Tag: Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day: Tony Party Edition

It’s rather late to put these out here, but here are some of the choicest quotes from the Lady Iris’ Annual Moon Lady Extravaganza, (SarahB’s annual Tony party, which is more fun than being in attendance as far as I’m concerned). These were all part of my live-twittering during the summer. There were a lot of other amazing things said, but you’ll have to ask the others to remember those…

“If he plays Unskinny Bop’ I’ll come unglued.” – Sarah, on seeing Brett Michaels in the Tony opening number

“Oh that’s me! And we’re both wearing sparkles!” – Sarah, on seeing her party namesake on the telecast (we were each assigned a Broadway favorite and had to drink upon seeing him or her, or in Kari’s case, them)

“I saw Lauren Graham in the ladies room!” – Christine
“I peed next to her!!!” – Roxie

“They had a song off Broadway was that basically all the fuck word.” – SarahB on Next to Normal

“Whew, that was too much acting for me.” -Roxie, on Next to Normal’s Tony performance

“There’s a gay smackdown coming.” – Kari, on Steve and RivB’s differing POVs of Legally Blonde

“Harriet Walter broke our table!” – The Gathered Ensemble, but specifically Sarah & Kari

“I see this role wasn’t a stretch for Ripley.” – Me, on Alice Ripley geting all JFK on us

“Chandra Wilson? I thought it was Aretha without a hat.” – Christine

“What happened to the guy originated this part?” – Me, on Jersey Boys and John Lloyd Young
“He became a mute.” – Sarah

“Those boys are underage, Elton… don’t try it!” – Sarah, while Billy Elliot collected Best Musical

Quote of the Day

‘Others feel the outbreak in recent years of bloggers who disregard established professional etiquette by weighing in before a show’s official opening has damaged the reputation of the entire critical community. “Anyone in a position to make editorial comment is now regarded as the enemy,” one pundit said.’

–Variety, covering the press response to losing Tony voting privileges

So dear reader, have I ever violated so-called professional etiquette…?

Quote of the Day

“It’s the role of a lifetime. It’s the best written role for a woman over 40 with the possible exception of Mama Rose. Desiree in A Little Night Music is up there too, but Desiree doesn’t carry around the same kind of baggage with all that passive-aggressive Southern charm and complexity. I would say that all three women have spent the majority of their adult lives running away, and come face to face with their destiny, their reason to stop running. All three are terribly vibrant, funny, and flawed beyond belief. That is my favorite thing about them. Their imperfection.”

– Victoria Clark, in an interview with BroadwayWorld, discussing Margaret Johnson of The Light in the Piazza fame

Quote of the Day

“The Guild objects in the strongest possible terms to the exclusion of this award from the live broadcast. We have received assurances in the past that the Tony producers recognize that this is an important award and that they would reinstate it in the show that everybody sees.

“As writers we understand that the television show needs to be entertaining in order to attract and hold its audience. And the Guild recognizes that many of its members’ brother and sister artists, from designers to choreographers to orchestrators, will be similarly disadvantaged on Sunday night.

“Nevertheless, the theatre is always spoken of as ‘The Writer’s Medium,’ as was even said in last year’s broadcast. So it seems especially ironic that the awards show that purports to represent the theatre gives less recognition to writers than the motion picture industry’s Academy Awards.

“We strongly urge that the Best Book Award be put back where it belongs. Live, on the air.”

-Stephen Schwartz, composer, lyricist & President of the Dramatists Guild of America

Bravo, Stephen!

While we’re on the subject of omissions, I am incensed that for the second year in a row Best Revival of a Play is being relegated to the webcast awards. Four different playwrights (living and dead) with unique voices and exemplary writing are present in a category stronger than Best Musical or Musical Revival. Perhaps the producer and not the playwright does receive this particular award, but it is an insult to drama and the legacies of these authors to push them aside so audiences can be treated to such innocuous fare as the national tours of Legally Blonde, Mamma Mia and the tribute to Jersey Boys.

Over the past few years, the awards ceremony has become a three hour commercial for Broadway. To celebrate achievement in live theatre, which is the most collaborative of the performing arts, it’s rather ironic that the telecast is selecting which awards are important enough to air in the national telecast. But get with it Tony Awards people because we’re on to you.

Quote of the Day

“This is boneheaded, outrageous, infuriating and insulting not just to everyone who has worked so hard on these productions, but to the entire theater community. It is another example of the systematic chipping away, for financial gain, of what the Tonys are supposed to be about. Plays make up something like 43 or 44 percent of the box office on Broadway — and they would make up even more if more people heard about them from the Tony Awards.”

“The Tonys should be produced by theater people. Mike Nichols should be the director. The show should be on PBS and everyone should get their award, and then we don’t have to give a f – – k about ratings.”

– Kevin Spacey on the decision to relegate the Best Revival of a Play Tony, among others, to pre-telecast in favor of performances from the national tours of Mamma Mia, Legally Blonde and various companies of Jersey Boys in today’s Michael Riedel.

Quote of the Day: Jessica Biel Edition

“I auditioned for a summer production of Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl. I thought, ‘Well, I’m not a soprano anymore, but I guess I’ll go in for it.’ I literally walked in and said, ‘I can do this song but we’re going to have to drop it down a few notes.’ Actually, I did pretty well and I got the part of Sandy, which I’ll be performing later this summer.

-Jessica Biel, to Parade, on being cast as SARAH in this summer’s concert…

Quote of the Day: Stockard Channing

“I’m on a train going to Paris, where I will be in about ten minutes. So I may get cut off, because we’re going into a tunnel. I’m literally in the suburbs of Paris. I’ve been on vacation. I’m going to Paris for a few days, then I go back to London then back to the States. Someone called me on the train, and then my British cell phone promptly died on me.”

Stockard Channing’s official reaction to Playbill.com on receiving a Tony nomination

Quote of the Day: "One of the Boys" Edition

The invaluable Janney juggles acerbity and warmth with flair in the Lily Tomlin role. She’s no great singer but is frequently buffered by the superior pipes of her co-stars and handles solo duties with assurance and decent pitch. Violet’s splashy “One of the Boys” is a knowingly cheesy late-’70s-style showstopper that recalls Lauren Bacall sashaying and barking through numbers in “Woman of the Year.”

– Variety on 9 to 5

The comparison seem to make sense… Janney could do well in a series of musical theatre acting roles that require less in the singing department. But does anyone recall the title of Lauren Bacall’s act one showstopper in Woman of the Year, which also served as the show’s Tony performance? That’s right. “One of the Boys.” Just thought I’d draw attention to that. Meanwhile, Janney would be a perfect choice to headline a revival of Woman of the Year.