Andrew Rannells Calls Out Audience Member for ‘Filming During the Show’ After Complaints He Didn’t Stage Door

Andrew Rannells has responded to a theatergoer who complained that he didn’t come out of the stage door following a recent performance of Broadway’s It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.  

After the play recently began previews on Wednesday, November 4, an audience member shared a photo of Rannells on stage at the Broadhurst Theatre and wrote, “Luv u but u broke my [heart emoji] 4 skipping the stage door bye forever,” tagging him in the post. 

The actor, who plays George Bailey in the Joe Landry play adapted from Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1943 short story The Greatest Gift, reposted the audience member’s message (as captured in a Reddit thread) and shared a few words of his own. 

Tagging the audience member directly, the two-time Tony Award nominee wrote, “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.”

Reddit users responded by supporting Rannells for putting himself first and for calling out the audience member’s behavior. 

“Good for him for responding this way! So weird of the fan 😬,” one Reddit user wrote, while another said: “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.” 

Theater etiquette has been a hot topic, with many professional actors sounding off on how theatergoers are behaving at the stage door and inside the house.

One audience member recently took some heat from theater fans after she was pictured getting up on the stage at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre after a performance of Wicked to take a photo of herself.  

Rannells has actually embraced his Broadway fans by recently stage dooring following the November 2 Falsettos reunion concert. 

“Getting to share these moments with all of you means more than we can say,” the Falsettos reunion Instagram account shared last week. 

Directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play will officially open on Broadway on Wednesday, November 18. 

The production will run for a limited engagement of nine weeks only through Sunday, January 3, at the Broadhurst Theatre.

Frank Capra’s film It’s A Wonderful Life was released in 1946 and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.