BroadwayWorld.com Logo
HomeSpacerSpacerSpacerSpacer Spacer
BWW SocialTwitterFacebookGoogle PlusRSS Feeds
 
 
LOG IN | REGISTER NOW!

TICKET CENTRAL
Broadway
Off-Bway
Tours
London
Help, Pick Me a Show
2011 Awards Season Articles
Click Here for More Articles on 2011 Awards Season...

LIVE BLOG: Michael Dale Backstage at the 2011 Tony Awards!

Join BroadwayWorld.com's Chief Theatre Critic, Michael Dale, for updates, commentary and whimsy from the press center in an exclusive blog LIVE from the 65th Annual Tony Awards!


Refresh frequently.  Latest entries will appear on top.

 

 

11:41PM:  We've just been told not to expect any more visitors.  Thanks for joining me, everyone.  We should have some great press room interview footage for you soon!

11:14PM:  Expecting Sutton Foster, too.

11:13PM:  The broadcast may be over but I'm sticking around for some visits.  Let's see who pops in.

11:12PM:  Norbert Leo Butz is on his way over.

11:03PM:  On the way to the theatre I ran into Lin-Manuel Miranda.  Watching Neil Patrick Harris' closing, I think I know what he was doing tonight.

10:59PM:  And Chris Rock exposes the elephant in the room.

10:53PM:  It's a great night for Broadway dressers.

10:52PM:  Darn, I was hoping he'd just start giving his opening speech from La Bete.

10:46PM: Up Next?:  Frank Langella reminds the nominators that he'll be appearing in a play this season.

10:45PM:  Neil, she's touching you because Broadway is not just for gays anymore.

10:43PM:  I just realized how much the costumes for this number look like Dr. Seuss illustrations.  That's a good thing.

10:40PM: Fun Fact: The last Paul Shaffer song to be heard on Broadway was "Honey (Touch Me With My Clothes On)" from Gilda Radner -Live From New York.

10:31PM:  During the commercial break War Horse won lighting design of a play.

10:30PM: "Samuel L. Jackson smiled at me!":  Tony winner Nick Stafford, author of War Horse

10:23PM:  How does Company sound?  It looks great.

10:18PM:  And just as James Earl Jones is speaking my headset goes on the fritz.

10:14PM: Up Next?:  An emotional tribute to all the characters that were shot dead in musical comedies this season.

10:12PM: And during the commercial break Book of Mormon just won for Lighting Design of a Musical.

10:07PM:  Sutton Foster miscast?  I don't think so.

10:03PM: You know how thrilling War Horse is? You see the puppeteers working right in front of you and you still believe those horses are real.

9:52PM:  Updates are coming in less frequently now because we're getting visits from winners which I'm taping.  It's getting so busy here that sometimes we don't know who won an award until they drop in.  John Larroquette admits to not being the most upbeat person in the world.  He opened with a Samuel Beckett joke.

9:31PM:  We just spent a few minutes with the very excited and overwhelmed Nikki M. James:  "I feel like I have to move into a better apartment that's worthy of this award."

9:22PM:  Everyone in the blog room has raised their head from their computer and is watching Spider-Man.

9:18PM:  You know what comes between Brooke Shields and her Calvins?  The censors.

9:17PM:  Shades of Nathan Lane and Gregory Hines... nice job, fellas.

9:12PM: While you were watching "I Believe" we were being charmed by the Tony-winning directors of War Horse, Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris.  She'll be working on a new musical with Tori Amos, The Light Princess.

9:02PM:  Dear Steve Colbert, Martin Short already pulled that "Please sit down" gag when he won for Little Me.

9:00PM:  During the commercial break, The Importance of Being Ernest got the award for costume design of a play.

8:59PM:  Another tech glitch but we're back.  You've heard of Not Since Carrie?  Tonight we may be in for Not Since The Producers.

8:41PM:  Only for the talented Ellen Barkin would I not mind missing Neil Patrick Harris' Spider-Man jokes.

8:36PM: Accidentally bumped into Viola Davis backstage and she angrily called me a womanless man.  No idea what that was about.

8:34PM:  That performance is up there with Michael Jeter in Grand Hotel.

8:31PM:  But first, Norbert Leo Butz shows what it means to be a Broadway star.

8:30PM:  Up Next?:  Colman Domingo sings his big number from The Scottsboro Boys with the lyric changed for network television to "Meeskite Money."

8:28PM:  Broadway may not be just for gays anymore but it's shaping up into a good night for The Normal Heart.

8:25PM:  Slight technical problem but I'm back.  For you Tony trivia geeks, when Robert Morse and Matthew Broderick introduced How to Succeed... it was the first time 2 Tony winners for the same role introduced a musical segment from a revival of that same show.

8:12PM:  Kathleen Marshall just stopped by to tell us she's working on a new project; a reworking of the classic Gershwin music, Oh, Kay!

8:04PM:  And I believe we just got our first censored f**ker.

8:00PM:  And we're off!  Neil Patrick Harris is singing about how Broadway is not for just gays anymore.  On behalf of straight lovers of musical theatre everywhere, was it ever?

7:54PM:  And Kathleen Marshall wins for her Anything Goes choreography.

7:53PM:  The Book of Mormon is off to a fast start with wins for score and orchestrations.

7:45PM: Later Tonight?:  On a very special episode of Glee, the kids teach a chorus of children from New York City's homeless shelters to sing their own lyrics to "Hasa Diga Eebowai."

7:20PM:  Things will be revving up here pretty soon, but in the meantime be sure to check out BroadwayWorld's two other Tony night bloggers; Carrie Dunn reporting on the broadcast from London and the mysterious BroadwayGirlNYC,now reporting on the red carpet. 

7:03PM:  Unsubstantiated Rumor:  This year, since the Tony Awards fall on Loving Day - the day we celebrate the United States Supreme Court's decision that made outlawing mixed-race marriages unconstitutional - all nominees who are in inter-racial relationships receive 10 extra bonus votes.  Unreliable sources tell me Sutton Foster has broken off with Bobby Cannavale and has been seen flirting shamelessly with Chris Rock.

 

 

Leave Comments


8 DAYS TO GO - VOTING IS OPEN - CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!
LIVE UPDATE: KINKY BOOTS vs. MATILDA for Best Musical and More...


Michael DaleAfter 20-odd years singing, dancing and acting in dinner theatres, summer stocks and the ever-popular audience participation murder mysteries (try improvising with audiences after they?ve had two hours of open bar), Michael Dale segued his theatrical ambitions into playwriting. The buildings which once housed the 5 Off-Off Broadway plays he penned have all been destroyed or turned into a Starbucks, but his name remains the answer to the trivia question, "Who wrote the official play of Babe Ruth's 100th Birthday?" He served as Artistic Director for The Play's The Thing Theatre Company, helping to bring free live theatre to underserved communities, and dabbled a bit in stage managing and in directing cabaret shows before answering the call (it was an email, actually) to become BroadwayWorld.com's first Chief Theatre Critic. While not attending shows Michael can be seen at Citi Field pleading for the Mets to stop imploding. Likes: Strong book musicals and ambitious new works. Dislikes: Unprepared celebrities making their stage acting debuts by starring on Broadway and weak bullpens.
Past Articles by This Author:

More Articles by This Author...

8 DAYS TO GO - CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!
LIVE UPDATE:
KINKY BOOTS vs. MATILDA for Best Musical...

Only $59!
Save up to 30%
Save on Tickets!
Save up to 35%
Save on Tickets!
Only $79!

Coming to New york
2
Into the Woods Movie Cast
700
Zachary Levi + Krysta Rodriguez = FIRST DATE leads
46
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE coming to Second Stage
11

Robert Diamond's Blog
BWW Awards Voting!
Michael Dale's Broadway Blog
Grosses & Quote
BroadwayGirl NYC Blog
Tony Noms Pt. 1
BLOG
2 More Productions Announced
CERASARO
GLEE Goes Out Singing

GUEST BLOG- Kelly McCormick of PTC's LES MIS - Dirt On, Dirt Off

GUEST BLOG- DROWSY CHAPERONE's Paige Faure





Now Playing:
Now Playing on Broadway Web Radio Unchained Melody (Dance) / The Love Inside from Ghost - The Musical on 2011 Original London Cast.

THE NIGHT LARRY KRAMER KISSED ME Benefit Raises Over $66K for BC/EFA

Jackie Hoffman & John Epperson Set to Lead ONCE UPON A MATTRESS Benefit for Transport Group, 6/17

PIPPIN's Orion Griffiths Crowned 2013 BROADWAY BEAUTY PAGEANT Winner

BWW Awards Update 5/22 - 8 Days to Go and Currently 4(!) Ties!

STAGE TUBE: The Cast of MATILDA Performs on The View!

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE to Play Second Stage in October 2013; Broadway Transfer Possible?

Harold Prince, Tom Schumacher & More to Mentor 2013 T Fellow; Applications Accepted Through 8/1

Exclusive: Laura Michelle Kelly, Ben Davis, Loretta Ables Sayre & Josh Young to Lead SOUTH PACIFIC at the MUNY; Runs 7/8-14

Bea Arthur Nude Sells For Nearly $2 Million At AuctionBea Arthur Nude Sells For Nearly $2 Million At Auction
SPECIAL COVERAGE: All the 2013 Drama Desk Award Winners - MATILDA, VANYA AND SONIA, PIPPIN, VIRGINIA WOOLF and More!Drama Desk Award Winners - MATILDA, VANYA AND SONIA, PIPPIN, VIRGINIA WOOLF & More!
From Musical Mondays at Splash to AVENUE Q: John Bantay Talks to Richard Jay-Alexander About His Farewell Night on Monday, May 20thJohn Bantay Talks to Richard Jay-Alexander About Musical Mondays Farewell
STAGE TUBE: Join Them! Watch the PIPPIN Cast Heat Up Letterman!STAGE TUBE: Join Them! Watch the PIPPIN Cast on Letterman!
CHUCK Star Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez Set to Lead FIRST DATE on Broadway; Opens August 8CHUCK Star Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez Set to Lead FIRST DATE

BWW TV World Logo
  
BWW Movies World Logo
  
BWW Fashion World Logo
  
BWW Music World Logo
BWW Geeks World Logo
  
BWW Opera World Logo
  
BWW Dance World Logo
  
BWW Classical World Logo

All Materials Copyright 2013 Wisdom Digital Media | Privacy Policy | RSS/XMLFeeds