Worst Speech of the Tonys- Page 4

[Joelbeans]

Posted: 6/12/07 at 10:09pm

This wasn't a speech, but I was sort of irked about the tribute, first of all the pictures and the names were behind Tommy Tune most of the time, and they went so fast you couldn't read their names. I love that song too,but it was just so quick It was like they wanted to get the Tributes over so they could get on. Well let's honor those who passed, and made an impression on theatre today.

[karen24]

Posted: 6/12/07 at 10:44pm

I agree about the tribute. It almost seemed like a throwaway moment to me. The pictures seemed small and Tommy Tune focused in on just one person (now I'm blanking out on who) instead of giving each one his or her due. It was as if the people being honored were just background or something. I'd have liked it better if they'd dispensed with Tommy and shown a little clip of each person's work in a show. It couldn't have taken THAT much longer...there weren't all that many of them.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/12/07 at 11:31pm

Uh... Betty Comden, Hello!

[LouieLovesTheater]

Posted: 6/12/07 at 11:58pm

No Darlene Wilson picture in the tribute either...at least David mentioned her in his speech.

My least favorite speeches on any award show is when all these "producing teams" get up there and each one thinks they are going to get to the mike. I'm happy you won and yes, you should enjoy it...but I always feel SO embarassed for them when they try to get something in before the music plays them off. Usually it's "Love to my wife and children"...they never get it in and it always makes them look like camera hogs.

Why was Usher there? He's a name CBS could put in their ads in the hope that some fans tune in. Plain and simple. Plus, when he joined Chicago it was big news. You could say the same thing for Fantasia...she wasn't nominated (though if they had kept that Tony Category for Best Replacement the award would have been hers) and her show wasn't nominated. They promoted her coming on that show to within an inch of its life. It's all about getting the people to watch.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 12:31am

There's some type of double standard here...it's "annoying and boring" to thank everyone who helped get you up on that stage, yet it's "arrogant" to forget to mention someone? (Whoever said Sheik screwed up for not thanking the cast.)

Just an observation.

[Virgo]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 12:32am

"Why was Usher there?"

Didn't you see? He was there to present an award. Sure the exchange was a little clumsy but he was probably really nervous. I thought the exchange between he an Ben when discussing Usher's Chicago debut showed a lot of respect for Broadway. Because Usher is such a successful mainstream star, having him represent being proud to have been on Broadway only helps. A lot of people not familiar with Theatre equate mainstream stars going to broadway as a failure. So it helped out in that regard.

Another note:

I thought Christine Ebersole's speech was the BEST of the night.

[freeadmission]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 12:43am

Why, oh why? It seems that there is a tendency to come up with the most negative posts on this board. Which show should close, which one is overrated. Which actor is rude...yada yada. For a board that purports to support theater, there seems to be an overabundance of posts related to "the worst" of whatever.

Um, hi. Shouldn't "supporting theatre" be "supporting good theatre"? Which would, by corollary, mean . . . not supporting bad theatre? The this-is-crap threads are just as supportive of theatre as the best-thing-since-the-Gershwins thread.

Just chill.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 11:51am

Sater was definitely weird, but I felt happy for him. I have to agree though that he was totally hogging the mic when he and Duncan won for best score. And frankly, the composer should speak before the lyricist.

Why presenters so frequently mispronounce nominees' names at award shows is beyond me. It is ridiculous and horrible.

Everyone had a good speech though. Langella's sounded over-rehearsed, but it was nice all the same.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 12:14pm

Fun Fact: Mary Louise Wilson was Tessie Tura in Angela Lansbury's GYPSY.

[Jon]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 12:33pm

I was amused by the fact that the openly gay choreographer of SA came across 100 times more masculine than the supposedly straight lyricist/librettist.

[glimpseofstocking]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 12:39pm

Fun Fact: Mary Louise Wilson was Tessie Tura in Angela Lansbury's GYPSY
I would sell my firstborn to see that.

[brdwybound2]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 2:28pm

After reading this thread yesterday, I went and watched Sater's speech again this morning (nannying for a family with Tivo is absolutley fantastic!). Although his speech made me somewhat uncomfortable, I didn't think it was horrible. I can not imagine winning an award such as the Tonys, and I would be a nervous, excited wreck up there. I don't think anyone should critizize his speech just because he was a little awkward; I think his speech was appropriate because he was so excited about earning such an honor.

[MarkRascati]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 4:43pm

"I know this is supposed to be about the 'worst' speeches, but I just want to say that I LOVED Frank Langella's speech."

me too, that and David Hyde Peirce's were the best.


Worst? Ehle's. Bo-ring.

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 4:55pm

whichever spring awakening guy mentioned the guilty one just because i was sitting in between two VERY LOUD fan girls.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 5:06pm

Re: Tommy Tune Remembering the Dead

I actually would have rather seen him sing Comden's (and Green and Styne's) "The Party's Over." Not particularly uplifting, but I didn't care much for the song he sang.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 6/13/07 at 5:19pm

I recall seeing the amazing Mary Louise Wilson in GYPSY. She was hilarious.

And I enjoyed her enthusiasm in finally winning the Tony award for such a wonderful GREY GARDENS performance. She sure did deserve it!