Feast of Doors...

If it was possible to order up stage door experiences from a menu, then my meals on Sept 21-22 would be deemed delicious :)!  

Jake Gyllenhaal after his performance in "If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet," an off Broadway play.  He is an incredibly sweet guy; so patient with all the fans (of which there were manymanymany).  I commented on how intense the play is and how difficult it must be to perform it 8 times a week, and he said that he was thankful it was only 90  minutes :).  He also seemed genuinely appreciative of all the thanks being offered.  I think you can tell when reactions become perfunctory, but his was definitely not.

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One of Jake's costars is Annie Funke; who gives an achingly poignant and totally fearless performance as the bullied and neglected teenager in this dysfunctional family.  I loved her, and loved getting to say thanks in person.  My hotel was right across the street from the theatre and she and her party came over to the hotel for drinks after the show.  Clearly I have good taste in hotels!

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Paul Rudd and Kate Arrington are two of the four actors in "Grace" at the Cort Theatre.  It's a dark, twisty roller coaster of a play that left me breathless.  I again mentioned to both actors how impossible it seems that they can give these kinds of emotionally draining performances every day (and twice on Wed & Sat!).  Paul responded that he was, in fact, exhausted, but loved the play.  Kate said she was glad there was no intermission and had just gotten through a run of a show that was over 3 hours long, so this seemed easy in comparison :).

Ed Asner and Michael Shannon were the other two actors, and I got a chance to meet them the next day at the Broadway Flea Market, but on Saturday, in the words of the stage door manager "Michael is getting his hair cut, and Ed's taking a nap" :).  Ah, the glamorous backstage life on a two-show day!  As I say in my Stage Door Tips, avoid Saturday matinees if you really are anxious to meet a particular actor, as they don't always do the stage door between shows.

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In honor of the story, it seems only fitting to post these photos in black and white :).

The "Chaplin" stage door was so much fun!  A really nice and jovial stage door manager saw to it that everyone waiting had a great experience and that is always a bonus!  More importantly, the cast was just a blast...really happy to interact with all; posing with anyone who asked, chatting as much as you wanted, and hanging around to make sure they'd gotten to each person.

Rob McClure, in particular, is a sweetheart.  He took so much time with everyone, and that's impressive considering he is in pretty much every scene of a 2 1/2 hour, physically demanding musical.  Count me as a fan for sure.

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Rob on the left; Jen Colella (Hedda Hopper) and Wayne Alan Wilcox (Charlie's brother; in the hat) center, and Jen again on the right (it was her birthday that day!).

The young boy who plays Charlie as a child and Jackie Coogan, Zachary Unger, is in the foreground; and the other young boy signing is Ethan Khusidman, who plays a young movie theater usher.  Zachary has remarkable poise and personality!

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