Lee Pace and Matt Bomer are BFFs
Matt Bomer showed up at last night's performance of The Normal Heart! Also in attendance: Anna Wintour, Dr. Ruth. I was at the show; you can read my experience after the cut.
So, I saw The Normal Heart on Broadway last night. It was spectacular. I was second row, but the theatre itself is fairly small and intimate, so I feel like any seat in the house is damn good. And this play calls for intimacy. It's incredibly emotional and left the crowd speechless by the end. A lot of people have wrote reviews saying that basically there's a symphony of sniffles as everyone is shuffling out, and it's so true. Personally, Lee Pace's monologue is the one that got me. He was standing so close, you could see tears in his eyes as he delivered the most heartbreaking speech about his boyfriend. He plays such a brash character (he's frightening when he's yelling), but that single moment took him down and made him sympathetic. And Joe Mantello, wow. I don't even know what to say. He delivered his lines so ferociously. His chemistry with everyone in the cast is fantastic and he can convey a whole range of emotions just by pinching his face a certain way. If you get a chance to see the play, PLEASE do!
Now, for my experience. My friend was also there and noticed that someone sitting in front of her had very nice hair. Almost... too nice. When she came to me during intermission, she said she thought it was Matt Bomer. (Also, because he was wearing a wedding ring and apparently was overly enjoying at Lee's funnier moments, haha) And it was him. The only other celeb I spotted that night was Anna Wintour, who was sitting a few rows behind me. After the play, she told him that I was a big fan, and so he waited in the back of the theatre with her until I came out. He is stunning in pictures, but in person, holy shit. Perfection. He was such a sweetheart, though, and shook my hand like a proper gentleman before being led backstage. We waited at the stage door for a while, and slowly the cast started coming out. Luke Macfarlane scooted by on his bike and didn't stop (maybe he assumed no one was there for him? I don't know, but I'd have loved to meet him). Joe Mantello came out and I told him it was worth the jetlag because the play was phenomenal. He thanked me profusely (stopping to sign and looking me in the eyes, seeming sincerely grateful), asked where I was from, I told him San Francisco, he said he loved the city, I agreed (obvs). He was surprised at the youth of the crowd, and Ellen Barkin mentioned the same thing when she came out. And she came out around the same time as Jim Parsons, Lee, and Matt. Basically, I forgot everything I was going to say to Lee (I intended on congratulating him on The Hobbit, but alas: brain fart around favorite actor), but he was SO nice. Signed both my things, was really chatty, and seemed genuinely surprised that so many people had stayed around after waiting about 45 minutes. He and Matt (and Ellen) ended up leaving together, then the crowd immediately dispersed. I then kicked myself in the head when I remember what I wanted to say to Lee. Oh, well. I'm going to try and see the show again in July, so we'll see what happens.
TL; DR.
SOURCES:
FILMMAGIC & ME