Andrew Rannells calls out disrespectful fan for committing major theater etiquette breach
The fan expressed disappointment that Rannells failed to appear at the stage door.
Mark
Andrew Rannells has called out a fan who—after complaining about Rannells not appearing at a theatre’s stage door—posted imagery of the actor on stage.
Rannells is currently appearing in previews of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play on Broadway. It’s based on Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1943 short story The Greatest Gift. Rannells plays the lead role of George Bailey (made famous by James Stewart in the 1946 Frank Capra movie).
An audience member who saw the show later expressed disappointment online that Rannells did not appear at the stage door. They wrote, “Luv u but u broke my 
4 skipping the stage door bye forever 
” and tagged Rannells.
Rannells shared the post, which included imagery of him on stage. We presume the use of phones is banned within the auditorium. The actor said, “You broke my heart for filming DURING THE SHOW! I will try my best to do the stage door as often as possible. But especially during previews, with rehearsals during the day,” he continued, “I have to think of my health and wellness first.”
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“The entitlement is wild”
Someone took a screenshot Rannells story and shared it on Reddit. Many users thought Rannells responded in the best way possible.
They overwhelmingly thought the fan was acting unreasonably… and a little clueless to post footage of Rannells online and tag them.
“Good for him for responding this way! So weird of the fan 
” was one well-liked response.
“Bye forever? The entitlement is wild. You purchased a ticket to the show, not to a meet and greet after. The performers never have to come out and interact with the fans at the stage door and it is never a problem if they don’t,” said another.
A third said, “Stage performers have to work their asses off and have crazy schedules. I can’t believe they ever stage door. It should be considered a special and unique thing when they DO, not a betrayal when they don’t.”
Others said that meeting lots of fans at the stage door increases the risk of performers catching a bug – which no-one wants to do before opening night.
Stage door stories
Some people shared their own stage door stories.
“I attended an intimate reading of ‘The Normal Heart’ on Fire Island which Andrew [Rannells] was in. He was hanging around after the show for a while and although I could have asked him for an autograph or talked to him, he was talking to his husband so I read the room and didn’t bother him! Actors do not owe you their time!”
Another person shared about a visit to Broadway from the UK, which included seeing the recent revival of Death of a Salesman. They went to the stage door and got their Playbill signed by most of the cast members, but Nathan Lane did not show up.
“I probably spent upwards of $3000 getting to see that play. It’s extremely likely I’ll never get to see Mr Lane tread the boards again. I consider myself a huge fan of his, I had a small bottle of Pirin to give him (I made them at the M&M’s store!) and I was very sad not to meet him. I’m telling you this because no-one (not even my partner that was with me) knows about my disappointment. I’ve kept it to myself. The thought of lambasting an actor on social media (after filming them during their performance!) just because they didn’t stage door is just bizarre. Absolutely major main character syndrome. Andrew is a class act for his response.”
The verdict is clear: Don’t assume you’ll get to meet an actor at the stage door, or believe you’re entitled to do so. And don’t film a no-phones performance and then post it and tag the actor.
Anyway, if you want to catch It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, it’s running from now until January 3 only.
Related
Andrew Rannells pays sweet 60th birthday tribute to Tuc Watkins… with a thirsty beach pic
Watkins is set to play an escort in the upcoming Prime Video rom-com series ‘Escorted’.
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