Playbill Collectors

[Chewie]

Do all Off-Broadway shows have playbills? I rarely see images posted on playbill.com for each show if they do. Just wondered, as I've considered writing to a few people asking them to sign one for me.

[Johnny's Fan]

Thanks for the help guys. Yes, I only want Kristin's signature so I wouldn't want to ask for a cast signed playbill. It would be a waste of time for the rest of them.

I think this has been asked before, but is it best to wait until a show has opened before a request is sent, or for when the previews start.

BTW ScarletPimpernel. I see you have a few unsigned playbills. Would you ever send out an unsigned playbill to a cast member to be signed, even if the show was say 10 years old? Or is that not the thing to do?

[TheScarletPimpernel]

Do all Off-Broadway shows have playbills? I rarely see images posted on playbill.com for each show if they do. Just wondered, as I've considered writing to a few people asking them to sign one for me.

No -- all shows have some type of programme for the most part, but not all are playbills. Keep in mind some of things listed as "Off-Broadway" on the Playbill.com listings are really considering "Off-Off-Broadway" so they're budget is very small. A Perfect Crime is such..it's a little booklet.

Generally speaking, unless you've seen the production, there is no reason to write to an Off-Off-Broadway show...celebs don't do them, they're more like resume builders for young actors or non-professional actors, or teachers!

[TheScarletPimpernel]

Thanks for the help guys. Yes, I only want Kristin's signature so I wouldn't want to ask for a cast signed playbill. It would be a waste of time for the rest of them.

I think this has been asked before, but is it best to wait until a show has opened before a request is sent, or for when the previews start.

BTW ScarletPimpernel. I see you have a few unsigned playbills. Would you ever send out an unsigned playbill to a cast member to be signed, even if the show was say 10 years old? Or is that not the thing to do?

Yes - I've sent some of my older playbills to be signed. Just make sure there's no bad blood with them and the show. I would never send Patti LuPone my SUNSET BLVD Original London Cast programme...for all I know she'd throw it out! (She was promised and under contract to do the Broadway run, as she is American but it premiered in London; then the producers like TV/Movie star Glenn Close more and dropped Patti...who threw a fit, got a lawsuit and made a nice OVER $1 Million! She wouldn't have made that much in her run of the show anyway!).

I just gotta ask - is it Lea Michelle? I think someone like her would be flattered that one of her fans saw her in RAGTIME (Original run) or Les Miserables when she was a little kid and still a big fan! Even someone like Andrea McArdle wouldn't mind signing something from Annie, for instance.


Re: When to send

Wait until the date of the first preview (or the day before) or send during previews. Previews are generally more kooky for new shows (especially musicals), but this is a revival so it most likely won't go through huge changes. You'd be safe to send then! Good luck any other Qs let me know!

[Johnny's Fan]

Yes - I've sent some of my older playbills to be signed. Just make sure there's no bad blood with them and the show. I would never send Patti LuPone my SUNSET BLVD Original London Cast programme...for all I know she'd throw it out! (She was promised and under contract to do the Broadway run, as she is American but it premiered in London; then the producers like TV/Movie star Glenn Close more and dropped Patti...who threw a fit, got a lawsuit and made a nice OVER $1 Million! She wouldn't have made that much in her run of the show anyway!).

I just gotta ask - is it Lea Michelle? I think someone like her would be flattered that one of her fans saw her in RAGTIME (Original run) or Les Miserables when she was a little kid and still a big fan! Even someone like Andrea McArdle wouldn't mind signing something from Annie, for instance.


Re: When to send

Wait until the date of the first preview (or the day before) or send during previews. Previews are generally more kooky for new shows (especially musicals), but this is a revival so it most likely won't go through huge changes. You'd be safe to send then! Good luck any other Qs let me know!

Yes, I know all about Patti and her Sunset Blvd. problems! When I wrote to her last year I wasn't even sure if I should mention it, but I had to say how much I loved her singing and how great she was as Norma, and she musn't have minded as I got my photos back. But I agree, if I had that programme I wouldn't send it either! It was a pretty unfair deal from what I read - although I have seen Glenn Close on Youtube and she is wonderful. When I watch her my loyalty to Patti is swaying severly!

It's strange you should mention Lea Michelle actually (although it is not her, I have the original Chicago playbill I would like to send to Chita Rivera and a few others from the 90's). I only recently completed my "Broadway's Lost Treasures" DVD set, and the title song for Ragtime is on there, which has completely obsessed me with the show (of course Brian Stokes Mitchell is a very nice perk...). It was while reading comments for it on Youtube that I heard about Lea Michelle and I got the impression she was someone who had really made it as an adult Broadway star, so I read about her and she really has done a lot since being in Ragtime and Les Mis. I always like learning more about Broadway, so maybe when I get to know her work a little more, she may be someone I write to in the future. Sadly, I have not seen any show on Broadway, I can't even say I have seen many in the West End (The Lion King only), so that's why I buy as manu books, DVD's and CD's as I can so when I write to people that I like and I mention their shows, I can tell them how much I loved their performance even if I didn't get to see them live. I'm going to get to Broadway one day though.

Thanks a lot for the information. You are always so helpful.

[TheScarletPimpernel]

Yes Good luck! I just caught the RAGTIME revival over here..my friend gave me the Original Cast Recording 4 years before and I always wrote it off as boring and not for me, but boy was I wrong! It's fantastic!

I hope you make it to Broadway one day...it's a little depressing right now, but hopefully some good shows will be around again! We keep getting a lot of your transfers from the Donmar Warehouse/Chocolate Factory productions! ("A Little Night Music," "La Cage Aux Follies," etc).

Didn't know you were from UK - did you catch the A TALE of TWO CITIES...the musical Concert Event on television? Tale is one of my top 3 favourite shows of all time! You'll have to see if it'll be on your TVs soon!

[Johnny's Fan]

Ah, you are so lucky to have seen it. I really love the soundtrack as well, the Prologue is probably my favourite song, mainly because it's the first one I ever heard, but the music is fantastic! Sometimes I find there is just a piece of music that won't leave you no matter what, and that's one of those for me.

I hope so too. It's quite depressing that even my older brother (who has no interest in musicals or anything) got to see a show there before me. But still, I'll probably enjoy the experience more and I'd be quite happy just to stand outside the theatres and gawp for a few hours and take it all in.

No, I haven't seen any concerts for that on TV. It could have been shown on a channel I don't have, but I will definitely look out for it!

[SgtPencilPepperBand]

I am still anxiously waiting for my Billy Elliot and Wicked playbills to come back. I know Wicked takes about a month or so, but I sent out BE two weeks ago. I hope it didn't get lost!

[Johnny's Fan]

My Wicked playbill actually took 13 days, and that includes probably about a week of travelling there and back again, so I don't think you can always tell how long it will take for playbills to arrive. Two weeks seems like a relatively short amount of time, so I'm sure you will receive it soon.

[TheScarletPimpernel]

My Wicked playbill actually took 13 days, and that includes probably about a week of travelling there and back again, so I don't think you can always tell how long it will take for playbills to arrive. Two weeks seems like a relatively short amount of time, so I'm sure you will receive it soon.

Haha Liking you more each day!

As Johnny's Fan said, 2 weeks is very short - B.E. has been taking it's time from my other sources. When I made the tips it was true about Wicked, but they send out their fanmail in blocks so you could have sent yours the day after they sent out the last batch of requests!