Alex Newell is opening up about their experiences at the Broadway stage door.
During the Tony Award winner’s appearance on the Wednesday, July 22, episode of the Drama Club with Matty podcast, Newell — who made history as the first openly non-binary actor to win a Tony in 2023 alongside fellow non-binary performer J. Harrison Ghee — said they’ve been met with questionable comments from fans.
“The stage door is a little too close to comfort only because I’ve had some awful things said to me [such as], ‘Oh, are you sick? You didn’t hit the high note tonight,’” Newell explained.
The performer said that they’ve also heard things like, “Oh, well, you’re not my favorite” or “Oh my god, you’re a lot smaller in person!”
“You’re always in disbelief when it happens,” Newell said. “My newest favorite is like, ‘Oh my god, you’re so beautiful in person.’”
When host Matty Maggiacomo jokingly asked if Newell has responded with, “Well, actually, you’re uglier,” Newell replied: “No, I would never because I’m America’s Sweetheart. Broadway’s Princess.”
Reflecting on what has been said at the stage door, Newell said, “I don’t come to somebody’s job and say you didn’t hit that coding right today [or] ‘Oh, your patient died. Oh, were you attentive? They died.’”
When it comes to interacting with the fans, Newell noted, “If you see me out in the wild, and you want to come up to me, I’m very approachable.”
However, the performer pointed out, “My job ends at that bow.”
“As for my job and my responsibility to that show, it ends as soon as I bow and I take the costume off,” Newell said. “I am no longer that character. I am just a human being again.”
Newell also added that they are transparent when it comes to social media. “I give you everything,” the actor said. “I’m showing you everything, and I’m not hiding anything. It’s like I’m letting you see me, and that’s it. And I will always take the pictures outside of the stage door.”
In recent days, stage dooring has become worrisome for some performers.
While meeting your favorite performer in-person at the stage door has become part of Broadway culture, it appears that things have drastically changed in recent years — and actors have voiced their concerns.
Layton Williams, who is currently starring as The Iceberg in Broadway’s Titanique, recently shared a stage door incident in which a fan licked him.
“I feel like we just need to have a little refresh on our etiquette,” Williams said.
Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas
