3,059 posts
|
Post by Dr Tom on Jul 12, 2021 14:24:01 GMT
I've seen Biggins in his pants... It could be worse. He could have been in someone else's pants... I sat behind Biggins at the Southwark Playhouse once. He was talking to everyone who wanted to meet him and he seemed lovely.
|
|
|
Post by vickyg on Jul 12, 2021 14:35:52 GMT
Nicole Kidman in Photograph 51 Maggie Smith in A German Life Gillian Anderson in everything she's done on stage in London Vanessa Redgrave, fleetingly, in The Inheritance Juliet Stevenson and Lia Williams in a number of things Gina McKee in Boudicca Sienna Miller in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Emma Thompson in Sweeny Todd
I absolutely hated Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, so much so that I don't have any objective view of the performances and Vanessa Redgrave really could have been anyone but other than that I don't think I've been disappointed by a 'star' on stage from the above list. Gillian Anderson blew me away in Streetcar, but I love her and am 100% biased!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2021 14:47:13 GMT
On one hand I would say Ian McKellen on his one-man show tour…the other Freddie Flintoff in Fat Friends The Musical.
|
|
1,330 posts
|
Post by CG on the loose on Jul 12, 2021 16:15:27 GMT
My entirely subjective criteria for this are 'theatre royalty' and actors I know primarily for their film/TV work (and I'm bound to have forgotten some):
Stockard Channing - Apologia Glenn Close - Sunset Tyne Daly - Master Class Charles Dance - Shadowlands Dame Judi Dench - with Ben Wishaw in Peter and Alice and with Ken Brannagh in The Winter's Tale (and many years ago in Cymbeline) Danny DeVito and Richard Griffith - Sunshine Boys Rupert Everett - Judas Kiss, Amadeus Joseph Fiennes - Ross Kelsey Grammer - Big Fish Sheila Hancock - with James Nesbitt in This Is My Family Nicole Kidman - Photograph 51 Penelope Keith - Mrs Pat, The Chalk Garden Jude Law - Henry V Sir Ian McKellan - Waiting for Godot, King Lear, 80th Birthday tour (and Hamlet in Windsor if it's not COVID hit!) Alfred Molina - Red Mark Rylance - Jerusalem, Nice Fish, Farinelli and the King Richard Schiff - Smash! Juliet Stevenson - Wings Kathleen Turner - Bakersfield Mist, Finding My Voice Julie Walters - The Last of the Haussmans
|
|
1,445 posts
|
Post by steve10086 on Jul 12, 2021 16:58:05 GMT
I've seen Biggins in his pants... It could be worse. He could have been in someone else's pants... I sat behind Biggins at the Southwark Playhouse once. He was talking to everyone who wanted to meet him and he seemed lovely. Was also lovely when he was in the audience at Regents Park when I was there. Again, happy to talk and take pics etc. Very nice.
|
|
7,498 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by alece10 on Jul 12, 2021 17:33:15 GMT
I remember at a press night once Paul O'Grady and EP were sat together, Biggin came in expecting to be sat with them but he was seated the other side of the theatre. He was not happy. Saying that he is a really nice man and always very friendly.
|
|
|
Post by crabtree on Jul 13, 2021 9:05:39 GMT
A casual supper with Rudolph Nureyev after a performance was pretty special. Of all the names listed above, I'd loved to have Ethel Merman.
|
|
90 posts
|
Post by mrbluesky on Jul 13, 2021 9:50:57 GMT
Seen quite a few celebs on stage during my theatre-going life, but some of the biggest were definitely: Dame Maggie Smith in A German Life Dame Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit Dame Judi Dench and Ken Branagh in A Winter's Tale Sir Ian McKellan in his one man 80th Birthday Tour Sir Derek Jacobi in Romeo and Juliet Dame Emma Thompson in Sweeney Todd Patti LuPone in Company
Probably think of more later!
|
|
572 posts
|
Post by princeton on Jul 13, 2021 11:03:02 GMT
Meryl Streep as Arkadina in The Seagull at the Delacorte Theatre. She did a cartwheel!
|
|
155 posts
|
Post by bee on Jul 13, 2021 19:49:49 GMT
Bradley Cooper is probably the biggest "star" I've seen in the theatre. In terms of pop/rock possibly Freddie Mercury or Bruce Sprinsteen. I've seen The Rolling Stones but that was in the middle of a field and they were a good 100 yards away so I'm not sure that counts.
|
|
1,846 posts
|
Post by NeilVHughes on Jul 13, 2021 20:28:00 GMT
The first time I really felt that I was in the presence of pop/rock royalty was Roger Taylor when his solo band The Cross played Rock City in Nottingham in 1988. Believe it was a Wednesday night and there were only a few hundred people there and when he played some of his Queen songs it was magical.
This was someone who I’d only seen in a stadium gig before, Queen were one of my seminal bands from the time I first heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio as a six year old and more or less stole my brothers copy of A Night at the Opera LP which I played it to death and still love to this day.
|
|
152 posts
|
Post by alnoor on Jul 13, 2021 20:30:50 GMT
Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd in Three Days of Rain Frances McDormand and Morgan Freeman in The Country Girl But the best Paul Newman in Our Town All of the above on Broadway Those were the days for me
|
|
2,206 posts
|
Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 14, 2021 7:50:47 GMT
Saw Spacey a good few times at the Old Vic
|
|
73 posts
|
Post by digipal on Jul 14, 2021 11:27:06 GMT
Fay Dunaway - Circe & Bravo Patti LuPone - Sunset Madonna - Up For Grabs Glenn Close - Sunset Bette Midler - Hello Dolly
|
|
7,498 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by alece10 on Jul 14, 2021 15:51:41 GMT
Saw Spacey a good few times at the Old Vic And lending his phone out on Clapham Common! He was always hanging around the bar at the Old Vic.
|
|
1,316 posts
|
Post by tmesis on Jul 14, 2021 19:16:20 GMT
It's not until. I started thinking of this that I realised quite how many 'big names' I've seen so here goes:
Hollywood/Broadway
Matt Damon Casey Affleck Summer Phoenix Glenn Close Betty Buckley Patti LuPone Mandy Patinkin Elaine Stritch Cate Blanchett Bryan Cranston Nathan Lane
British (male)
Derek Jacobi Ian Mckellen Jeremy Irons Jude Law Ben Wishaw Anthony Andrews Kenneth Branagh Taron Egerton Ralph Fiennes Michael Gambon Martin Clunes Richard Briers Paul Eddington Anthony Sher Jonathan Pryce
British (female)
Judi Dench Maggie Smith Eileen Atkins Diana Rigg Penelope Keith Julie Walters Helen Mirren Victoria Wood (as Mrs Overall!) Zoe Wanamaker Anne Reid Penelope Wilton Emma Thompson Vanessa Redgrave Harriet Walter Olivia Coleman Fiona Shaw
Comedy 'ledgends' seen in panto or 'end of the pier' shows as a child.
Morecambe and Wise Les Dawson Ken Dodd Hilda Baker Jimmy Jewel Bob Monkhouse Jimmy Tarbuck
Opera Singers
Luciano Pavarotti Placido Domingo Jose Carreras Montserrat Caballe Kiri Te Kanawa Joan Sutherland Bryn Terfel Janet Baker (and loads more)
Ballet dancers
Darcey Bussell Carlos Acosta Merle Park Wayne Eagling Anthony Dowell (and loads more)
International conductors
Leonard Bernstein John Barbirolli Georg Solti Daniel Barenboim Carlos Kleiber Herbert Von Karajan (and others)
There's bound to to be a few I've missed...
|
|
874 posts
|
Post by daisy24601 on Jul 14, 2021 21:21:26 GMT
I haven't seen many. Probably Kelsey Grammer is the most famous.
|
|
211 posts
|
Post by BoOverall on Jul 16, 2021 6:56:52 GMT
Somehow feeling I need to exclude Caprice in Rent……shudders at the memory…..my fondest memories include:
- Saint Patti in Sunset and Gypsy (how I wish I had my camera!) - Glenn Close in Sunset - Liza Minelli in Victor, Victoria - Judi Dench in A Little Night Music - Caroline O’Connor at Charing Cross - the theatre, not in Gregg’s on the station - Maggie Smith in my hubby’s parents’ garden for his dad’s retirement bash. Not a theatrical performance, but that was the first time I had been really star-struck!.
|
|
1,197 posts
|
Post by theatrefan77 on Jul 16, 2021 9:07:33 GMT
Just a few of my favourites:
Rita Moreno - Sunset Boulevard Richard Dreyfuss & Marsha Mason - The Prisoner of Second Avenue Jessica Lange - A Streetcar Named Desire Glenn Close - A Streetcar Named Desire Cate Blanchett - Plenty Ian Mckellen - King Lear Jeremy Irons & Leslie Manville - Long Day's Journey Into Night Kenneth Branagh & Judy Dench - A Winter's Tale Ralph Fiennes - Man and Superman Jonathan Pryce - The Goat or Who's Silvia? Maggie Smith - Lady in the Van Julie Walters - All My Sons Helen Mirren - The Audience Vanessa Redgrave - The Year of Magical Thinking Liza Minnelli at Royal Albert Hall
Some of these actors I have seen more than once, I've just selected the performances I enjoyed more.
|
|
90 posts
|
Post by mrbluesky on Jul 16, 2021 9:41:32 GMT
Just a few of my favourites:
Rita Moreno - Sunset Boulevard Richard Dreyfuss & Marsha Mason - The Prisoner of Second Avenue Jessica Lange - A Streetcar Named Desire Glenn Close - A Streetcar Named Desire Cate Blanchett - Plenty Ian Mckellen - King Lear Jeremy Irons & Leslie Manville - Long Day's Journey Into Night Kenneth Branagh & Judy Dench - A Winter's Tale Ralph Fiennes - Man and Superman Jonathan Pryce - The Goat or Who's Silvia? Maggie Smith - Lady in the Van Julie Walters - All My SonsHelen Mirren - The Audience Vanessa Redgrave - The Year of Magical Thinking Liza Minnelli at Royal Albert Hall
Some of these actors I have seen more than once, I've just selected the performances I enjoyed more. Julie Walters must have been great in All My Sons!! Insanely jealous you got to see her!
|
|
2,206 posts
|
Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 16, 2021 9:46:08 GMT
Just a few of my favourites:
Rita Moreno - Sunset Boulevard Richard Dreyfuss & Marsha Mason - The Prisoner of Second Avenue Jessica Lange - A Streetcar Named Desire Glenn Close - A Streetcar Named Desire Cate Blanchett - Plenty Ian Mckellen - King Lear Jeremy Irons & Leslie Manville - Long Day's Journey Into Night Kenneth Branagh & Judy Dench - A Winter's Tale Ralph Fiennes - Man and Superman Jonathan Pryce - The Goat or Who's Silvia? Maggie Smith - Lady in the Van Julie Walters - All My SonsHelen Mirren - The Audience Vanessa Redgrave - The Year of Magical Thinking Liza Minnelli at Royal Albert Hall
Some of these actors I have seen more than once, I've just selected the performances I enjoyed more. Julie Walters must have been great in All My Sons!! Insanely jealous you got to see her! I was also jealous of Glenn Close in Streetcar
|
|
1,197 posts
|
Post by theatrefan77 on Jul 16, 2021 12:47:28 GMT
Just a few of my favourites:
Rita Moreno - Sunset Boulevard Richard Dreyfuss & Marsha Mason - The Prisoner of Second Avenue Jessica Lange - A Streetcar Named Desire Glenn Close - A Streetcar Named Desire Cate Blanchett - Plenty Ian Mckellen - King Lear Jeremy Irons & Leslie Manville - Long Day's Journey Into Night Kenneth Branagh & Judy Dench - A Winter's Tale Ralph Fiennes - Man and Superman Jonathan Pryce - The Goat or Who's Silvia? Maggie Smith - Lady in the Van Julie Walters - All My SonsHelen Mirren - The Audience Vanessa Redgrave - The Year of Magical Thinking Liza Minnelli at Royal Albert Hall
Some of these actors I have seen more than once, I've just selected the performances I enjoyed more. Julie Walters must have been great in All My Sons!! Insanely jealous you got to see her! She was truly excellent in a part so different to the ones she normally plays, and won an Olivier for it. It played at the Cottesloe -now Dorfman-. I remember getting up really early to queue for day seats as it was completely sold out.
Also saw Walters in The Last of the Haussmans and Acorn Antiques the Musical, but my favourite of her performances on stage is still All My Sons.
|
|
1,197 posts
|
Post by theatrefan77 on Jul 16, 2021 12:55:51 GMT
Julie Walters must have been great in All My Sons!! Insanely jealous you got to see her! I was also jealous of Glenn Close in Streetcar
Also saw her in Sunset Boulevard and she was also great, but her Blanche Dubois made a much bigger impact and I will always remember it. I wish they had done a live recording of it
|
|
2,206 posts
|
Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 16, 2021 13:26:33 GMT
I was also jealous of Glenn Close in Streetcar
Also saw her in Sunset Boulevard and she was also great, but her Blanche Dubois made a much bigger impact and I will always remember it. I wish they had done a live recording of it
I saw Glenn Close at the Public Theater, New York in Mother of the Maid. About 30 minutes in she stopped the performance. There was lots of banging, apparently set building in another part of the venue. During the small break she conducted an impromptu conversation with audience. She was great and despite the interruption, nobody else got what we got that night. Audience in the palm of her hand. Joy to see
|
|
|
Post by jojo on Jul 18, 2021 15:21:13 GMT
I like to convince myself I'm that fussed about seeing a 'celebrity' on stage, but have to admit to getting a bit of a thrill when I realise the cast features someone from a tv show I was a fan of. Growing up in Scotland, we always used to check the programme to see how many cast members had appeared in Taggart for a fun pre-curtain game.
Who counts as the biggest celebrity I've seen is probably age dependent, but for me it would be Christian Slater in an Edinburgh Fringe version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". The run was delayed because he had chicken pox, so by accident we caught the first performance, which was billed as a dress/technical rehearsal open to the public as we were entitled to a full refund (as if). I was impressed with how polished it was, with a couple of minor prop/costume mistakes - a missing packet of cigarettes and Slater was wearing some non-period authentic shiny boxer shorts adding to the experience.
Like several others here, I saw Ian McKellen in his one man show and my niece was particularly impressed when I told her I'd seen Professor Umbridge aka Imelda Staunton in Gypsy (and previously Sweeney Todd).
Not in a theatre, but he's an actor, this thread has reminded me of the time I saw Keanu Reeves in his band in a big tent at a music festival. I had a position next to a particularly tall NME photographer who was one of the few men in the audience and was clearly annoyed at being the experience as he tutted his way through the set. Which reminds me, Will Smith appeared on stage with Calvin Harris at T in the Park a few years ago, but he was a long way away and it could have been anyone if I'm honest.
|
|
4,038 posts
|
Post by kathryn on Jul 18, 2021 16:46:00 GMT
Funny thing about celebrity is that it waxes and wanes so much that the answer changes over time.
Which is bigger of these 3?
Ewan McGregor Chiwetel Ejiofor Tom Hiddleston
At the time I saw them on stage together, Ewan had just done Star Wars, you probably has to be a bit of a theatre geek to know who Chiwetel was, and Tom was a total unknown.
I saw Kathleen Turner on stage once. It was a free ticket from a papering club and the place was half-empty. She used to be a huge star.
Honestly though the answer is probably Brian May, turning up at the MAD Trust Christmas Carol concert at St Paul’s The Actor’s Church unannounced.
|
|
3,926 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on Jul 18, 2021 19:06:11 GMT
I like to convince myself I'm that fussed about seeing a 'celebrity' on stage, but have to admit to getting a bit of a thrill when I realise the cast features someone from a tv show I was a fan of. Growing up in Scotland, we always used to check the programme to see how many cast members had appeared in Taggart for a fun pre-curtain game. Oh, I do that with Midsomer Murders! I find there are very few touring plays I've seen in 15 years of theatregoing (pre-covid) that haven't had at least one. My equivalent for musicals is Les Mis, though that's a lower correlation.
Reading this thread has made me realise how few celebrities I've seen on stage. I rarely book for star cast pieces, partly because, as someone who watches not that much TV & almost no films, most of the big names who do WE limited runs I've never or rarely seen on screen. The most famous people I've seen are probably Derek Jacobi, Jonathan Pyrce, David Tennant & Catherine Tate. All, come to think of it, in Shakespeare. I have seen some famous opera singers but that's seems a bit off topic for this thread.
|
|
155 posts
|
Post by bee on Jul 19, 2021 10:46:39 GMT
Bradley Cooper is probably the biggest "star" I've seen in the theatre. In terms of pop/rock possibly Freddie Mercury or Bruce Sprinsteen. I've seen The Rolling Stones but that was in the middle of a field and they were a good 100 yards away so I'm not sure that counts. As well as the above I was reminded this morning that I have actually seen Johnny Depp on stage, not acting but with the The Hollywood Vampires, the rock band he has with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry (Aerosmith guitarist).
|
|
7,498 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by alece10 on Jul 24, 2021 10:48:46 GMT
Just thought of 3 more to add to my list. Bernadette Peters at the RFH, Chita Rivera at Cadoggan Hall and Barbara Cooke.
|
|
6,299 posts
|
Post by Jon on Jul 24, 2021 19:15:53 GMT
Ian McKellen is probably the biggest celebrity I've seen on stage and I've seen many but nothing can beat seeing Hugh Jackman at the O2.
There's a few people who I'd love to see but not sure if I'll get the chance like Julie Walters, Maggie Smith etc Helen Mirren is on my wish list and hopefully if Oedipus with Mark Strong and her comes into fruition then I'll be booking.
|
|