This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Bryan Klofsky Schmidt: Hi, Brian here. This episode is taken from our Stage Door Stories panel at BroadwayCon. So while the sound may be inconsistent, the fun's pretty consistent. Sorry about that. I couldn't help myself. Enjoy.

[0:23] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Hello, everyone. Welcome to Stage Door Stories with Broadwaysted. I'm Kimberley Cooper Schmidt.

[0:28] Bryan Klofsky Schmidt: I'm Brian Klofsky Schmidt.

[0:33] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: And I'm Kevin Jaeger Schmidt. Thank you.

[0:40] Bryan Klofsky Schmidt: My husband back there is like, yes, I'm married to all of them. It's like the Friends episode where they put our cat after everything.

[0:47] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Yes.

[0:48] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: Yes.

[0:49] Bryan Klofsky Schmidt: Okay. Yes, we do one thing. Friends, friends. Um, on normal days, we are the Broadwaysted podcast. Um, but today we were joined by some very special friends to talk about the stage door. Yay.

[1:12] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Do you want to introduce her?

[1:24] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Right?

[1:26] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: I'm not familiar.

[1:27] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: No.

[1:28] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: And we also have Al Silber with us today.

[1:30] Al Silber: Hello.

[1:32] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: A lot of you might remember her from the Fiddler on the Roof revival. She also has done some amazing work in the West End, and she has a book called After Anatevka that all of you should buy.

[1:42] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Yes.

[1:44] Al Silber: And she wrote an amazing blog post about the stage door.

[1:47] Al Silber: I did have a blog that you should all check out.

[1:49] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: After this.

[1:50] Al Silber: Yeah. Or just read along. I'll link it in my, on my, uh, there's a study guide.

[1:55] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Yeah, there's a study guide.

[1:56] Al Silber: Study guide. And also today we'll have James Monroe Iglehart who is currently on a boat over from Weehawken, I believe.

[2:02] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: Hashtag MTA problems.

[2:05] Al Silber: MTA problems.

[2:07] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: Yeah, he'll genie smoke bomb right in.

[2:09] Al Silber: Yeah, yeah. As we all know, Weehawken at dawn is not the best place to be.

[2:14] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Yeah.

[2:15] Al Silber: But everything is legal in New Jersey.

[2:20] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: So first things first, I guess about the stage door.

[2:22] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: Yeah.

[2:23] Al Silber: What is it?

[2:24] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: I don't know. Can really tell me more.

[2:25] Al Silber: Well, it's a door.

[2:26] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: Like, does it have a car?

[2:27] Al Silber: It doesn't have a car.

[2:29] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Sometimes there are cars.

[2:37] Hayley Podschun: The idea of the stage door started way back. If you look at this, you find this phrase called a stage door Johnny, which is defined as a man who is infatuated with one or more theatrical actresses, which we have here, who routinely lingers in and around theaters in an effort to meet and form relationships with the female object of his affection.

[3:01] Al Silber: So I think it's gotten less creepy over the years. Sometimes maybe a good question to start with is how have you seen, oh, what is your like first memory of the stage door being a thing?

[3:20] Hayley Podschun: Like as a fan.

[3:21] Al Silber: Oh my god.

[3:22] Hayley Podschun: Oh, as a fan. Okay, I can go because my answer is really short.

[3:27] Al Silber: Go.

[3:27] Hayley Podschun: I was so shy as a kid that, um, and I think also because I, uh, when, but my first Broadway shows, I was probably 14. It was the 1998 season. And I probably like all of you, we know, was sitting in suburban Detroit, like going, these people have saved my life, you know, and about that, right? And um, so I just felt too overwhelmed, frankly, to meet any of them face to face, and um, so actually, my relationship with the stage door was not going. Um, interestingly, like, and I'm sure I'll answer this question later, it came as a surprise to me when I became an actor about that relationship because I had never really properly been on the other side of it.

[4:10] Al Silber: My stage door experiences in are are of like adult out, you know what I mean? Where I'm like, I have to just can I quickly meet that person. Not middle out, or like no, no, yeah. Well, you know, and I had, it's interesting. I see what you did. I see what you did there. I um, but I did have like sort of accidental run-ins like in the lobby of the BC E F A bucket things at Ragtime, oh my god, which were sort of like epic, and I have a good story about that. But so yes, I didn't really learn about it until I was on the other side of it.

[4:39] Hayley Podschun: Oh, it was shorts. Mine was I was, I think I was like 10 or 11, and we were here on spring break, and it was like BCE FA collection time, you know. I was like, I gotta get my picture with like the dancers and get the signatures and stuff. And then someone had said, you know, you can go to the stage door, and we were like, what? And it was of Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga, like losing my mind, and um, that's Molly's, oh right, sorry. And um we like went and it, I think, oh maybe this, yeah, it was freezing out, and she signed everyone's playbill, she took a photo with everyone, but it was, it wasn't like crazy crowded, and um I just was so obsessed with her, but it was very small, and then I remember like going at the stage door Footloose, and I like got a photo with um, I think, oh it was Jeremy Kushner, and then like to like grow up, and then like I know Jeremy now, and I showed him the photo from when I was like 10 years old and was like, hey, remember this?

And then I got to interview Lea Salonga on the red carpet, and I printed out the photo of us, and I freaked out and fangirled, and I like stopped being professional, and I was like, Can you please sign this for me? And she was so kind.

[5:53] Al Silber: In the middle of the interview?

[5:56] Hayley Podschun: Yes. You can, I think it's on YouTube, it's um through the Broadway Style Guide um Allegiance opening, and I lost my mind. Um, and I just, I could cry thinking about it right now. So, but it was very small, like it wasn't like a fit. I probably only went to like a few stage doors when I was younger because it wasn't a thing, you know.

[6:17] Al Silber: Yeah. The first one I remember was like accidentally bumping into um, I think it was Matt Kaplan, who was playing Mark at the time in Rent, and we were my friends and I in high school, like all like went to the bathroom or something afterwards, and we're like taking our time, and we walked outside and we both all went he's there. Yeah, and then we like forced ourselves to get a picture with him, and he like put his hand on the small of my back, and I was like, guys, I think we're in love.

[6:38] Hayley Podschun: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I need to come back tomorrow.

[6:40] Al Silber: Yeah. That's amazing. I didn't really know that stage tours and things. I grew up in outside Jacksonville, Florida.

[6:47] James Monroe Iglehart: Um, Florida just got a really big applause.

[6:57] Al Silber: We're all Jaguars fans of work.

[6:59] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah, no, definitely. Hallis was walked in. Please do not let this go to the wonderful stereotype that black people are always late. I am the most untimed black person in the world, but my boat was late, and it was actually white people who did it.

[7:15] Al Silber: So okay. Well, there is a boat show upstairs. Trust me, I know. I felt so lost. There was like two brothers up there, and they were the one telling people where to go. Sir, do you know where you're going? No, I'm part of BroadwayCon. I have no idea what you're doing. Welcome. Have you been to BroadwayCon before?

[7:38] James Monroe Iglehart: Yes, I have. It's awesome. It's my favorite. You just got to channel, by the way.

[7:43] Al Silber: Yeah, you won. Enter the applause out of Ham.

[7:46] James Monroe Iglehart: Thank you very much. We were talking about our first encounter with the stage door as a fan.

[7:51] Al Silber: Oh you remember it all.

[7:53] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah, I do. Um it was, I was about, this is gonna sound really crazy. I was about five years old, and I went to see The Wiz in San Francisco, and uh Ted Ross came out, and I just kind of like froze. And yeah, I was a really hyper kid. You probably could tell by the way I am now. And so, but when he came out, I just kinda like froze. My pops like got my autograph, got an autograph from me. He played the lion in The Wiz, if you don't know. And uh that kind of just started my love for this whole Broadway thing.

[8:23] Al Silber: Your parents like, can you come home with us so he stays calm?

[8:26] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Ted, Ted's pretty hype himself, well, was pretty hype himself. He was probably like, no, I can't, I can't help you, sorry.

[8:35] Al Silber: I think that brings up a good point about tour. Hey, Leon, you've been on tour a lot.

[8:39] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah, in a little show.

[8:41] Al Silber: Um I was on tour with Hairspray from, oh god.

[8:45] James Monroe Iglehart: Um, hold on.

[8:47] Al Silber: Two thousand and five to six.

[8:51] James Monroe Iglehart: I was a fetus.

[9:03] Al Silber: And then, um, then I did Wicked as Glinda from 2013 to 2014.

[9:15] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah. And did they stage door on tour?

[9:18] Al Silber: Oh, yeah. I think now, um, uh in Hairspray, not so much. We'd get like a few people every now and then, but obviously Wicked, like it's been around for so many years. Um, the fan base has grown so much, and the show is so amazing, so it makes sense. Um, but I remember my thing was like I really wanted to stage door every second I could because as a fan myself it was so important and really cool to meet the people that were up on the stage.

[9:46] James Monroe Iglehart: Um, but there were a few times where I was like, I'm really tired and I need to, my job is to do a good job on the stage, so I had to, you know, maybe not go out a few times. But I remember specifically in Houston, Jenny DiNoia, who was my alphabet, um, we would stage door every single show, and they had to start hiring um a security guard because the line was so long um and so many people deep that we would be out there an hour after the show, um, which was the best thing in the world, but like I couldn't do it on a Saturday matinee and having to eat and deal with you know sleepy and acid reflux and sing it was just like a lot.

[10:29] Al Silber: So there was like one Saturday matinee, I couldn't, but my favorite was like seeing the people dressed up, you know. You know, we had people in full green makeup. We had this gal who made a grimmery, and I was like, this is really badass. Like it was, it took a lot of time, and to see that like special fan-ness and love-ness for the show was amazing.

[10:51] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: Do you see a difference between tour and New York?

[10:55] Al Silber: Oh.

[10:56] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: Are there any like customs?

[10:59] Al Silber: I don't think there are like traditions.

[11:01] Kevin Jaeger Schmidt: I don't know.

[11:02] Al Silber: Any sort of like different energy.

[11:04] James Monroe Iglehart: I think like, I mean, if you obviously go to Texas, like everyone talks the same there, so you get like a more generic look and sound of people if you're in a certain state.

[11:16] Al Silber: But you've come to them instead of like your the truth that they have come to you.

[11:20] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah. Um, I don't know. I feel like it's kind of the same. Everyone's just like excited and happy to be there, and yeah. I feel like I let down an answer, but I feel like it's kind of the same. And I know Al, you've done a lot of ego work in the West End.

[11:35] Al Silber: Well, how would you say that the West End stage door differs than the Broadway stage?

[11:39] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh my god.

[11:40] Al Silber: Um besides them being British people. They are British people. Um I'm just gonna so the okay, so I first of all I just want to talk about um my first stage door experience as a professional in the West End was I so my very this is so silly, and I I'm like this is deep Angeloid Weber cuts I'm making right now. But my first job ever was I I went to drama school in Scotland, uh at the Royal Conservatory of Scotland in Glasgow, and I got a job out of there. Two days out of it. Two like yeah, like I actually hadn't quite finished, and I had this is actually this is sort of a ridiculous story. I hadn't quite finished, but I basically played Laura Fairley in The Woman in White in the West End, which is like the the woman white.

Oh my god, the fact that well, you know what? This is the crowd that would be anyway. I was 21, and uh was in my head still a student, and actually what was so hilarious was just as this anecdote between weeks one and two of rehearsal, I had to go back up to Glasgow and like give a report on today, Trevor Nunn said. Um and today Andrew rewrote this song for me and like had no idea what was going on. Like I was just I was like, my god, the budget for the show is like so amazing. Because I didn't really understand what the West End even was. But anyway, because I was still a student in my head, when we finally started playing, I uh I was playing it opposite the great, great, great Ruthie Henshaw.

I know, like who didn't break that Lamez 10th anniversary VHS? Yes, I did. Um, anyway, so uh I can't I would come out and I would I'd be dressed, I would still have like my purple backpack that I had from high school, like dressed as a student, completely unaware that the stage door was a thing I needed to do. Right. Um, and I just remember one day Ruthie taking me aside and she's like, Donning. So stage door is like act three of your job, which I actually thought was like amazing advice, right? And she goes, it it's not that you're getting paid to do it, and it certainly doesn't come with the cost of the ticket, but she's like, you might want to like leave your makeup on and buy a coat that doesn't look like you're still a student.

[13:26] Al Silber: And I was like, who is this homeless woman coming out? Yeah, I mean quite. And and but what was so crazy too was because I had this like long blonde wig, a lot of times people didn't even recognize me and they'd be like, why isn't she coming out? And I would be like, I'm right here, you know, and I'm and I'm five years old. Um but I would say in general, to answer the direct question, I would say that in general, it it's more reserved, and it's not, there's definitely not uh as much of a tradition of it. Um stage dooring, first of all, stage doors are much less accessible in the West End because the you know how in New York we don't have alleyways, as we all all New Yorkers know because it's like the garbage issue of the century of like the last two centuries, I guess.

We don't have alleyways, but of course in London they have all these back alleyways where if you're not careful you'll die. Um or be eaten by a rat or whatever. But um, but all of the stage doors are in this alleyway. So there's like, you know, the people that are like committed to like standing in the alley, it's really intense. In fact, the scariest of them all, this is just like a little tidbit, the scariest of them all is at the Savoy Theater where I play two back to back West End shows, Fiddler, because that's the only musical I ever do, and Carousel. And um, you know, um Fiddler and Carousel were at the Savoy back to back, and the Savoy Theater is actually sinking into the Thames. And um to the point where a hundred years ago, the the ground floor dressing rooms were above the ground and now they're under the ground. It's so much. It's so much they smell so bad. And there is this bar.

[15:30] Al Silber: This I can't believe I'm telling this. There's this bar. In fact, I just got a text today from my friend who's in Dream Girls there now. There's a bar right above the Savoy called the Coal Hole. Which is exactly what you think it is, okay. And literally, behind the coal hole and like downstairs in this like horrific, smelly, rat-infested alley, is the stage door of the Savoy Theater. So it's not for the faint of heart, right? And I I actually thought, whenever I if I ever read a earn that autograph. You gotta earn that autograph, you gotta want it. And I thought, that chapter of my life in like the memoir is definitely called Behind the Coal Hole. Um But I would say in general, it's much more subdued, much more subdued, and I think often uh I think in general, Brit British people are are uh not as effusive, not as ready to share.

They they are more likely to just want an autograph, take a photograph, say and I think there's an element of gratitude about the performance that just occurred rather than the experience of a body of work over time. Um the fanaticism specifically for musical theater in the States is is much, much more intense. I happen to love it, and that's my answer at the end.

[16:49] Al Silber: And uh, question for you. Um can you can you talk about the difference between stage dooring a you know a massive Disney show um versus what you're doing now, Hamilton?

[17:01] James Monroe Iglehart: Um that little show an independent show in Hamilton? I know this is gonna sound really, really uh crazy because there's this uh wonderful and amazing New York um issue with Disney anything. Um but the the energy from the Disney fans and the energy from the Hamilton fans is very similar.

[17:23] Al Silber: Oh my god.

[17:24] James Monroe Iglehart: It is very similar. Um the thing that happens to me uh at both shows, and I think it's interesting, this is not a bad thing. I just always find it so funny. The Disney fans and the Hamilton fans will walk up to you, say your name, and begin to sing your song to you.

[17:40] Al Silber: Wow.

[17:41] James Monroe Iglehart: Like, oh my god, you're the genie! Da da da da. You're like. You know, or you know, or you'll get your walk, you walk up and you go, oh my god, Lafayette, I'm taking this horse for the ring. You're like, wow, these are people serious. Um, but I think that the energy is the same, and the um the intensity of their love for the product is the same. I mean, we have folks that are dressed up like him, for folks dressed up like Lafayette. We have many Skylar sisters. I have seen 15,000 jasmines from five years old to 50 years old. I have seen to see a person come in a genie costume that they have made, when you know what that genie to do the Disneyland genie is different. You know, you paint yourself blue, you put on the blue pants, you have a little thing on your head. But for someone to come and be completely blinged out, I mean, I I just I sat back and I was like, that is the most amazing thing ever.

[18:40] James Monroe Iglehart: And they're so appreciative, both both casts, because they have most people have waited a long time to see Aladdin, people have waited 5,000 years to see Hamilton. Yeah, yeah. So when they finally didn't literally trust me. And I think for me, as as former genie and not Lafayette, the fun part is when the people you realize they don't know my name. But they know I'm genie.

[19:06] Al Silber: Right, yeah.

[19:07] James Monroe Iglehart: So it goes, Genie, oh my god, you were great as Lafayette. And I think that's my favorite. And it also doesn't help that like there was a moment where like there was a genie picture in the playbill. Oh my god. So there's a genie picture of the play bill, and I think my favorite line was this lady from South Carolina. She said, you know, I just have to ask you, how do you do both? I was like, very carefully.

[19:34] Al Silber: Oh my god, that's so bad.

[19:36] James Monroe Iglehart: You know what would be amazing though is if there was like a prank playbill where it was like, it was like Jeannie is thrilled to be here after 10,000 years in the bottle. Do you understand how many times I've done that be great? Because if you've seen if you've seen, if you've seen me in Hamilton, you realize people always say, wow, a lot of thank you. People always look at me, they always go, wow, there's a lot of genie in that. I'm like, actually, no, I'm a lot of genies. So I bring that with me. So when I so when I come out as Jefferson, you can see people like, ah, he's about to do it. I'm like, no, no, wrong song, wrong song. But it's weird that Jefferson entrances through the floor.

[20:15] Al Silber: Yeah, right, right, yeah.

[20:16] James Monroe Iglehart: I asked, I said, yo, man, I gotta come out of a lamp. I just so only I know how to make an entrance. I really only comfortable with that one. But it is, it is really cool that the energy of both casts. They are, they are Disney fans are so they love the product so much, and the ham fans are the same way. So they're very similar. And I think one of the coolest things I've learned is that a lot of kids, their first show was Aladdin.

[20:37] Al Silber: Yeah.

[20:38] James Monroe Iglehart: And now they're coming to see Hamilton.

[20:39] Al Silber: That's so cool.

[20:40] James Monroe Iglehart: And so you see a kid who was 10 when they saw their first Broadway show, and now they're 13, and they come around, they see ham. And it's to see them light up and go, oh my god, you were my first show, it's it's really kind of cool because those kids who loved Disney are now swinging into like a little bit more of a I I know Disney hates when I say this, a little bit more of a mature show. Uh-huh. So if you're any Disney people out there, don't don't text me. Don't hurt me.

[21:04] Al Silber: Well, I don't think it would be a broad waisted day if we didn't play a game.

[21:07] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh my god.

[21:10] Al Silber: I'm ready.

[21:11] James Monroe Iglehart: We're all gonna go to a stage.

[21:14] Al Silber: Follow.

[21:16] James Monroe Iglehart: Um so I'm not game called Merrily We Roll Play Along.

[21:20] Al Silber: Okay.

[21:21] James Monroe Iglehart: And I have the three main roles that you would see at a stage door, which are star, fan, and parent. And so I'm gonna let you each try to blindly click pick pick one.

[21:38] Al Silber: Pick a little, talk a little.

[21:40] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah, yeah.

[21:41] Al Silber: Okay.

[21:43] James Monroe Iglehart: And now I'm gonna I'm gonna shuffle this little show card deck.

[21:48] Al Silber: Oh.

[21:50] Al Silber: Oh.

[21:48] James Monroe Iglehart: And you're gonna pick one of these show cards.

[21:51] James Monroe Iglehart: And then you get to do a fun little play for us as those characters.

[21:54] Al Silber: Oh no.

[22:01] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh my god.

[22:03] Al Silber: My equity card's gonna be ribbed.

[22:07] James Monroe Iglehart: But we need to know what they're stage dooring.

[22:09] Al Silber: So the first musical I hear.

[22:12] James Monroe Iglehart: Hamilton, okay.

[22:13] Al Silber: They're at the stage door of Hamilton.

[22:14] James Monroe Iglehart: Wait, do they have to guess who we are?

[22:16] Al Silber: Oh, we can guess who you are.

[22:17] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh, okay.

[22:18] Al Silber: Okay.

[22:19] James Monroe Iglehart: Hold on.

[22:22] Al Silber: So the I need the rules again.

[22:24] James Monroe Iglehart: Okay.

[22:25] Al Silber: So we okay.

[22:26] James Monroe Iglehart: So you are the card.

[22:28] Al Silber: We are the card.

[22:29] James Monroe Iglehart: Yes.

[22:29] Al Silber: Yes.

[22:29] James Monroe Iglehart: I got it.

[22:32] Al Silber: I got it.

[22:32] James Monroe Iglehart: I got it.

[22:37] Al Silber: Oh, I see.

[22:38] James Monroe Iglehart: So you can share with each other who you are.

[22:38] Al Silber: So you can share with each other so you know who I have to be.

[22:42] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh, that's me. That's me. That's my life. That's my okay.

[22:44] Hayley Podschun: I'm dying. I'm dying.

[22:45] Al Silber: Perfect.

[22:46] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Alright.

[22:48] James Monroe Iglehart: The on brandius thing just happened to me in my life.

[22:51] Hayley Podschun: That's perfect.

[22:41] Al Silber: This is our role, and this is who.

[22:43] James Monroe Iglehart: Yes.

[22:44] Al Silber: That's who you are, yes.

[22:45] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh, I see.

[22:52] Al Silber: So ladies and gentlemen, we're at the stage door of Hamilton. If you'll wait just one minute, our star will be arriving now.

[22:59] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh, hi, hi, hi, hi. Thank you. Thank you guys so much for coming.

[23:07] Unknown speaker: Um, I my daughter loves you. Let me explain. First of all, I mean that the fact that we we we came all the way here from England. I'm not from England, of course, you know that, but she is. It's a long story between me and her father. We don't want to talk about that. But we we love watching. I just want to say that this is a wonderful piece, that it's a it's a tale as old as time. She's just today we came, and it's today, right? Yes, it's wonderful. We just we just had lunch, we just had lunch with a few women, and um I just want to say that we love your your work. We loved your work, and you know, the last time I was on Broadway, Mom replaced me. That is true. That's true. It was a horrible, horrible moment, by the way.

Oh, I came to see you because I wanted to be supportive of my mother. Uh but she's like, like I need your support. I'm sorry, but you but but she couldn't, you couldn't remember the words. Thank you. I hardly remember your name sometimes. This is so very, very sweet of you. Um I am so happy to meet you. Um, you know, I will I can't sign anything today. I've got to go meet some people for dinner, but um, you could see me on television with all of my songs, you know, from the show, from other shows that I've written on the Oscars. Um, so if you tune into that, you'll be able to see it. But I really appreciate you seeing this. Oh, do you need help with some of these awards? Oh, yeah. All right, thank you.

You have so many. And here's the thing so many. I've seen it. I could have easily played the bearded lady. I have one. I don't understand why. Why I wasn't chosen. You know, it's very difficult. By the way, I think by the time it took me to walk to this location today, you think you won another award? I didn't know. I'm pretty sure you have to be. I need my E. Yes, here you are. Thank you. It took me 40 years to just write a speech for the one Tony when I should have gotten five or six for the things I've done in the year. Right, right. And I've lost a lot of them. You have how many Tony, Sweet? I have six. That's all I've got to say. One. I believe Mr. Passig and Mr. Paul need to go home. Yes, I have to wait through a window in my car.

Very good work. Very good work. Oh, I'm sorry. You're right. Ms. Stritch and Ms. Lansbury. Oh. Dame, Dame Angela, please. We all get to the word. Do you want to introduce yourselves? I was Bench Passick and Justin Paul. I was Dame Angela Lansbury. The on Brandus thing just happened. And I was the bad bitch before other bad bitches. I was in Lane Strick. I just want to say, we yes ended that to to Weehawk in. We yes and it's so hard. Can I um if you don't mind, I just want to tell a story that trips me out because I just I just saw them in the audience. Um I was doing a little show called Memphis. There's a moment where when you're an actor and you see a person acting, and you go, I want to do that.

And then there's a first time when you're an actor and you look out in the audience and you can feel an energy from someone, and you can feel that that person is looking at you the same way. They give you that look like, I'm really enjoying what you're doing, but I would kill you to take your job. And it's not a negative thing, you're like, ah, I feel you. And it's really, really cool because I see Dominic in the audience right now. What up? Hi, Dominic. Dominic stage doored Memphis, and uh the young man I've been following his career, he is very good. And you guys need to watch out for that dude because he's probably coming for me. Let's know. So it's really cool to see you, baby. Right, when they revive Memphis.

I saw it three times, I'm obsessed. So I I have a question for the three of you. So stage dooring is essentially waiting outside for somebody to get off work. So if you could stage door another profession, what profession would you stage door and why?

[27:30] James Monroe Iglehart: Okay, I can answer that quickly because I have. And any anybody who's followed my Instagram knows it, and I feel really bad because you know, we all as actors, we all talk crap sometimes about stage dooring. We love it, but we also go, okay, you know, sometimes you get a little tired. Um I have stage doored um SummerSlam, WrestleMania, Raw, SmackDown, NXT. And the wrestlers now know me as the guy from Ham, but trust, when they see me, they're like, ah, hey, oh, hey, Jay's. I'm like, look what up. How you doing? And you know, like stage dooring, broadway, you can like sing a song, but you know, when you stage to a wrestling, you're like, oh my god, and when you do the D D DD T and you just play Souplex that dude, he's like, Yeah, yeah, calm, yeah, calm down, bruh.

So you say their name and do their move. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's it's uh it's a little obsessive now. But they're really cool because it's like there's this really cool exchange program we have. You know, I get them ticks to him, I get ticks to them. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was in Vini Box. I was at Raw 25 last Monday, so like that's that's my stage doors, usually.

[28:37] Hayley Podschun: James is I would stage door Neil deGrasse Tyson's so hard. Yeah. He was just at the show doing that. I hello, Dolly, and I got a photo with him. When I met him at filler, I was like, this is the second best day of my life. Because Angela came and I actually was like, now I can die. Now I can die. Yeah, but I love him. I love science, I love space, I love all that. Mine would be like uh like a chef restaurant or something. Like, I don't know how in God's name, but Richard Blaze. Anyone know Richard Blaze Top Chef? Like molecular gastronomy. He recently liked three photos of mine on Instagram, and you I like lost my mind. I screenshotted it, I texted it to my friend Um Ryan, who like know we like love Top Chef, and I was losing my mind.

And um, I love like a restaurant week moment. Um, but I will also, I've done this before. I'll go to like any place that a real housewife eats at so I can see them. You should come to my neighborhood. So this is stage store someone's house. No, I'll stage tour a restaurant and then just be like, oh, maybe they'll be here. But no, I never approach. I just look from afar. Uh-huh. I'm too nervous. I would stage on my local deli. Yeah. Um because the way that those guys just handle like two o'clock in the morning orders and just like with all the drunk people and whipping them out. Yeah. And like I just want to go after and be like, you're amazing. Yeah, congratulations. Like, you're a job. First of all, my sandwich was fantastic.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Second of all, I saw that other person and you handled it so well. Style was wonderful. You lost them for a little bit, they came back to you. You know what? But this brings up a really interesting point. It I I don't know if you guys feel this way. It is so bizarre to me that we're the only profession that gets a round of applause at the end of the shift. Yes. You know, like when we come to our job. Right. Like, like, thank you for coming and and good night. But like, you know, you want to applaud the deli guy. Like, that was very good. That was a good tune amount. But people would look at you weird if you applauded. I know. I just think it's a good idea. Look, I do I do applaud um uh Starbucks folks.

Oh, yeah. I have to. Because you hear people order the weirdest things and they get mad about stuff. So when they do it right and they handle it, I'm like, yo, um, good job, bro. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know how you did that, because I would show somebody. That's intense. But would you guys stage tour? I was trying to think. I would stage door the Reese factory and just give everyone a high five and like you're not just making regular ECs, you got PCs now. Yeah, it's like they do all like the holidays, like they do all you're like, way to put peanut butter and chocolate together. I personally am I right? I personally find the the egg the best of all ratios. Right? The egg the egg is like the perfect ratio texture situation itself. Someone once gave me a ginormous one of an actual word. Oh.

[31:48] Unknown speaker: I don't know. I don't know because there's nothing. I did it with a fork and knife. Like a Reese's. I love what we got on this. The Reese's peanut butter cup with the Reese's pieces inside. You never seen this? No. Oh Lord Jesus. Okay, fat people talk. Listen.

[32:07] Unknown speaker: There's a Reese's peanut butter cup with Reese's pieces in it. And I mean, it's the kind of thing, there's two of them. You know, they always want you to share. That's one of you look at your friend, you're like, you need to buy your own. Yeah. You will not be getting one of these. I bought two packs. One is one with Jesse. You can buy the buffer packs. Um I think I would stay in store like a surgeon. Oh. Like, you did a very good job today. Yeah. I would just like to ask them. But only high-five them after they're done. Right. Yeah. Like an elbow. Oh, from young Frankenstein with uh with the elf. Okay, no. I'm with you. I'm I'm I'm not sure. Okay. Yeah, I was like, ooh, I don't know. Um, Kevin, I believe you were once recognized after a performance. Would you like to tell this story?

[32:58] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah, okay. So, uh, back in my after days, I did a tour of a children's show called Schoolhouse Rock Live.

[33:06] Audience: Yes.

[33:07] James Monroe Iglehart: Woo!

[33:09] Audience: Love that show!

[33:10] James Monroe Iglehart: Me too. I played the bill.

[33:12] Audience: Yes.

[33:15] James Monroe Iglehart: That's basically Hamilton 1.0.

[33:18] Audience: Yes, basically.

[33:19] James Monroe Iglehart: Basically, and I wore a giant styrofoam costume in my face, and enough space to see my big red shoes as I was kicking. Like it was a whole thing. So anyway, we did this big show for like all these schools who've been busting to the theater. And so after the show, it was a really fancy tour, so all the actors had to load our stuff back onto the truck.

[33:43] James Monroe Iglehart: And surprisingly enough, I was the largest actor on this tour. And there were a lot of like itty bitty girls and itty bitty boys, and then I was like the big giant Bill Joke. Um, so it was my job to pick up our big soundbox and put it into the back of our big band. And I would do it by myself because it took like six of them to hold one side, and I was like, I got this. So I picked up this like giant soundbox and put it in the back.

[34:09] James Monroe Iglehart: And this was just as a group of kids had finished getting onto a bus. And this little boy, who's probably like six or seven years old, saw me do this, puts down the window of the bus, puts his finger out and points at me and yells, "Ogre!" as loud as he could, and then the entire bus erupted in laughter and started chanting "ogre" out the window at me.

[34:38] James Monroe Iglehart: And the rest of my castmates all just fell to the ground laughing.

[34:43] Al Silber: And I'm just standing there trying to figure out how I can get out of this little sh without saying something like that, because I'm on my job, so I yelled, go home.

[34:55] Al Silber: And my castmate was like through like tears of laughter. She was like, He's on a bus, he's going home.

[35:03] Al Silber: Had Shrek even been a musical yet?

[35:05] James Monroe Iglehart: No.

[35:06] Al Silber: So when Shrek became a musical, it became the thing that like some of my friends, like every birthday, every Christmas, I get a Shrek memorable.

[35:17] Al Silber: So my entire apartment basically is covered with like beware the ogre.

[35:22] Al Silber: And like some of my close friends still actually text, like, hey Ogre, what's up? Because this is like seven-year-old little shit.

[35:29] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh my gosh.

[35:31] Al Silber: Entertained the whole bus.

[35:33] James Monroe Iglehart: He probably like ran down the bus, high-five, and everybody.

[35:36] Al Silber: Everybody's like, and the other side of that story is like, and I called him an ogre, and I was popular forever.

[35:46] Al Silber: But that was my station.

[35:48] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: That is so great.

[35:53] Al Silber: I was really proud of myself.

[35:54] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Oh my god, that story is not good old.

[35:58] Al Silber: So good.

[35:59] Al Silber: Um god, what's the other thing?

[36:01] Al Silber: He's probably listening to your show.

[36:04] Al Silber: He's probably following you.

[36:05] James Monroe Iglehart: He's like, I'm gonna wait for perfectly for two reasons.

[36:12] Al Silber: I'll know it's you.

[36:13] James Monroe Iglehart: Yes.

[36:13] Al Silber: But now I'm gonna get like 30,000.

[36:15] James Monroe Iglehart: Right, right.

[36:16] Al Silber: It was you the whole time.

[36:19] James Monroe Iglehart: That's so funny.

[36:20] Al Silber: Stage drawing used to just be autographs, and then it became can I take a picture with you?

[36:24] Al Silber: Um now it's a lot of selfies.

[36:27] Kimberly Cooper Schmidt: Do you have tricks for a perfect stage door selfie?

[36:30] Al Silber: Oh my god, yes.

[36:31] Al Silber: Okay, yes.

[36:33] Al Silber: Um, well, when I was when I was uh doing Fiddler, I would first of all I you gotta come up with a good hashtag.

[36:39] Al Silber: So I came up with Cidal Selfie.

[36:43] Al Silber: Nice.

[36:43] Al Silber: Um so the I think the real key is first of all, you gotta find a light source, right?

[36:48] Al Silber: So you look, you look at or into the light source, you get it up, you gotta go up, gotta go up, right?

[36:55] Al Silber: Um and I think uh and you gotta go up and you basically it's up and into the light, right?

[37:00] Al Silber: But um some another thing is if there's multiple people, this is a really good tip, um, especially for people that are not used to selfie taking.

[37:07] Al Silber: The whole point of a selfie, if you can see yourself in the frame, you're in the photo.

[37:15] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah, uh-huh.

[37:17] Al Silber: There's no guessing, you know, it's not like a you know, um, so that's a that's another really good tip for people that might not know.

[37:23] Al Silber: And then uh just a little top tip about taking photos, that if you want to take a photo, make sure this is just I like this, you know, always make sure you got a pen and this, but always make sure that your camera is ready to go.

[37:34] Al Silber: Um, because it's always hard when you're nervous and doing all those things to um prepare it while you're nervous.

[37:42] Al Silber: But that's it.

[37:43] Al Silber: Anybody else?

[37:43] James Monroe Iglehart: The secret to at least for me to take it to selfie is uh I I s I politely say, hey, let me do it.

[37:49] Al Silber: Yeah, yeah.

[37:51] James Monroe Iglehart: Yes.

[37:52] James Monroe Iglehart: Yes, because most of it's most of the time.

[37:55] James Monroe Iglehart: Um I just unfortunately I just have abnormally long arms.

[37:59] James Monroe Iglehart: My mom wants to say that.

[38:00] James Monroe Iglehart: So I could take it, I'll I'll take it and I'll get us all in.

[38:03] James Monroe Iglehart: So I, you know, I go back and that's you know, if we do it that way, you know fine.

[38:07] James Monroe Iglehart: So that's I basically just kind of like just ask, can I do it?

[38:09] James Monroe Iglehart: Because it's fun to watch.

[38:11] James Monroe Iglehart: Whenever they give it to me, whenever they give it to dad, I don't know what happens to us.

[38:11] James Monroe Iglehart: I don't know what happened to us when we become fathers.

[38:18] James Monroe Iglehart: We just just technology, unless it's our TV, we have no idea what we're doing.

[38:24] Al Silber: You're the first shutting down.

[38:26] James Monroe Iglehart: Take a pinch of that.

[38:27] Al Silber: Oh, up, I'll go on your Instagram.

[38:29] James Monroe Iglehart: Okay, wait, oh I don't know who that is.

[38:31] Al Silber: Um somebody's texting!

[38:32] James Monroe Iglehart: You're like, no, give it a power!

[38:34] Al Silber: Yes.

[38:37] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh real.

[38:39] James Monroe Iglehart: I mean I'm usually just really quick with it.

[38:40] James Monroe Iglehart: I'm always just like, yeah, let's go.

[38:42] James Monroe Iglehart: Because, you know, like I I like to get home.

[38:45] James Monroe Iglehart: Um I really like my couch.

[38:48] James Monroe Iglehart: Um, but I I don't know why.

[38:50] James Monroe Iglehart: This is just, I don't know, maybe I I have an old soul, but like, I would I don't like it when people say selfie.

[38:57] James Monroe Iglehart: I know that's like a selfie.

[38:59] James Monroe Iglehart: Can you take a photo?

[39:00] James Monroe Iglehart: I'll take a photo with you.

[39:02] James Monroe Iglehart: Like, let's like, I don't know.

[39:04] James Monroe Iglehart: Selfie, I'm like, it's a photo.

[39:06] James Monroe Iglehart: Like selfie kind of implies one person.

[39:11] Al Silber: Yeah, yeah, actually, that's true.

[39:12] James Monroe Iglehart: It also implies like duck lips of some kind.

[39:15] Al Silber: Yeah, I I feel like the selfie thing is like because you turn it around on you.

[39:19] James Monroe Iglehart: Yes, you know?

[39:20] Al Silber: But I don't know.

[39:21] Al Silber: I'm almost like is it me?

[39:22] Al Silber: Maybe I've maybe I'm too sorry, I didn't mean to run such a shit.

[39:24] James Monroe Iglehart: No, that's it.

[39:24] Al Silber: Maybe I'm maybe I'm too old, but there's this thing that like you can tell how old you are by how the selfie is taken.

[39:31] James Monroe Iglehart: Yes.

[39:31] Al Silber: Like if your if you and the person you're in, if their whole face is in the selfie, the person is probably 27 and up.

[39:40] James Monroe Iglehart: If the kid takes it, somehow kids always want to take like half their face.

[39:45] James Monroe Iglehart: They're like, get the selfie with me.

[39:46] James Monroe Iglehart: And they always do it, like when they angle it to like half their faces.

[39:49] Al Silber: You're like, but you're not in the selfie.

[39:50] James Monroe Iglehart: Oh no, I got it.

[39:51] Al Silber: And I'm like, okay, that's a generation thing.

[39:53] Al Silber: I don't want to say that.

[39:55] Al Silber: Because I'm so conceited.

[39:56] Al Silber: I want my whole face in the picture.

[39:59] James Monroe Iglehart: They're like, you're like, hold on, hold on, hold on.

[40:01] James Monroe Iglehart: Yeah, yeah, there we go.

[40:02] James Monroe Iglehart: Bam!

[40:03] Al Silber: And you're like, and you know when you get home, you see, it's gonna be like, she's gonna put like a cat face on you, and you're like, go.

[40:14] Al Silber: I'm just remembering like my digital camera I would bring to the stage door.

[40:18] Al Silber: Oh, yeah, in like high school and college.

[40:20] Al Silber: I bought the digital camera specifically because it had a teensy tiny little mirror next to the what is that called?

[40:27] Al Silber: The lens.

[40:28] James Monroe Iglehart: I don't know.

[40:29] Al Silber: Yeah, that's where they took the picture.

[40:32] Al Silber: And like it was like this warped mirror.

[40:35] Al Silber: So you could see what was gonna be in the photo.

[40:37] Al Silber: And I thought it was the coolest thing.

[40:40] James Monroe Iglehart: And then now it's like, oh my phone.

[40:42] Al Silber: I have a disposable one.

[40:44] James Monroe Iglehart: Disposable camera.

[40:46] Al Silber: Yeah.

[40:47] Al Silber: That was kind of the joints of the 90s, though.

[40:50] Al Silber: I don't know.

[40:50] Al Silber: Wait, there's something that this reminded me of though that I think is a really important, like serious stage door point for a second.

[40:57] Al Silber: So that's so me.

[40:58] Al Silber: I'm like, let's get serious and talk about our feelings.

[41:01] Al Silber: Um but I do want to say one of the things that I do think is a really important thing to keep in mind about stage door.

[41:07] Al Silber: Um I think just going to this whole concept of technology and everything, I do think that the word I I'm I'm a writer as well, and so language matters a lot to me.

[41:15] Al Silber: The word friend has been exploded in this culture by Facebook, by all of it, right?

[41:20] Al Silber: I I I tend to think that the word follower is clearer in that respect, right?

[41:25] Al Silber: Um, but I want to just say that it's very important to realize that we performers that we're people too, and that friendly is not friendship, right?

[41:35] Al Silber: That it's a very important thing to realize that you I I like to say this, some people tell me it sounds kind of insane, but um for for me, friendship is is a person with whom I they have borne witness to my inner life.

[41:49] Al Silber: They've they've borne witness to that.

[41:50] Al Silber: That it's been earned, trust has been earned.

[41:53] Al Silber: And I think that it's really important to realize that you might be meeting Alexandra Silber, but Al is is sacred.

[42:00] Al Silber: And so just to keep in mind that those boundaries i i that if there's a friendly vibe that's that might authentically be our personality, but it's not necessarily a pass for friendship.

[42:11] Al Silber: Does that make sense?

[42:11] Al Silber: That difference?

[42:12] Al Silber: It's always an important thing to keep in mind.

[42:15] Al Silber: I had that kind of written down that I was like, you're meeting the person behind the role, but also like always give in mind you're meeting a person.

[42:22] Hayley Podschun: Yeah, it's very funny.

[42:23] Hayley Podschun: I also think it was interesting because that kind of goes along with uh the West End stage door.

[42:27] Hayley Podschun: Yeah.

[42:27] Hayley Podschun: In terms of like, because when I was in London and and the stage doors were very empty.

[42:32] Hayley Podschun: Yeah.

[42:32] Hayley Podschun: But we wanted, you know, I was in theater school, so we were we were interested in like the the thing, the roles, and and and I saw this show that was taking place in America, and like they knew Americans were in the audience because we were laughing at the jokes that nobody else had.

[42:45] Al Silber: Right, right, right, totally.

[42:57] Hayley Podschun: Nev Campbell was in it too.

[42:58] Hayley Podschun: It was a 90-minute no, uh, no, but yeah.

[43:02] Hayley Podschun: But it was just it was just interesting that like you say like they knew the um the Americans were in the audience.

[43:08] Hayley Podschun: So I did I like you could tell that they definitely had a different um mentality walking out when they knew that Americans might be there.

[43:14] Hayley Podschun: But then we happened to be theater kids and they they we we wanted to hear about the specific like performances and stuff like that.

[43:20] Hayley Podschun: So that's a totally interesting um kind of juxtaposition.

[43:23] Al Silber: For sure.

[43:24] Al Silber: Also, um if you happen to uh get tickets to Hamilton, just so this is something I would I noticed it at Disney too, but uh if you're not a wrestler.

[43:31] James Monroe Iglehart: Right, you're not a wrestler.

[43:32] Al Silber: Uh if you go if you go to di if you go to any stage door, I shouldn't say Aladdin or Hamilton, if you go, I know that folks get hyped and you should be excited to hype don't don't push.

[43:45] Al Silber: Just it's 'cause it and it it's always funny because the people who push are not the kids.

[43:50] James Monroe Iglehart: It is the parents who push their way through.

[43:52] Al Silber: And you always feel so bad because you see the kid have this look of just being mortified.

[43:58] James Monroe Iglehart: Right.

[44:01] James Monroe Iglehart: And I and I when I when I when I walk out when I walk out of the door, I always go, yo, I I will get everybody.

[44:09] James Monroe Iglehart: I promise I will not miss a soul.

[44:10] James Monroe Iglehart: And I make sure I go to every person because you can see folks coming in with the phones and they are like, parents are bum, you know, ready to bug rush me.

[44:17] James Monroe Iglehart: It's like it's like you can forget NFL.

[44:20] James Monroe Iglehart: There's nothing like a mom who wants to get her daughter in a picture.

[44:23] Al Silber: But I do um another thought that came to my head was, um I like when people tell me that they've like seen the show before or like, hey, we've met you I've met you before.

[44:32] Hayley Podschun: Uh huh.

[44:32] James Monroe Iglehart: I saw you in the I don't know, it's just there was a girl who came to Hello Dolly the other day and she's like, I saw you in Wicked at this city, and I was like, Oh my gosh, like, oh my god, hi, there you are.

[44:45] James Monroe Iglehart: But like that was so exciting to me because it really remember, like, we met in Cleveland and I was like, oh my god, I love Cleveland.

[44:51] Al Silber: So like I don't know if that broad wasted everyone.

[44:59] Al Silber: But like I really like knowing when I've met people before 'cause it makes me excited to like re meet you and um yeah, I just think that's fun.

[45:08] Hayley Podschun: Hi.

[45:09] Hayley Podschun: Yeah.

[45:10] Al Silber: That was perfect.

[45:11] Al Silber: Yes.

[45:12] Al Silber: There is more than one exit to almost every Broadway theater.

[45:15] Al Silber: Yeah.

[45:16] Al Silber: And if you don't see them, it's usually because someone is running to a train, running to a boat, running home to be with their kid or something.

[45:23] Al Silber: Or unwell.

[45:25] Al Silber: But there there's there yeah, there's always like little secret James Bond entrances and exits that people go.

[45:32] James Monroe Iglehart: God, I wish.

[45:35] Al Silber: Because the, I mean, this is a good point though, because of course, again, we're human beings, and that the the ultimate priority is is preserving the quality of the show itself.

[45:43] Al Silber: You know, and if we if we're sick or we have to, it's it's not responsible for us to meet a lot of people or be outside in the cold.

[45:49] James Monroe Iglehart: I'll just say, wrap it up.

[45:50] Al Silber: We love the stage door.

[45:51] Al Silber: We love everyone.

[45:54] Al Silber: Can we take a selfie together?

[46:01] James Monroe Iglehart: Of course.