Top 10 Nicest Broadway Actors I’ve Met at the Stage Door

At face value, the stage door of a theatre is the official entrance and exit for actors, crew, musicians, etc. However, the stage door has become more than that for theatre fans everywhere. At the conclusion of a performance, fans gather outside the stage door to wait for cast members willing to sign autographs and take selfies. The act of "stage dooring" is a fun pastime for the modern theatre fan. I've been stage dooring shows for many years and have had the pleasure of meeting some really wonderful Broadway performers I admire. To kick off my new Top 10 series, I've decided to compile a list of who I think are the nicest Broadway actors I've met at the stage door (in no particular order):

ALEX BRIGHTMAN
 

I first became an Alex Brightman fan after he blew me away in School of Rock. I wasn't able to meet him after the show, but many months later I found myself back to see the show for a second time. Between the two times I saw School of Rock I had watched many of his interviews, and I was struck by his humble nature. He seemed so down-to-earth and genuinely grateful to be performing on Broadway.

After seeing School of Rock a second time, I ran to the stage door and he came out to sign! We ended up having a long conversation about the joys of performing and how he would hands down do it for free. I joked that I do it for free all the time. He asked my name, shook my hand, and thanked me for taking the time to talk to him because it made his day and he'd be thinking about our conversation the whole way home. I was so touched by his kind nature, and I tell people frequently what a stand-up guy he seems to be. Alex is about to begin performances in the title role of Beetlejuice the Musical on Broadway.

LAURA BENANTI
 

 Laura Benanti is Broadway royalty. The Tony-Award winner is not only mega-talented, but she's hysterical on social media and is always kind to her devoted fans. I had the pleasure of meeting Laura after seeing her in She Loves Me on Broadway. I wasn't expecting to see her come out of the stage door that night, but much to my surprise and excitement, she did! When speaking to each fan, she had a huge smile on her face and was gracious to every person waiting outside to meet her. Her smile made me feel warm and fuzzy inside on a chilly winter evening. I had brought an additional Playbill with me from when she was in The Radio City Rockettes Spring Spectacular and asked her to sign it; she happily obliged. I can't necessarily remember any specifics of our short conversation, but as she walked away from me I remember thinking, "Wow, she is the nicest person!"

Laura is currently starring in My Fair Lady on Broadway as Eliza Doolittle, but she has made it clear to her fans that she does not come out of the stage door anymore. She now has a compromised immune system, and she needs to get home to her young daughter immediately after performances. Instead, she leaves signed Playbills at the stage door for fans to pick up if they'd like. I feel all the more grateful that I had the chance to meet her three years ago because it made me admire and adore her even more.

GARETT HAWE
 

I first met Garett Hawe when he was in the ensemble of Newsies on Broadway. The stage door crowd the night I saw Newsies for the first time (I ultimately saw it seven times) was absolutely crazy, and most of the cast was understandably making their way down the line of fans rather quickly. Garett was different; when he reached me and my friends, he stopped and we had a pretty substantial conversation with him. He was funny, friendly, and engaging. I remember turning to my friend afterwards and saying, "I want to be his best friend!"

I've remained a big fan of Garett's over the years and it's gotten to the point where he recognizes me at the stage door and knows my name. He always takes the time to ask how I'm doing and what I've been up to since we last spoke. One time I was waiting for him at the Matilda stage door, and I probably hadn't seen him in over a year. When he came out and got to me, he gave me a hug and before even saying hello said, "Oh my gosh you got your hair cut! It looks so cute!" It's little moments like that that has made me adore Garett. He is currently starring as Ambrose Kempter in the U.S. national tour of Hello, Dolly!

ZACHARY LEVI
 

When I saw Zachary Levi in She Loves Me on Broadway, I knew him mainly as the voice for Flynn Rider in Tangled. Now I know him as one of the nicest famous people I've ever met.

When we arrived to the stage door after seeing She Loves Me, we didn't have to wait long for Zachary to come out. When he did, he was carrying a chair and a boombox. He walked out into the street, put the chair down, put the boombox on the chair, cranked up the volume and said "We're going to have a party out here!" He started to go down the line, then stopped and addressed the crowd, "I'm going to go down this line and I will sign anything you want me to sign. Then I'm going to go down this line a second time and we're gonna take a bunch of pictures. Sound good?" I remember looking to my mom with our mouths agape. This dude was SO COOL.

Not only did he sign my She Loves Me playbill and my Tangled DVD cover, but he also gladly agreed to take a "smolder" picture, in honor of Flynn Rider. He was an absolute delight and made sure the crowd was having a great time. He stayed outside talking to fans for close to an hour. I can't wait until he's back on Broadway so I can try and meet him again; until then I'll keep binging season two of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

ANDREW KEENAN-BOLGER

Andrew is another one of my "Newsie boys" who I have met so many times at a stage door that he eventually learned my name. Every time I see him at a stage door, he has a huge smile on his face and never seems to take the love he receives from his fans for granted. He is kind, he is gracious, he is always happy to stop for a picture, and is always down for a hug. He does a great job of making you feel like he has all the time in the world to stand outside the theatre after a show and chat. Andrew currently isn't in any show, but the next time he is in one, I hope you might have the chance to be able to meet him afterwards. His warmth is never-ending and you will walk away with a big smile on your face.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE

Okay, this is seriously one of those stories that I still can't believe actually happened. I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan, so I jumped at the chance to see Daniel Radcliffe live in two of his Broadway performances, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and The Lifespan of a Fact. I did stage door when I saw How to Succeed, but since the show was running just before the final Harry Potter movie was released, the stage door was an absolute mob scene. I do credit Daniel for attempting to carry conversations with many fans waiting, but it was difficult since so many people were shoving and screaming.

 

When I saw The Lifespan of a Fact, I expected the stage door experience to be similar. There were tons of people waiting outside, but this was a more mature stage door crowd. When Daniel came out, there was cheering but minimal shoving and no hysterical screaming. Daniel was delightful. He spent at least a half an hour outside signing anything asked of him (including Harry Potter merchandise), and happily took selfies with everyone. He said as he went down the line "There's no need to push! I plan on staying out here until I have seen every single one of you." It was incredible, especially given how huge of a star he is. When he got to my mom, he signed her Playbill, looked up at her and asked "Would you like a picture as well?" My mom, who wasn't planning on asking for a picture, was speechless for a second but how could she say no to that offer? He took her phone and snapped the picture for them, apologizing the whole time about how dreadful the lighting was. When he was done taking a picture with me, I offered my hand out to shake, which he grabbed firmly and said "It's been a pleasure meeting you." It was a special experience and it was wonderful to see that someone who I've admired since childhood is just as friendly as I always hoped.

NORM LEWIS
 

The first time I saw Norm Lewis at a stage door, it was after a performance of The Phantom of the Opera. For reasons unknown, no barricades were set up outside the stage door to promote crowd control. Unfortunately, that means the crowd was extremely rude, pushy, and scary when any actor came out to sign. When Norm Lewis appeared, he immediately took matters into his own hands. "Let's calm down everyone!" he shouted. "I want to meet you all, but in order for me to do that I need you to form an orderly line against this wall here." I went straight to the back of the line while the rowdy people fought for the first spot in line. When I made it up to him he shook my hand, asked my name, and thanked me for coming to the show. I told him he was phenomenal. "I love how you said that word," said Norm, "pheNOMenal!"

Just last month I got to meet him again at the stage door of The Music Man. He walked outside to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. "HELLO EVERYBODY!" he bellowed joyfully, then said much quieter, "why am I so loud?" He was equally as delightful as he was the first time I met him. He was gracious, witty, and happy to stand in the freezing rain and meet with the many fans who were waiting outside for him. Norm isn't currently in any shows, but next time he is, I definitely recommend waiting afterwards in case he does come out to stage door.

LESLI MARGHERITA
 

Lesli Margherita, also known as Queen Lesli, first came across my Broadway fangirl radar when she was in rehearsals for Matilda, her Broadway debut. Along with a few Twitter friends of mine, I started interacting with her via Twitter. She was hysterical and always responsive on social media. When I scored tickets to see Matilda during previews, I sent her a tweet letting her know. The night I saw the show, I eagerly waited at the stage door for her. She made her way through the crowd, and when she got to me I introduced myself by my Twitter handle. She screamed, jumped up and down, and pulled me into a huge bear hug!

I ended up seeing Matilda four times while she was playing Mrs. Wormwood, and every time I got to say hi to her afterwards and get yet another bear hug. I even got to meet her husband one time! I was heartbroken when she left Matilda,  but so happy to see her again when she was in the revival of Dames at Sea. She is so sweet and adores her fans. I occasionally ran into her on the street as she was leaving a show and she always knew exactly who I was. I haven't seen her in a couple of years, but I heard a rumor that she will be back on Broadway soon and I can get another one of her hugs.

ANNALEIGH ASHFORD
 

 Annaleigh Ashford (of Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots, Dogfight, and You Can't Take it With You fame) is by far one of the biggest sweethearts I've met at a stage door. I remember one of the times I met her, there was an elderly gentleman waiting at the stage door with his wife. They both were big fans of hers and couldn't wait to meet her. She was so touched by their compliments and insisted they take a picture together. They took the picture and Annaleigh said, "Okay double check it and make sure it's good." The picture was a little bit blurry, but the couple said it was no big deal and that they were happy with the picture. "Absolutely not, blurry is no good! Let's take it again! I want to make sure it's a good picture for you guys!" They took the picture and she verified that it wasn't blurry. She thanked them over and over again for coming to the show and for all their kind words. She acted as if she had all the time in the world to stand and talk to those waiting to meet her.

When she reached me, it was as if I was the only person in the world who mattered to her in that moment. She didn't look around to anybody else; it was just me and her and she was fully focused on our brief conversation. A lot of my friends don't even give me that type of rapt attention when I'm talking!

 

RYAN STEELE

 

Last but certainly not least, I have to mention one of my favorite Newsie boys. Ryan is easily the most beautiful dancer I have ever seen perform, and his immense talent onstage matches his sweetness offstage. Just like Andrew, Garett and Lesli, Ryan learned who I am through the magic of Twitter. The first time I saw a show of his after communicating via Twitter, he saw me at the stage door and said without hesitation, "HEY! My girl Hillary!!!" and hugged me. Over the years, he began to recognize my mom (who accompanies me on most shows I see) and gives her a big hug after each show as well.

 

I would say Ryan is someone who knows the talent he possesses, but that certainly doesn't mean he has an inflated ego about it. Every time I compliment his beautiful dancing, he always get a little bit embarrassed. It's quite endearing. I remember after driving to Philadelphia to see him cover the leading role in the An American in Paris national tour, he approached me and my mom at the stage door, falling all over himself thanking us for making the drive just to see him. After telling him what a wonderful job he did, he exclaimed enthusiastically, "I am having SO MUCH FUN doing this show! Just so much fun!" and proceeded to elaborate with the biggest smile on his face.

Ryan is currently performing in New York City Center's Encores production of I Married an Angel from March 20th-24th. If you are in the area and are able to see the show, make sure to stick around after and see if you might catch a glimpse of Ryan at the stage door!

 



SPECIAL SHOUT OUT: JOHN LITHGOW

 

Mr. Lithgow gets a special shout-out here because I didn't initially meet him at a stage door, but the story does include a stage door experience. I first met the legendary actor when he came to one of my college acting classes to teach a master class. He was just as genuine and personable as you would expect. He spent the first hour of class sitting in a circle with us answering any and all questions and talking about his career. The second hour of the class we performed scenes for him and listened to his critiques. We took pictures and I asked for him to autograph the page of notes I took while he was talking. He gladly obliged and said me words I'll never forget, "You do good work, keep it up!"

Fast forward to about a year and a half later and I was seeing A Delicate Balance on Broadway, starring none other than John Lithgow. After the show I sprinted to the stage door in the hopes that he would come out and I could meet him again. Sure enough, he walked out and cheerily began to sign autographs for the fans waiting. He got to me and I started to explain to him that I was a part of a master class he taught at my college. As soon as I named my college, he looked at me, gasped and exclaimed, "I REMEMBER YOU! Yes! I remember your scene!" and he began to recall in vivid detail the scene I performed for him in that very class. He grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically. "How have you been? What are you up to now? Are you still in school? Are you still performing?" I was blown away that he not only remembered me, but was genuinely happy to see me and "catch up." I like to joke now that John Lithgow is my best friend, even though I haven't seen him since. Mr. Lithgow recently began performances in the new Broadway play Hillary and Clinton, starring opposite Laurie Metcalf.
 

***DISCLAIMER: No performer is contractually obligated to come out to sign autographs and take pictures after any given performance. The money you pay to see a Broadway show is for the show only. If you favorite actor does come out afterwards to meet & greet fans, that is an added bonus. If your favorite actor does not come out afterwards, DO NOT get angry, cuss out the security guards, or take to social media and slam that actor. I've seen all this happen and it infuriates me every time, so be respectful and deal with your disappointment in a different way.***

 

Who are your favorite Broadway actors you've met at the stage door? Comment below and share your stories! Then, be sure to check out my other Top 10 posts here!

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