I realise I shouldn’t be saying this. The correct thing for actors to say is that fans are the lifeblood of the theatre: we love and respect them. No, we don’t. I’m not talking about theatregoers; I’m talking about the people who hang around the stage door and ask for your autograph. These come in two categories. There are the ones who lie in wait for you as you come out after the show and demand that you sign their stupid programmes when all you want to do is go for a drink. These are bad enough, but at least they have been to see the show.No, the people I really despise are the ones I call the Book People. They are there as you arrive at the theatre before the show, and they will almost never actually buy a ticket for it. Unless you are famous they will ignore you, but if you are they will fawn. They are the ones who carry books. Sometimes these are simple autograph books, big oblong items bound in gaudy leatherette, but the really sad ones carry huge books of actor’s directories with photographs in them, and they want you to sign below the pictures.
What do You think about Mrs Midnight And Other Stories?
