Tony Award Nominees Told To Keep Acceptance Speeches Short
WCBS 880′s Jim Taylor shares his thoughts on Broadway and the 2011 Tony Awards. He will be blogging about his thoughts and reviews of the Great White Way leading up until the Tony Awards, and will be covering the awards as they air live on CBS on June 12.
Thanks Mom.
Tony nominees are being told if they win Sunday night, they'll have 90 seconds to offer up an acceptance. And that includes the time it takes to get from seat to stage.
Whatever you think of Mark Rylance, you've gotta be rooting for him to win Best Actor, just to hear what he has to say. To do so, he'll have to beat out Brian Bedford in "The Importance of Being Earnest," Bobby Cannavale of "The Motherf---- With the Hat," Joe Mantello in "The Normal Heart" and Al Pacino in "The Merchant of Venice." Rylance absolutely kills in "Jerusalem".
Three years ago he stunned the Tony audience with his acceptance speech for Best Actor in "Boeing Boeing". Which was about what people wear and the roles we all play.
"If you go into the woods, the back country, someplace past all human habitation, it is a good idea to wear orange and carry a gun," he told the crowd. "Or, depending on the season, carry a fishing pole, or a camera with a big lens."
It was profoundly weird. And wonderfully confounding. As he tells Associated Press: he has three or four options he's preparing for Sunday night. One thing is certain: he will not be reading a long list of names of people to be thanked.
And as long as we're looking forward to acceptance speeches, be prepared for plenty from "The Book of Mormon". But as always there will be a surprise or two. And a gaffe or two. And a fashion statement or two. Can't wait to dish about all that right here Monday morning.
See you on the red carpet at the Beacon Theatre.
