Someone help me out: WTF, Mark Rylance?- Page 2

[Weez]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 9:02am

His Drama Desk speech was a Jenkins as well, wasn't it? Do we have a transcript of that one yet?

[titleofusername]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 9:03am

It was, but I don't remember what he recited. I've actually been racking my brain all night trying to remember.

[Weez]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 9:10am

It was about a very large tattoo on his chest that he saw every time he looked in a mirror, and he went on to describe said tattoo.

Well, I presume it was a Jenkins and Rylance doesn't *actually* have a very large and detailed tattoo...

[SirNotAppearing]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 9:15am

Well, if anything, that poem as your signature is a nice way to make your posts seem much longer...

[Weez]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 9:43am

For anyone who cares, I've found Rylance's Drama Desk speech. 'Confessional Poem' by Louis Jenkins.

"I have this large tattoo on my chest. It is like a dream I have while I am awake. I see it in the mirror as I shave and brush my teeth, or when I change my shirt or make love. What can I do? I can't remember where I got the tattoo. When in the past did I live such a life? And the price of having such a large tattoo removed must be completely beyond reason. Still, the workmanship of the drawing is excellent, a landscape 8 x 10 inches in full color, showing cattle going downhill into a small western town. A young man, who might have been my great-grandfather, dressed as a cowboy and holding a rifle, stands at the top of the hill and points down toward the town. The caption beneath the picture reads: "Gosh, I didn't know we were this far west.""

http://www.newsfromnowhere.com/confessionalpoem.html

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 9:47am

Much as I love Mr. Rylance's work, and as glad as I am that he won, I do wish he had made a rather less bizarre speech.

New Rule For Tony Acceptance Speeches: When in doubt, or when considering the urge to do something "different", simply say "Thank you very much" and walk off.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 9:51am

Or, instead of restrictions, we can just let the awards and the award recipients show some sign of personality.

[Weez]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 9:54am

As long as it stays in the time limit (or you're Patti freakin' LuPone and set your own time limits), do what you want. I personally welcomed the change from a teary list of producers, agents, whatever; but if you want to listen to the same speech over and over and over again from a parade of people, well, that's your prerogative. Did you hate Lin-Manuel's rap as well?

[spencinthecity]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:14am

There was a moment there I thought he was going to break into "The Revolutionary Costume" from GG...

[Patash]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:21am

Those who didn't get it can whine all they want. But tell me this. How much of America even knew the name Mark Rylance before? How many would have remembered today who won for best actor in a revival had he thanked the usual list of names that mean nothing to anybody but those people? How many remember the name NOW? He's crazy like a fox -- and VERY funny.

By the way, what speech are people talking about today?
Updated On: 6/16/08 at 10:21 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:25am

Patti's.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:28am

Rylance's speech was, by far, the worst of the evening. It was pointless.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:28am

Patti read her grocery list, and Rylance's quirky speech didn't have much payoff. It ended up sounding like unless you have some sort of "official uniform or accessory" people don't validate you for what you do.

So, without that Tony and your tux, etc., you're not a good actor?

Okay.

[fosca3]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:50am

I liked it - it was interesting and different. And I love the poem itself

Mostly it was fun, and I'll always remember Mark Rylance

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:51am

Thing is, he's not just a good actor. He's brilliant.

I saw him act and direct at Shakespeare's Globe in London and thought it would be an academic, museum-like experience and it was one of the most exciting and fun evenings in the theater I've ever had.

[titleofusername]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:54am

Oh man, Mark Rylance is beyond brilliant. I would've killed to see him do Hamlet live.

Ahh! Thanks for posting the poem from the Drama Desks, Weez. I was really going nuts trying to remember it. :)

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 10:57am

I've no doubt he's a good actor. He's just a bad speech-giver.

Don't worry, they won't revoke his Tony for it.

By the way, he was very good as the Boleyn family patriarch in the recent movie The Other Boleyn Girl. Check it out, if you haven't. It's an Elizabethan soap opera, but with several solid performances including Mr. Rylance (with added help from Kristin Scott Thomas as his wife Lady Boleyn).

[Jon]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 11:00am

For those who don't know, Rylance is British born, but lived in Connecticut from age 2 thru 10, and Wisconsin from age 11 though college. His dad was headmaster at a fancy private school there.

Updated On: 6/16/08 at 11:00 AM

[Okayfine]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 11:04am

It was brilliant - how many people have accepted major awards by saying they are often afraid that people will find them out for phonies because they feel they don't quite know what they are doing? This poem spoke directly to that feeling, but one had to be patient enough to get there.

"Mark Rylance is an idiot. He is convinced that William Shakespeare did not write the plays, sonnets and narrative poems by William Shakespeare." So are a lot of people.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 12:28pm

"Mark Rylance is an idiot. He is convinced that William Shakespeare did not write the plays, sonnets and narrative poems by William Shakespeare."

He also understands said plays, sonnets and narrative poems better than pretty much anyone else alive.

Love him, loved the speech.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 12:36pm

Actually, the insult was to LuPone (whose voice I hate but I concede she is a goddess) when they tried to cut her off. At the Oscars, they start to play people off, but the producer has, when one of the film gods is speaking, stayed the sword for a moment or two. Trying to outplay that voice was stupid and petty and mean and awkward and made for great television because she clearly won.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 12:49pm

Mark Rylance reminds me of Daniel Day Lewis: if you can't keep up with him, he's not at all bothered!

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 7:49pm

Read the last line of the passage that Rylance quoted and that should give you an idea of what the hell he was talking about.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 8:14pm

I think Mr. Rylance has to listen to my Perils of Alcohol talk....Several times.

[UnderTheHill]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 5:00pm

We were lucky to see a performance of Boeing Boeing the night prior to attending the Tonys, and have to say, if I didn't see Boeing Boeing, we would be dumbfounded by his speech, but having seen Boeing Boeing and seeing him do a speech that is exactly like his character in Boeing Boeing, we were rolling in our seats with laughter.