Serving Celebrities: The Complete Collection by Bill Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

yourself; they’re still at his table.”
    I briskly walked to the backstage entrance, on the side of the stage. Just like Leigh said, they were still at the table. George was leaning over in his seat, talking to Grant. I considered going out and pleading with him -- hoping he would realize then that we needed him to be ready to go on… but he was a big star and it may have made a big scene, if I did.
    Then it happened; George glanced over at me and smiled, then turned quickly back to Grant. Again, he looked over at me -- I gave him a small “come hither” wave, with my hand. It became obvious that he was messing with me. He shook his head, laughing, and turned to watch the show.
    I waited. He looked over again -- and again, I gave the “come hither,” wave. He smiled, continuing to bust my nuts, then pretending to watch the show in earnest. I waited some more. We were getting closer and closer to their time onstage. Now the stage managers, who were running the show on the headset, that I was wearing, were asking if George and Grant were backstage yet. I had to give them a, “negative that,” answer -- I told them that I was on it.
    George again looked over. I smiled and gave another, “come hither,” wave. George took his napkin off his lap and whispered to Grant. They both stood and started walking to me. “Bill, where’s George Clooney?” the head stage manager yelled, in my headphones. “He’s comin’,” I answered, into the boom on my headset. “Why did you wait so long?” the stage manager barked. “He’s busting my chops,” I said. “You wish,” the stage manager answered. “Get him back here.”
    George and Grant stepped to up me, both were wearing suits, rather than tuxedos, as I and most of the audience were wearing. I held my hand out to him, “I’m Bill Ryan, one of the stage managers. We need you to come back, so that we can get you ready to go on stage,” I said, as I did with most presenters and accepting writers. George and Grant both shook my hand. “Would you like to go and check over the teleprompter?” I began, as we started walking backstage, “Then maybe we can go to the green room and you can maybe get a drink or something to eat, or you can use the men’s room?” George looked to Grant, who said, “I would like to check the teleprompter, if you don’t mind?” “That would be great...” I said to them, leading them straight to the stage. “And we would do that, if you came when we first asked you… but now we’re under the gun and you’re going to have to wing it. Good luck,” I informed them.
    Both stopped and glared me, “We can’t see the teleprompter?” I waited just long enough to say, “Oh, okay,” I led them to the room where the teleprompter was set up. The stage manager called me again, “Bill, do you have George and Grant?” “I’ve got ‘em,” I answered, “I’m taking them to the teleprompter.” “They don’t have time to go to the teleprompter,” The stage manager warned. “We need them up here right now. They’re going on after Hal Cantor does a short bit.”
    You see, with experience comes confidence. “It’ll be okay,” I whispered, into the boom on my headset, “Hal Cantor has never done a short bit, we’ll be fine.” And we were.
    Don’t Cry For Patti Lupone

    E very once and a while when I studied acting with Stella Adler, I would be invited to accompany Miss Adler to some special event with a group of people. This one time, I was invited to attend a special performance of The Cradle Will Rock performed by the Acting Company, John Houseman’s company, starring Treat Williams, Mandy Patinkin and Patti Lupone.
    The Cradle Will Rock is a legendary musical production, written by Marc Blitzstein, originally directed by Orson Wells and produced by Welles’ and John Houseman’s Mercury Theatre, in the 1930s, this was a revival staged by Houseman. There were about a dozen of us in the group, as we took our seats for the