As I look to my last day of the Thanksgiving Holiday rest on Sunday today before the new work week starts–well, I’ll have to do a few registration overrides for students from home today–I realize that Sunday is not always a day of rest for others. In particular for Richard Armitage, Sunday is a show day for his NYC Roundabout Theatre Company play that he is currently starring in Love, Love, Love.
(with Fernanda Matais’ lovely graphic is at right, Thanks!)
And the recent Broadway World interview article about Richard Armitage’s Love, Love, Love experiences was insightful and an enjoyable read. But a few fans took exception at one of his remarks–in particular, his comments about fans coming to see him in theatre performance and his doing stage door (SD) or not–have been taken different ways by some of his fans. However, though I admit that I do not chain myself to social media and see every comment made, I only saw two comments indicating a fan felt “hurt” or disregarded. So out of the hundreds of thousands of Richard Armitage fans—perhaps millions since The Hobbit trilogy of films–around the world, the percentage of those viewing his remarks about SD in the Broadway World interview article negatively is relatively small. And I, personally, don’t think he meant any disregard for fans by his remarks.
So, I think that sister blogger Guylty (at her Guylty Pleasure blog) (her post image logo right, and click here to go to her essay post) expresses well the position of her also “not” viewing RA’s remarks as being negative. And she beautifully rebuts each negative view argument. I particularly like this Richard Armitage quote about his fans coming to see his plays, etc., that she shared as an example of how to view his remarks positively:
“…what stood out for me was the sentence [Armitage interview quote] “You know, we’ve had people come from far and wide, which is great.” For me, that [statement] was the acknowledgment by RA that he is well-aware of the effort people/his fans are making to see *him* on stage, in New York, and the SD is a way of both showing his gratitude, as well as attracting the potential audience to the box office.”
Well said, Guylty! Thanks for sharing!
And below is a lovely recent smiling picture (that I/Grati cropped, brightened, and enlarged) of Richard Armitage at a recent stage door that was shared by Ultra Veloce (Thanks!). And I/Grati thought the picture would add a further illustration of Richard Armitage’s cheerful grace in his doing the stage door for his currently running NYC play Love, Love, Love:
People may certainly still feel as they wish to feel about Richard Armitage comments in the Broadway World interview article and elsewhere, that is their right. But IMHO/Grati, giving another person–friends, family, and even Richard Armitage–the benefit of the doubt, feels good to me. And the talented British Actor Richard Armitage is also a nice guy who does SD (stage door) when he can with courtesy, grace, and yes “professionalism”.
So I hope that you have a restful and serene Sunday today–leaving the drama on the stage, and not at the stage door—as you go about your day.
Hugs & Love! Grati ;->
P.S. And with me having had a recent birthday—Thanks again for the kind notes and graphics everyone! I really appreciated them! Hugs!–I feel even more keenly the importance of focusing on positivity and helping others when I can, through donations to charities and being involved in my communities here and online.
So my hubby and I have once again made a modest donation to the United Nations (UN) for the besieged children of Aleppo (right) and elsewhere suffering under wars, famine, and natural disasters. We feel so blessed that our own nieces, nephews and greats have never had to suffer such devastation. So we made our donation in their honor. Ours may be a small gesture of help and of hope, but when coupled with other people’s small gestures, they can really make a difference in giving children food, housing, clothes, and medical care, etc.
And personally today, I’ll also be trying to make way for Holiday decorations in our home, since Guylty’s post also reminded me that today is the first week of Advent. And my hubby and I have not chanced having floor decorations—meaning XMAS trees—for several years, since the time that our then young male hound dog wiped out the hall tree as he careened around the foyer from the dining room (open floor plan house layout), him then also sliding into the plant stand sending dirt everywhere. Ha! Sighhh! I’m thinking serene and positive thoughts for having a XMAS tree or trees this year. Surely our dog is older and slower by now? Right? Wish me luck! Ha!
November 27, 2016–WindyRain had a nice tweet about Richard Armitage’s SD (stage door) appearance for Love, Love, Love on Fri., Nov. 25th! Thanks for sharing!
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November 27 & 30, 2016–Thanks for liking this SD topic essay post! I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Cheers! Grati ;->
heatherparish, discovermarche, Hariclea, cccinque, & Esther
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A belated Happy Birthday, Grati. I was off social media yesterday, so I missed too many criticisms of what RIchard Armitage said about the stage door experience. I was more focused on his statement ( misheard by the interviewer) that New York theater goers were laughing abusively. In my own post, I decided to leave that one alone. I attended LLL three times and passed up the Sd each time. Twice, there was not much choice for me, since the friends I was with would have had no part of it ( I never even broached the subject) – we are set in our theater night procedures, and getting home fast is high o the list. The third time, when I attended alone, I also passed, and that was the night when we heard most about what some fans perceived as bad behavior by fans. ( Not sure agree there was bad behavior). One thing I wonder about is how RIchard Armitage handles the situation among his colleagues, that the crowd is mostly only there for him, and whether that has any impact on his relationship to them. Especially for The Crucible, where there were some notable British actors in the cast who seemed to get short shrift from most ofthe fans waiting ( not all – I know fans who were eager to meet with other cast members as well).
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Just to correct what he said – that theyw ere not laughing abusively ( NY audiences) but meant to say they were not laughing effusively – which was my experience.
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Thanks for the belated Birthday wishes! Cheers! And thanks for clarifying about the “abusive/effusive” laughter quote that the interviewer mis heard. I understood what you meant, but if someone hadn’t seen Richard’s update tweet, they might have missed it.
On top of the play starring Richard Armitage, almost all of the reviews of Love, Love, Love from fans and critics alike that I have read indicate that the play is a rip roaring good time! I so hope that they film it for wider distribution. Fingers crossed!
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I hope they film it, but I think the odds are low. Maybe fans should consider a Go Fund Me to help defray costs and solidify for RTC that there’s interest in purchasing a video of it. It’s just usually done in the US for off Broadway limited run. Should it move to Broadway, there’s a better chance, but who knows if it would have the same cast?
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I know the chances are slim that they will film Love, Love, Love. But I can dream. Ha!
Unless we win the lottery–or don’t pay a mortgage payment, not happening–and I consent to “flying” to NYC from Chicago, I won’t get to see Love, Love, Love. And the fan/critic reviews and the clips that RTC has shared on YouTube are a real enticement to see the play.
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Hi Perry,
Thanks for sharing your take on stage door. And please do share your post link for myself and others to read and enjoy!
And just as a matter of course/courtesy/completeness, I would think that fans would want to get every cast member’s signatures.
Frankly, when I have been to plays in the past when there was a big name star, I hadn’t thought of getting autographs–Debbie Reynolds in Irene when I was 13 or so and Ben Vereen in a Pippin revival about 15 years later (both musicals at the Muni outdoor theatre in St. Louis). Though I would very much like to have seen/met them close up. And Debbie Reynolds then young daughter, my age, named Carrie Fisher was in the chorus before she became a star in Star Wars. And my other play experiences up in Chicago and elsewhere have been other traveling companies that didn’t necessarily have a star name attached to them.
And if there were a Richard Armitage stage door opportunity for me? An autograph would be lovely, but given the fast pace of it, I would probably stand/sit in the back and watch–so I wouldn’t get jostled and tumble over. I think one should be “vertical” when meeting one’s heartthrob. Ha!
Thanks for visiting and commenting! Cheers! Grati ;->
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I always visit, Grati. I’m a little lax and letting you know – unlike you, who always makes a mark when you come over. I’ll do better. Your work deserves it. Enjoy getting ready for Christmas. Give the tree a chance.
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Hi Perry, You are so kind to share that you visit and like my little blog! I really appreciate it!
I have had a few blog fans of mine share that they read the post in the email notifcation to save time. They must have a quicker email server than mine. *wink*
But of course, I love it when people visit my blog and interact with myself and others. Hearing other people’s opinions informs my own opinions. And though I usually think before I blog–Ha!–I have adapted my own views once or twice after reading someone’s comment, here or elsewhere.
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Thanks for linking and mentioning me, Grati, but too much praise really. Was thinking aloud – and possibly trying to convince myself in order to keep the love afloat ;-) Not that I am disenchanted with RA, but sure, I am deliberately choosing to give him the benefit of the doubt in most of the things he does because it suits my fangirl purposes.
As for Christmas decorating – the hardest part for me, is actually tidying away all the boxes the decorations come in. They lie around and litter my sitting room for days. I’m proud that I have finally been able to tidy away the eyesore. So enjoy decking the halls – it’s always a journey of discovery when you go through the box of stuff that has accumulated over the years, isn’t it? Happy first of advent 🕯
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Hi Guylty, Not too much praise of you at all.
And I do love to decorate for the holidays! But I still have my tidying to do–and convincing my hubby to bring up the XMAS decoration storage boxes from the basement. Ha! Thanks for visiting and commenting! Happy first Advent to you! Cheers! Grati ;->
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Happy belated brithday and good luck with the tree!
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Hi Esther, Thanks so much for your kind belated birthday wishes! And we have yet to attempt the tree, so I appreciate your good luck wishes! Ha! Thanks & Cheers! Grati ;->
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