Gratitude in Their Attitude: The 2007 Tony Acceptance Speeches
The joy, the tears, and the lists and lists of names. Oh, and don't forget mom and dad! To relive the acceptance speeches of the 2007 Tony Awards, read on.
"First, I just have to thank them for pronouncing my name correctly, that's a victory enough, I'm so grateful. And I want to thank the woman who I met the opening night of Voyage, who congratulated on having the courageousness to wear fat padding just on my butt, for recognizing the nuance that goes into creating a performance like this, a prize-winning performance now. I'm so grateful for the good fortune that I've had in my career, which is undeniably rare and incredible opportunities and four people who have given me more than one are Andre Bishop, Bernie Gersten of Lincoln Center, Tom Stoppard and Jack O'Brien. And I also want to thank the production design team and production crew and everybody at Lincoln Center, and the cast, especially my main scene partner Ethan Hawke, everybody I work with, Allen Cohen, Jimmy, Simon, Tony, Brian, who's last names I would totally mention if I knew them, my family and friends, especially my mom who's here and my great son Will, I love you very much. My fellow nominees, and everybody nominated and not nominated that work so hard to make the new York theatre a vibrant place. I'm going to miss Belinsky a lot, so thanks to the Tony organization, the voters, for letting me enjoy him one more night." —Billy Crudup, Best Featured Actor in a Play, The Coast of Utopia
"Oh my God! I have to say, endless, endless thanks to the Tony voters and my fellow nominees, thank you to my amazing cast and our incredible band in Spring Awakening, to Bill T. Jones, Kimberly Grisgby our musical director for helping me truly find my voice and for making us shine, Andy Hemison and Neil Pepe at the Atlantic Theatre Company, you are the true rock stars of New York theater and we would not be here in this room tonight without you. Frank Wood, Mary McCann, Kerry Gartner, Jim Carnahan, all of our producers, but especially Jeff Richards, Ira Pittleman, Tom Hulce, you are a business man of passion and pathos, and most importantly not pretension, and I'll never forget all the hard work you did for this show and for us. Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, for this beautiful, incredible music, you make it so easy to find myself and lose myself in the material every night. Michael Mayer, our director, I'm not the only person whose life you changed this year. Thank you for this chance and for giving me a work environment that is comfortable and challenging and for seeing things in me I didn't dare see in myself. Edie and Rhonda, my other mothers, my real mother, Dad, Joanie, Janie, my whole family, I could not do this without you, your support. I want to say happy birthday to my friend Seth. And finally, my character in Spring Awakening, Moritz Stiefel has a line, and this is so lame, because if you come see the show you're going to think of it when I say it, but truly, truly, truly, 'heaven must feel like this'. Thank you so much." —John Gallagher Jr., Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Spring Awakening
"I guess dreams really can come true. Thank you to the League and the Wing for the most extraordinary evening. Eight and a half years ago, Duncan, Michael and I set out to give voice to the hopes and rebellion of young people and it's young people everywhere that first heard our songs and came to see our show and stand outside our stage door and talk about how much its meant to their lives, so this is for you the, guilty ones and all our fans of all ages who come again to our show. Duncan and I thank you from the bottom or our hearts." —Steven Sater, Best Score, Spring Awakening
"So the show has been such a long journey and there's been a lot of causalities along the way and there's a lot of people who should have been here tonight who aren't and we still love you and I just want to say to Tom and Ira thank you so much for making us live, you did a very cool thing. And musical theater rocks! Thank you. —Duncan Sheik, Best Score, Spring Awakening
"Yeah! Hahaha! OK, they told me this is gonna be fast. OMIGOD, MICHAEL! MICHAEL, MY MAN! Thank you to Michael Mayer, the person who I think had this crazy idea and to Steven and to Duncan and to Kevin and to the guys who are going to do so much tonight, the two writers, I'm getting all screwed up here! OK, let's see me pull this together. And to the Tony voters and to all of those people in this wonderful world who took a snob like me to their hearts. And I want to thank very much the people in my world, my dance company. I know they're up in Saratoga watching me, my sister in the Bay area. And let's talk about the people who are not here, some above, probably some below but anyways, you know who you are, I love you all very much and my dear companion who stays with me, Bjorn Avalon. I am a happy man." —Bill T. Jones, Best Choreography, Spring Awakening
"Oh, God! Thank you so much. Thank you, Jack. Thank you, Tom! Oh, thank you Andre and Bernie for having the courage to do The Coast of Utopia, and to show New York, New York's audiences and New York's actors that we really do all want a repertory company at Lincoln Center and hopefully one day that will happen. Thank you, oh, my dressers Linda and Susan. Thank you, Paul Huntley. Thank you, Cindy for doing my wig. Thank you, Cathy. Thank you all our designers, extraordinary stage management. To be a part of this company is an honor that I've ever been paid in my career and it really was something. Hello everybody at O'Neal's, we're going to come see you very soon and I can't wait. And my Ryan, I love you so much and thank you for the last nine months that would not have been possible or worth doing without you. Thank you, darling. And Richard Easton, thank you for coming back to us, you are as Tom Stoppard said, a national treasure. And thank you Amy and Trish and the entire company. Martha, Martha, Martha, I love you dearly. Thank you very much." —Jennifer Ehle, Best Featured Actress in a Play, The Coast of Utopia
"I know what Everest feels like. I like to salute my fellow nominees, Michael and Melly and David. Whatever else this is, we know it is impossibly a competition. We're all so different here; we're apples and oranges, and I guess in my case, beets, but I saw and loved your work, I'm proud to be represented with you. I've had the great, great good fortune from this stage for years to be able to thank everybody who ever loved me and who ever helped me, and with a nod to them tonight, I would like to single out Andre Bishop and Bernie Gersten and the board of Lincoln Center for the bravery, some would say, folly, in committing the entire year to us, to that cadre of brilliant designers, led by Bob Crowley and Scott Pask, the beautiful clothes of Cathy Zuber, that astonishing score of Mark Bennett, I'm sorry there wasn't a category for that, to say nothing of the casting of Daniel Swee and I had those three poets of light, Brian MacDevitt and Kenny Posner and Natasha Katz. No director has ever had support like that before and the beauty belongs to them. And those 24 actors, the best that we have who ignited a fire in all of us, a passion for each other, and it's like a pilot light everyone in this room has shared—a differed dream of maybe one day realizing our own national theater. To them, to you and most of all, to the great Tom Stoppard for giving me the ride of our life. God bless, thank you. Now, let's have no more nonsense about the state of the American theater." —Jack O'Brien, Best Director of a Play, The Coast of Utopia
"Thank you. Thank you very much. Come on down, come on down! As my producers are coming downstage, they told me I have 90 seconds, but I do speak for the cast and now the producers of The Two and Only. This is an amazing thing. I'd like to first personally thank the entire Broadway community because they have welcomed my show with such open arms and such a wonderful passion and made me feel a part of it, and me kind of vaudevillian, it's nice to have that welcome, and I thank you all for this honor. There are a lot of people who wouldn't get honored because this is a special event, and I would mention my creative team and the people on our magic dream team. They are Clifton Taylor, who did our lights, Beowulf Borritt, David Gotwell, there is also Michael Andreas who did our music, the wiz Lori Ann Zepp, Scott Folk, and, of course, my friends Rick Miramontez and Richard Hilman. This would not be possible except for two people, the real two and only are standing onstage, they are my friends, my playmates, my directors and my co-creators, and they are Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel, here they are, they are my two and only. To my lovely wife Sandra and my sons Brandon and Taylor, what would it be worth without your love? And to everybody that had a dream, always believe." —Jay Johnson, Best Special Theatrical Event, Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!
"OK. To everyone who I have ever worked with, I want to say one thing. This is not heinous! You will understand. I'm so, so honored and moved and grateful to everyone who made Spring Awakening possible. Special thanks to music director Kim Grigsby, sound designer Brian Ronan, casting director Jim Carnahan because the Tonys aren't given for their categories, and I think they should be. If it's true that Spring Awakening is changing the landscape of Broadway, I know that Steven and Duncan and I are really proud, but all we set out to do was to tell our story the way we thought it should be told and to the extent I didn't second guess myself. I thank my parents. I'm one of the lucky ones, I had parents I could talk to and who understood and appreciated what made me unique. For instance, when I was eight years old, I woke up one morning and there on the pillow next to me was the most astonishing thing I had ever seen in my life, a double album, Judy at Carnegie Hall. Right? How cool is that? I have to also thank my Aunt Susan and Uncle Alan, all my family, my friends, my partner Roger. I think it's awesome that the Broadway community has embraced our musical of young people struggling with the confusing and exhilarating journey to adulthood, and I believe it is only with open eyes and open ears and open minds and open hearts that we can guide future generations until one day societal repression and sexist taboo are no longer themes for which directors win Tony Awards." —Michael Mayer, Best Director of a Musical, Spring Awakening
"Well, first let me put down immediately a widespread rumor. This show did not bankrupt me. Close. I want to thank the writer R.C. Sheriff, without whom, the writers, none of us would be in this room. It begins with the writer. The director David Grindley, an amazing ensemble, who are all here, I hope. A faithful group of producers: Stephanie McClelland, Dr. James D'Orta, Phillip Geier, William and Gertrude Rollnick. More important than all of this, what we want to say to you all, our dirty little secret is in 100 years, this play has never been a commercial success. In 100 years, it has never made money. We knew this going into this, but we wanted to ask you all, dare ask the question to each of us: is there not a better way for human beings to resolve conflict than war? Is there not a better way? —Producer Bill Haber, Best Revival of a Play, Journey's End
"Company is blessed with an embarrassment of riches: the great artist Raul Esparza, Barbara Walsh and a wildly talented cast that throws every bit of itself into this adventure every night at the Barrymore Theatre. A special thanks to Mary Mitchell Campbell for her wonderful orchestrations." —Producer Tom Viertel, Best Revival of a Musical, Company
" Company has been a real labor of love and we're grateful to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park first of all, Ambassador Theatre Group, to our American partners and dozens, if not hundreds of people who make any Broadway musical possible. Thanks also to Fidelity Investments for their ongoing support of our activities. —Producer Richard Frankel, Best Revival of a Musical, Company
"OH MY GOD! Oh my goodness! You Tony voters, what a bunch of wacky crazy kids! I thank you so much! Just to be nominated with this extraordinary list of women, I never imagined I would even be on a list like this, unless it was for dinner reservations at Angus—and then to get the tzotchke! Oh my God! I can't feel my hands—is that a bad thing? Oh my God! I share this with Doug Carter Beane, the playwright who gave me this great part, of course with Scott Ellis and everyone at Second Stage for convincing Doug Carter Beane that I should pay the role, which apparently took a lot of arm twisting. I share it with my cast: Neal Huff, Tom Everett Scott, Ari Graynor, my baby Johnny Galecki and my baby baby Zoe Lister-Jones. Oh my God! Oh my God, our genius producers! I played a hideous agent and my agents have never been hideous to my face. I thank everyone at Paradigm, especially my own personal care bear, Tim Sage, thank you my darling. My manager Steve Hamberg, my family at home, my sister Terry Lynn has not breathed since this happened, take a breath, Terry. And finally I want to thank my daughter Alex Pandel, who gives us all hope for the future, thanks darling! YAHOO!" —Julie White, Best Actress in a Play, Little Dog Laughed
"There's a line in Frost/Nixon which says, "Success in America is unlike success anywhere else. That feeling when you're up, it's indescribable." I'm very grateful to the theater community, to my colleagues in Frost/Nixon here and overseas and the New York theatergoing public for allowing me that feeling this season. The line in the play then goes on to say "But there's another feeling, when it's gone, to somewhere else, to someone else." And I know that feeling, everyone in this room knows it. I suppose we can't stop people from putting us into competition with one another, and once we're here, I suppose we all want to win, but I think we must honor the common bond in us, the struggle. The striving for success because that's a race we simply can't lose. I am very proud, very honored to work and live among you splendid people. Thank you. Thank you for giving me that indescribable feeling, I wish it for you all." —Frank Langella, Best Actor in a Play, Frost/Nixon
"My sincere thanks to the Tony Awards committee and Tony voters, I feel a bit nostalgic actually because this year, it's been 40 years since I first came here with a play, and I'm sentimental enough to want to start by thanking the New York theater for having me for good times and good friends. It was a different planet in 1967, the Broadway theater. They had a little ashtray clamped to the back of every seat and the author got 10 percent of the gross. Jack O'Brien mentioned pretty much everybody whom I should thank, he somehow never quite mentioned himself. Among the friends I've made here, of course, Bernie and Andre Bishop, Jack has directed me three times of the four times I've been at Lincoln Center, one says you can't imagine what I owe him, but if you have seen The Coast of Utopia, you can imagine what I owe him. Thank you, Jack, thanks a lot." —Tom Stoppard, Best Play, The Coast of Utopia
"Thank you. We're very pleased, and we're very honored and we thank all of the Tony voters and all of the members of the Tony committees for giving us this lovely award, but, of course, we want to thank the great Tom Stoppard for writing a wonderful, wonderful play and the magnificent Mr. Jack O'Brien for directing it so beautifully." —Andre Bishop, Best Play, The Coast of Utopia
"Thanks to that extraordinary company that has brought us as close to theatrical utopia as we're ever likely to get. Thanks to the great state of the art board of directors at Lincoln Center Theatre who urge us on in our follies. And finally, thanks to our colleague and friend and co-venture Bob Boyett. And to my friend, and the one who made my life in the theater for the last 16 years and filled it with ineffable joy, Andre Bishop. Finally, and personally, a ripe congratulations to my darling daughter Jillian and her soon-to-be hunk of a husband Brian on their impending marriage. Thanks, Tony voters!" —Bernard Gersten, Best Play, The Coast of Utopia
"I made my Broadway debut 25 years ago, as the waiter in Chris Durang's Beyond Therapy and the first words I ever spoke on a Broadway stage were 'I'm sorry we're going to have to ask you to leave.' And I'm sitting here tonight, and I'm reminded of Raul's amazing performance and my dear friend Michael Cerveris and Gavin, who tap dances on a ceiling, and Jonathan, who has so much talent at a young age that I have to go take a nap, and I think, 'Oh yeah, they're going to call my name, and they're going to say, 'David Hyde Pierce, we're going to have to ask you to leave.' I can't believe… I can't believe anything! I'm so grateful to be here, but I can tell you the reasons why I'm here: my voice teacher Calvin Rensburg, my dance coach Cate Caplin, the entire original company of Spamalot, especially Darlene Wilson, without my learning from them I'd never have been ready for Curtains. Scott Ellis, our director, who made sure I did this show and made sure I did it right. Our producers, but especially whoever was mixing the cocktails the night they decided to get behind this show. Kander and Freddy and Rupert and Peter, who created a character where a character actor could be the leading man, all of our entire company, our crew, my agent Marilyn Szatmary who's been with me since Beyond Therapy, my manager Peter Saffron, my attorney Phil Klein, all my friends and family, my assistant Katie who is friend and family, and my partner Brian, 'cause it's 24 years of listening to your damn notes, that's why I'm up here tonight!" —David Hyde Pierce, Best Actor in a Musical, Curtains
"Oh my God, this is amazing. I left Hollywood when they told me I was over the hill, and now I'm standing here with this most distinguished award that I consider to be the role of a lifetime, I'm over the hill in the role of a lifetime! This is so encouraging! I want to thank my beautiful, beautiful family of Grey Gardens onstage and off who worked tirelessly to make this show come alive eight times a week, all the way from Sundance to Playwrights Horizons who got this show to Broadway, thank you so much for your devotion and your support. Thank you Scott Frankel, Michael Greif, Michael Korie and Doug Wright, without you I would not be standing here tonight. The entire creative staff of Grey Gardens, Mary Louise Wilson, you are a master class. Thank you to wonderful agent Barry McPherson and Mark Sendroff. Thank you Siobhan and Clyde. Thank you Julia, Nancy, Walter, Erin and Jill for keeping me together. Thank you to my wonderful family. This is for the Edies, may they live in our hearts forever because those who take the journey when they come and see Grey Gardens, they help us get in touch with our humanity and our innate goodness. Thank you so much." —Christine Ebersole, Best Actress in a Musical, Grey Gardens
"Steven Sater, Duncan Sheik and Michael Mayer, we thank you for conceiving and creating a Broadway musical that rocks. That makes you laugh and cry and think, a show that speaks from the heart and touches audiences of every age and every generation. Andy, Neil and Mary at the Atlantic, Jeffrey, Mary and our co-producers Kathy, John, Heather, thank you and to Callahan Carnahan, Situation Marketing, Amy, Andy and Angelo, thanks for helping make Spring Awakening a big beautiful phenomenon!" —Producer Ira Pittelman, Best Musical, Spring Awakening
"To the Theatre Wing, to the League and Tony voters everywhere, thank you so much, this means the world to us. To the amazing Stephen Spinella and Christine Estabrook and our brilliant young cast, we thank you for your gorgeous, inspired work and for raising the roof at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre eight times a week. Bill T. Jones, our phenomenal team of designers, Christine, Susan, Kevin, Brian, Kimberly Grigsby, Anne Marie Milazzo and our breathtaking band, you are genius all and we thank you." —Producer Tom Hulce, Best Musical, Spring Awakening