Purple Rain

Getting there. Exit by the main 44th St. doors and turn right toward 8th Avenue, then right onto 45th St. Look for the wide gated entrance with metal doors next to the John Golden — the loading dock marked 270 W 45th St., shared by three houses.

When to go. Head straight out at curtain call. Two-show days are the worst bet at both performances — the cast rests through the matinee and is spent by the evening. A Sunday matinee is the best single bet, because it is a one-show day. In bad weather the barricades sometimes never go up at all.

Who comes out. Anywhere from nobody to most of the cast. Nobody can tell you in advance which three — not us, not the theatre. Treat any list that claims otherwise with suspicion.

What to bring. Tonight’s Playbill and a fine-tip Sharpie, held open to the page you want signed. Ask before you photograph anyone, and keep the pavement clear — it is a working door, not a red carpet.

Shared door. This door also serves the John Golden Theatre and the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, so some of the crowd is waiting for a different show.

Why “not confirmed”. The door above is a fact about the theatre and holds for years. Whether THIS production does a stage door is a fact about the company — it changes with the cast, and no source publishes it. We’d rather say so than guess.