The Lullabye of Broadway

Broadway shows are one of the greatest things about living in New York.  There are twenty or so shows to choose from at any given time, and celebrities popping in and out of shows as their schedules and talents allow.  Right now, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Edie Falco are starring in shows, and Vanessa Williams, Bette Midler, Cyndi Lauper and Alec Baldwin are all rehearsing for spring openings.  Waiting for a celebrity at the stage door after a performance can be exciting, or a complete let down if they brush by their fans or leave through another exit. (Paging Angela Lansbury!)  My boyfriend was away this weekend, and the weather was nice on Saturday, so I grabbed my camera and headed down to the great white way.

First stop, New York City Center, hoping to catch Edie Falco leaving the matinee of The Madrid.  I staked out the stage door on 56th street and the front door, which Broadway fan forums indicated actors also used to leave shows, but no sign of Edie. 

Racing over to the Cort Theater, I was able to get a spot at the barricade just as Breakfast at Tiffany's was letting out.  Fans didn't seem to linger, and there was plenty of space at the barricade.  I'm not sure who else was in the show, but when George Wendt came out I had to fight not to shout out 'Norm!'  He went largely unrecognized, except for the man next to me getting his prebill signed, and was happy to smile for a picture before shuffling off down the street.  He was literally just walking really slowly down 48th street toward Broadway, no car, no entourage, unrecognized.  During my senior year of college, my roommates and I used to make midnight McDonald's runs and watch 'Cheers' during study breaks, so it was pretty cool to have that little memory come rushing back. 

A lady next to me asked my thoughts about the nudity in the show, and when I told I hadn't seen it yet she went on and on about how it demeaned the show and she was going to write a letter to the producers and let them know her thoughts and I wish she would have started that letter right then and there because I really didn't care about her opinion and just wanted to get out of there and get to the next stop on my theatre tour.  Navigating the crowd in Times Square to get to the Golden Theatre was a nightmare.  Anyone who lives in New York will tell you that you avoid Times Square at all costs, and especially on the weekend, but here I was pushing my way through carraige-pushing, picture-taking, window-shopping, slow-walking tourists stopping mid-sidewalk to gawk at the lights and the tall buildings and the M&M store, and oh my God I can't believe the have a whole store devoted to M&M's!  Why?

I made it just as the crowd was gathering at the stage door, which was really more of a loading area under construction, and not more than five minutes later Sigourney Weaver walked out.  The crowd went wild.  You could tell who had seen the show and who hadn't....one guy even had an Avatar poster for her to sign.  She signed, posed for a couple pictures, and was very gracious as she made her way through the crowd, walking down the street and disappearing around the corner.