sign my very first(!) Broadway playbill as well as my Lestat opening night playbill (judge away). Well after the show we get to the very awkward Phantom SD and wait, Jeremy Hays, Laird Mackintosh, Deana Doyle come out but no Hugh. Eventually the other few ppl at the SD leave, we decide to give up. As we walk to the curb, a limo pulls up and would you know, Hugh Panaro walks out. He walks past us completely because we obviously didn't look like people stage dooring Phantom. I walked up behind him and asked if he could please sign my Lestat playbill, to which he turned around about became this huge bundle of energy. Turns out he bolted after our show of Phantom to go to a chiropractor on 58th Street! How he did that is beyond me, but he apologized unnecessarily for it. He signed our playbills, asked if we wanted anything else signed, took pictures, made sure the pictures were good and then chatted for a bit. So gracious and thankful. When we parted I told him to tell his dog, Soot, we said hello, to which he responded "He's not here today or I'd let you play with him" or something along those lines. Such a nice guy or as my boyfriend put it "a bro"

Other great SD experiences: The OBC of Book of Mormon and Cinderella, both were such fun vibes and all the cast members seemed so happy to be there and happy you enjoyed the show.

[morosco]

Posted: 7/30/14 at 1:12pm

Years ago when Barnum was playing we waited at the stage door to get just about anybody's autograph. We even got the then unknown Glenn Close to stop and sign and as she was signing she looked towards the street and laughed/yelled, "Len!!". Her boyfriend at the time, Len Cariou, had been waiting to pick her up and the truck he was driving had just overheated. There was smoke everywhere and Len was under the hood and Glenn just laughed and laughed. Len signed for us too.

Updated On: 7/30/14 at 01:12 PM

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 7/30/14 at 1:43pm

Two most memorable were both Chita and Rita!

When Kiss of the Spiderwoman was on Broadway with Chita I waited before a show for her. A stagehand knew what I was doing. As she came walking down the street he saw her and ran to her. I thought for certain it was to warn her so she could quickly get past me. I was so wrong. That stagehand took dry cleaning out of her hands so she was holding nothing. As the gap closed between us to 10 feet she threw open her arms as she embraced me and said "Now you can tell everyone that you were kissed by the Spiderwoman!" She happily signed my CD. That sold me and I've not thought twice about driving distances to see her in her autobiographical show when it was originating in Atlantic City, Casper the musical in Pittsburg, The Visit in Virgina, etc

Rita Moreno...went to her cabaret show at the Algonquin Hotel. After the show I really wanted to meet her and ask that she sign my West Side Story Album (yes, the record...). After the performance as guests were leaving she was thanking each individual. I went to hand her flowers. She requested that I wait in the lobby for her. Rita finished her goodbyes to all the patrons, came to the lobby, sat down and ordered drinks! We sat there for what was probably 10 or 15 minutes chatting. When I brought out the West Side Story album she eagerly signed it, opened it to show me her picture inside, signed next to that picture, etc.

[gfaustswa]

Posted: 7/30/14 at 2:00pm

Zachary Levi last summer. AWESOME! Pictures, autographs, small talk. What a great guy and experience.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 7/30/14 at 2:11pm

Brian -

Out of curiosity why was Casper like? There is VERY limited footage of it online and it looks like a very odd show.

[EMeraldNYC2]

Posted: 7/30/14 at 2:17pm

If/Then was definitely my favorite stage door experience. The night we saw the show, we left the theater to find that it was pouring down rain, lightning and all. It slowed down a little, so we decided to stick around despite the guard telling us that none of the actors would be coming out to sign. Turns out the guard set up some barriers about 20 minutes later, and only a small crowd gathered. James Snyder, Anthony Rapp, and LaChanze graciously came out to sign in the rain, and it was nice to have brief conversations with both of them (of course beginning by thanking them for braving the elements for us). James and LaChanze even stayed for an extra 15 minutes or so to take pictures with everyone that wanted one.

Other memorable stage door experiences: Lena Hall at Hedwig, Derek Klena at Wicked, Megan Hilty after a concert with my city's symphony, the entire Book of Mormon cast (especially Nic Rouleau and AJ Holmes). They were all very friendly and seemed happy to meet fans!

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 7/30/14 at 2:49pm

Funny enough...I brought flowers to Chita at the stage door in Pittsburgh. We briefly chatted and I told her that I drove 8 hours one way to see her in Casper. Her eyes got wide and she said "WHY?" Well...fair response.

The show was more a child production than one for adults and far from Broadway worthy. To make the ghosts "fly" they used black lights with the part of the actor touching the stage or non-ghost parts in black. I remember a hilarious tap number and in it the shoes were supposed to be magical. All actors were completely in black except the shoes so from a distance in the black light the shoes danced on their own.

The show was corny. Something to do with a woman on a mission in the mansion to find a treasure. The ghosts were in there. Then there were kids wandering the mansion. Was a basic plot of any child cartoon (like Scooby Doo) with a villain (Chita) that wanted something and the ghosts and kids were getting in the way. Plenty of slapstick, belly laughing for the kids in attendance, humor. It wasn't great but I went because I had a feeling it wasn't going to "make it"...and it didn't.

Turned out to be such a memorable fun day trip that I still talk about to this day with my partner!

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 7/30/14 at 2:49pm

delete - doubt post - sorry

Updated On: 7/30/14 at 02:49 PM