This past week, while in NYC with BFF Lauren, I lost my stage-door virginity.
Now, I had heard a lot before about people going to see Broadway shows, and flocking to some secret location around the corner of the theater afterward to catch a glimpse or get an autograph from the stars of the show. I myself had never had such an experience, because before last week (Thursday night, March 21st, 2008, to be exact) I had never seen a show with cast members I cared much about. Sure, I enjoyed their performances, but I had nothing to say to them should I meet them in person. And I certainly didn’t care about their autographs – I mean Broadway stars typically aren’t household names.
But by some miraculous chain of events, last Thursday I found myself at the stage door of the Hilton Theater on 42nd Street in Manhattan waiting patiently to see the one celebrity I would unquestionably bend over backwards for: Megan Mullally.
Megan Who? Megan Mullally. AKA Karen Walker on the now syndicated sitcom Will & Grace. Those of you who know me well enough for me to confess this embarassing obsession to will know that it teeters precariously on the edge of insanity. After becoming obsessed with W&G at the end of my junior year of high school, I soon realized that it was the character of Karen whom I truly loved, and I was fascinated by the real woman behind her. And thus the Megan obsession began.
She’s a hilarious, smart, independent woman who is now almost 50 but has the spirit (and body – that woman looks GOOD) of a 30 year old. She’s basically everything I aspire to be, especially when I’m her age, and she just has a certain je ne sais quoi that really really appeals to me. She is also an amazingly gifted performer and musician – two MAJOR things I also aspire to be in my dream world where I could earn a living by entertaining.
Anyways, Megan is currently starring in the new Mel Brooks B’Way musical Young Frankenstein, so of course before, during and after the show she was my main focus. I wanted more than anything to meet her, to simply make her aware of my presence and see my face after the countless hours I’ve spent watching hers in W&G episodes and YouTube videos. In preparation for this trip, I’d seen many success stories from fans getting to meet her and take pictures and get autographs. So I thought, no problem – I’ll just go to the stage door and everything will work out just fine!
Well, soon after arriving in NYC I realized it would not be as easy as that. By some fluke, we ended up running into Megan leaving the theater our first night in the city, and although we didn’t say anything to her simply because of our state of shock and lack of preparation, we did learn her secret. You see, for some time now Megan has been skipping the stage door and her adoring fans (a LARGE chunk of each night’s YF audience is there to see her and her alone) and waltzing out the main entrance to the theater on 42nd Street between 11 and 11:05, climbing into a charcoal gray Suburban with tinted windows, and driving away leaving the huge crowd at the stage door wondering how she escaped.
At first I was thoroughly disappointed with this news. Why would she not want to meet and greet all her fans? The same people, I might add, that are keeping her star power alive. Without her fans, she would be nothing. And she clearly does everything in her power to avoid them? I didn’t understand. So - a plan was devised, and after a lot of trickery and me mustering up more courage than I’ve ever used in one time and place before, we did meet Megan. She didn’t stop long enough for a picture or autograph, but for a full 30 or so seconds I had her undivided attention and got to see her in the flesh as she stood not two feet away from me.
This was a satisfying event, although it could have gone better, but it didn’t take us long to realize that Megan wasn’t the only one being sneaky and avoiding the fans. Lauren caught Roger Bart, starring as Dr. Frankenstein, also leaving through the main entrance amidst the audience crowd as they exited the theater. He was being extremely tricky, dressed in ordinary clothes and making it out only about five minutes after curtain call ended. Also – we went back to the stage door two nights that week, and each night the only main cast member to come out was Shuler Hensley (the nicest guy ever) who played the Monster. So each night a huge crowd lined up in desperate hopes of meeting Roger Bart, Megan Mullally, Sutton Foster, Christopher Fitzgerald, Andrea Martin, and Fred Applegate, and each night they all went home disappointed after wasting 30 minutes of their time standing in the cold only to be told by a security guard that none of those people would be coming out.
So I ask – what is wrong with you, Broadway stars? Is it really so hard for you to take 20 minutes of your time after a show to come out and make your fans happy? Don’t you want to revel in their profusive praise and adoration? Don’t you want to keep them happy and coming back to buy more tickets? Have you never had someone you admired so much that all you wanted to do was to just meet them in person? Perhaps get an autograph – or better yet, a picture? HAVE YOU NO HEART?
If you’re going to be a live entertainer, I think it goes without saying that appeasing your fans is just part of the job. You perform for 2 and a half hours onstage, then for another 20 at the stage door. It doesn’t take much time, you’re keeping your fans happy, and you’re essentially promoting yourself. This should espeically be expected when you are a theater performer, and in much closer contact with your audience than actors in movies or on TV.
I know Broadway stars are just people, too. I know they have their reasons for not wanting to come out of the stage door, and I know that I should not make the judgment that they are horrible people simply for this reason. But I mean….really?
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hi.your story was pretty interesting.
but i was thinking maybe theyre just like that for just a couple of days.
you know?
like a break or something. they want to go to their bed and relax after how many shows.
but i went there on jan 26(my birthday) and i told megan that i was my birthday.
she greeted me 3 times(one last time going to her car)
then she signed my picture and i was able to take 2 pictures with her.
pretty nice birthday present.
by the way. i totally idolize her.
I TOTALLY agree with you! I had the same experience with this cast when I saw the show last May. Andrea Martin was the only one of the main cast members to come out via the stage door, and she was nice. Megan Mullaly was out that night but her understudy came out and was nice. I’m thinking maybe they rotate which of the main cast members comes out the stage door after each performance. I get that yes, maybe they want to head home and rest, but like you said, we the fans helped them get to where they are…AND keep them where they are! By the time we saw this show too, it wasn’t as popular so there weren’t that many folks at the stage door. They could’ve easily just walked down the small barricade they set up and sign autographs as they went along–it would’ve taken them maybe 5-10 minutes. And I hated the fact that the security guard tells us they’re not coming out after we waited there for like 30 minutes! But yes, he did say Roger and Megan go out the front, and Sutton apparently exits a few doors away from the Stage Door, and walks right behind the fans!
So as not to end on a sour note, I will tell you which casts were great at the Stage Door:
- Spring Awakening OBC – Most of the cast comes out and take their times with the fans. And the 2 male leads (Groff and Gallagher) are the most friendliest! And this was AFTER their Tony win, so they had quite a group of fans outside the stage door every night, and the cast made the same effort every night.
- Passing Strange OBC – ALL the cast comes out and they take their time with all their fans, signing autographs and taking pics. Super friendly!
- August: Osage County OBC – What was sweet about this cast was, they weren’t expecting ANYONE at the stage door! And it was really just me and my friend. But they were surprise and super nice and chatty.
- In The Heights OBC – Most of the cast came out and really appreciated their fans. Of course, this was before their Tony win so I’m not sure if that has changed. Mandy Gonzalez was super nice and really made an effort to chat.
- Les Mis 2007 Revival – Again, most of the cast came out. They weren’t as chatty, but they at least made their way down the line of fans signing autographs and taking pictures.
- Little Mermaid OBC – Most of the cast came out. Sierra Boggess (Ariel) signed as many autographs before being swept away into a car. My favorite was Norm Lewis (King Tritan). He was previously Valjean in Les Mis and he was genuinely touched when I complimented him on his singing voice and said it was a pity I missed him in Les Mis.
- Legally Blonde OBC – Their stage door is quite efficient! Unfortunately, not as many of the main cast members come out. But Laura Bell Bundy (Elle) did come out that night and took her time with the fans. FYI, Mr. Sutton Foster (Christian Borle) plays Emmett and he was a no-show at the stage door too–like wife, like husband!
- Rent, when Adam Pascal & Anthony Rapp reprised their roles – ok, this Stage Door was the craziest I’ve seen–it was literally a mob scene, and I have to give it to Rapp for staying the WHOLE time–and this was for at least 1 hour! Pascal ducked out though.