The Top 10 Celebrities I Met in NYC This Summer

1. Glenda Jackson

How I met her:

I waited for her at the Cort Theatre stage door after seeing her in “King Lear” during my first week in NYC.

Why Broadway’s O.G. is amazing:

“If I can growl like Glenda Jackson when I’m 83, I’ll die happy. She played a glowering, stewing, simmering Lear whose descent into madness is captivating. I was sitting in the front row of the balcony, and her growls were reverberating through the rafters like she was right next to me. There’s a reason the woman is a living legend.”

What I told her:

“I told her I admired her formidable growling abilities. She was understandably delighted.”

2. Corbin Bleu

How I met him:

I waited for him at the Studio 54 stage door after seeing him in a performance of “Kiss Me, Kate” in June.

High School Musical dreams coming true:

No matter what he does in the future, I’ll always see Bleu as Troy’s buddy Chad (it's the Daniel Radcliffe 'Harry Potter' curse). He was also shorter than I expected, as you can see in the photo (I’m 5’6”).

Fan frenzy:

“Kiss Me Kate” attracted the largest stage door crowd I’d seen for any show, but the production also had a star-studded cast and was closing the following day.

3. Adam Driver

How I met him:

I didn't manage to score a ticket to his Broadway show, “Burn This.” I did, however, grab an extra Playbill after seeing “Toni Stone," head to the Hudson Theatre stage door, and have him sign next to the “Burn This” listing (every Playbill has a listing in the back of the shows currently playing on Broadway) one night in July.

Real-life Kylo Ren:

“I may not have been able to see Adam Driver’s show, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to meet him. He came out wearing all black, which didn’t help the inevitable Kylo Ren comparison (his hair is just as luscious in person). He’s the only actor I’ve seen who can bring an entire street to a standstill as people flock to him from both sides, holding their phones up to catch a glimpse of him.”

(Sadly, no selfies were allowed.)

4. Audra McDonald

How I met her:

I waited for her at the Broadhurst Theatre stage door after seeing her in “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” in June.

Coolness quotient:

She’s on the chillest actresses I’ve met off stage. I told her I’d seen her sing with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, but this was my first time seeing her act. She didn’t disappoint (as her record six Tonys would probably clue you in).

5. Michael Shannon

How I met him:

I waited for him at the Broadhurst Theatre stage door after seeing “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” in June.

This isn’t Strickland you’re speaking with:

“It was a big change to see Shannon play a tender character after last seeing him on screen as the menacing Strickland in Guillermo del Toro's ‘The Shape of Water.’ But he pulled it off!”

What I told him:

That “Frankie and Johnny” was my favorite play I’d seen on stage in New York this summer, which, at that point, was true.

6. Ruth Wilson

How I met her:

I waited for her at the Cort Theatre stage door after seeing her in “King Lear” during my first week in NYC.

Jane Eyre fangirling:

Some background on why I was so excited to meet Wilson: She’s my all-time favorite actress to play Jane Eyre (in the 2006 Masterpiece TV mini-series, which I highly, highly recommend).

What I told her:

I wished her luck at the Tonys the following day, as she was up for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Cordelia. She didn’t win — that honor went to Celia Keenan-Bolger for her performance as Scout Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird."

7. Kelli O’Hara

How I met her:

I waited for her at the Studio 54 stage door after seeing her star in “Kiss Me, Kate” in June.

Golden voice:

O’Hara is my gold standard for a female Broadway voice. I can’t imagine what it takes to sustain that level of perfection night after night without getting raspy or hoarse — she must go much of the day without speaking.

What I told her:

That she’s currently my favorite female voice on Broadway.

8. Jeff Daniels

How I met him:

I waited for him in Shubert Alley after seeing him in “To Kill a Mockingbird” in July.

A popular — and speedy — guy:

“Daniels attracted one of the largest stage door crowds I’ve come across in NYC (his rival is Adam Driver). He was also by far the quickest actor to exit the theater after a show I've seen — he was out in 15 minutes, and most actors typically take half an hour to an hour.”

His take on his performance:

“We did OK today.” That was putting it mildly.

Coming *this* close to a unique souvenir:

“After getting my program signed, I came *this* close to getting Jeff Daniels's t-shirt sticker stuck to the front of my program. Someone in the crowd pointed out that he still had the “XL” sticker on the front of his new T-shirt, so he ripped it off and stuck it on the program of the guy next to me."

9. Keri Russell

How I met her:

She co-starred in “Burn This” with Adam Driver, a show I didn’t manage to see. But I headed to the Hudson Theatre stage door anyway, extra Playbill in hand, to catch her and Driver after seeing “Toni Stone" nearby in July.

Rain doesn’t scare her:

“Russell was gracious and continued to sign even after it started sprinkling (cue a personal umbrella man who followed her down the line).”

Unforgettable feature:

The thing I remember most about meeting her is her eyes, which are even more striking in person.

10. Will Chase

How I met him:

I waited for him at the Studio 54 stage door after seeing him in “Kiss Me, Kate” in June.

Takeaway:

He looked younger than I expected (he's 49).