June 10, 2025 • 33 mins
In this episode, Michelle recaps her experience at the 2025 Tony Awards. She digs into behind-the-scenes info on what it's like to be a presenter, what this experience is inspiring her to do and much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
iHeartRadio and The Black Effect.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Coming up next.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
On a new episode of Checking In, I share about
what really went down at the Tony Awards.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey, everybody, what's up?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Welcome to another amazing episode of Checking In. This is
the second episode of the fourth season. I can't stress
it enough. Thank y'all for listening, and thank y'all so
much for the awesome response of the season premiere episode.
Thank y'all so much for just being gracious as it
(00:55):
related to how I felt about the.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Tony Award nominations.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
This week's episode is about my experience going to the
Tony Awards.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
I checked.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
This was my second Tony Awards experience. Last time I
was at the Tony Awards was June thirteenth, two.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Thy ten, fifteen freaking years ago. That's a long time ago.
Fifteen years ago. I had really really short hair, y'all.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I was obviously going through something when I cut my
hair that short. It's like I remember cutting my hair
during that Unexpected era out that unexpected album, that era,
and then before you know it, it just kept getting
shorter and shorter and shorter, and so.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I googled some pictures from me from that moment. It
was a pixie.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I don't even think people even know that I had
a pixie. But yet, go ahead and look at Michelle
Williams Tony Awards twenty ten and you'll see that short haircut.
I'm not saying it was a bad haircut. I just
I'm like, eh, I didn't like it on me.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Anyway.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
This year's Tony Awards experience was amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It was a lot. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
If people know, or I don't know if people will
accept y'all. I'm a teach introvertish Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It's like, once my job is done, I like to
go home.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Now if that requires talking to people, it takes a
lot of prayer.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
And building my capacity up.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
For me too, I never like anyone to feel overlooked,
so I'm always making sure I'm trying to make eye contact.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I'm making sure no one feels.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Like I wasn't hearing what they were saying, and you know,
and really all it takes is just being present in
the moment, right. But I care about people's interactions with me.
Although I'm not gonna be perfect, there are times where
I'm gonna be like.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Hey girl, have thank you for the love. Gotta go.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
But even in that moment, I always want people to
know that, you know, I stopped and took as much
time with the person, really as much as I could, right,
But also I get over stimulated. So by the time
maybe around ten fifteen, ten thirty ish, I started getting
(03:36):
this pounding headache on the right side.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Of my head.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
But I made it all right. So let's start with
the morning. So I presented at the Tony Awards. I
presented the amazing performance of my fellow cast mates and
Death Becomes Her Great But my car pickup was at
like seven fifty a to make sure we were at
Radio City Music Hall by like eight thirty, you know,
(04:04):
to sit a little bit. So it was a full
kind of like dress rehearsal where everybody performs their number
in their actual in the wardrobe that they're going to
be performing. In Cynthia arrival, she was the amazing host,
so yes, even she was there to make sure that
everything that she was wearing was good. So dress rehearsals
(04:26):
are so important. Please don't feel like you're finna get
up at a show and dance and twirl and not
wear the outfit. Okay, that's why my butt fell on
one O six in park. Okay, didn't know the shoes
(04:46):
we were wearing. We didn't know the clothes we were wearing.
But you won't catch us slipping today.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Okay. Dress rehearsal.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Little tip, even if you don't have the actual outfit
that you're gonna.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Wear, wear something that's close to it.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
If you know you are gonna wear a long flowing
skirt that's got a mermaid fishtail on it, make sure
you child go on Amazon somewhere and buy you a
makeshift little something so that you'll know how it feels if.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
You aren't gonna have your outfit at the time.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Okay, I just went off on a tangent, because yeah,
you just want to make sure when you're doing an
amazing performance like that on the Tony Awards, dress rehearsals
are so important. So why was I at the dress
rehearsal to read the freaking teleprompter of what I was
going to say? Normally, you know, like I gotta come
(05:46):
to rehearsal to read, but hey, following orders and it
was great.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Left rehearsal ran an erin. By the time I ran
an erin.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
It was time for or hair and makeup to come
to my place, get dressed, all that good stuff, go downstairs,
getting to the assigned vehicle, head over to the Tony Awards.
I was late, about forty five minutes late. Leave me
(06:20):
and we did not account for the Puerto Rican Day
Parade that was so a lot of there were a
lot of street closures. So I was like, oh my gosh,
I'm gonna miss the red carpet. Oh my gosh, I
want people to see this amazing dress.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
What am I doing? I'm gonna miss the red carpet.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
And June Ambrose styled me and she would have bit
my head off had I missed the red carpet. Okay,
Bibhu Mohapatra was the amazing designer of my dress. Honey,
that was a whole moment in itself. I had an
(07:02):
outfit planned, but I wasn't comfortable and I didn't think
the original dress that I had was Tony Awards appropriate.
If y'all notice at the Tony Awards, it's giving glamour,
but like that old tone that just old Hollywood glamour.
(07:25):
And the dress that I was going to wear was
fears but it was giving MTV Awards and I was
not going to be comfortable, matter of fact, having to
present an award and I wasn't comfortable with certain cuts
of the dress. So I'm so glad that I went
(07:46):
with Bibhu Mohapatra. It was just glamorous. It reminded me
of the coat that I wear and Death Becomes Her
that opening number cold. It reminded me all of my
costumes and Death Becomes Her are just full of jewels.
And since I'm talking about the costumes and Death Becomes Her,
let's shout out Paul Taswell, who won a Tony Award
(08:10):
last night for Best Costume Design. Yes, Paul taz Will
also won an Academy Award OSCAR this year for his
design of Wicked. So we are so fortunate and blessed
to have Paul Taswell be our costume.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Designer who won a Tony. Actually he was the only.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Person out of ten nominations that Death Becomes Her hat
who went home with the Tony. But we were still winners.
The fact that we were nominated for Best Musical, who
was a Best Seeing Design, Best Leading Actress.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Child?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
What were the other nominations? Oh, the Best score and lyrics,
all of that all right, cool anyway, So I thought
I was gonna miss the red carpet. We get to
the red carpet and it's amazing, and so I literally
have to pray. I have to talk myself down thanking
(09:07):
John Murray, producer of The Sherry Shepherd Show, who called.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Me at around What time did he call me?
Speaker 3 (09:13):
He probably called me around four fromteen four thirty to
talk me off the ledge because he knew my anxiety
was bubbling. Why do I get anxiety especially for red
carpet stuff? Because I feel amazing in what I wear.
But once you walk on the red carpet and you
get it from of them cameras and all the fashion outlets,
(09:35):
and people start picking it up, and then it's maybe
not necessarily them, it's by the time everything hits social
media and everybody who don't know nothing about fashion gets
an opinion on what you're wearing. So I don't even
look at a lot of the fashion. I'm tagged in
(09:57):
a lot of stuff.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I won't even read the comments. I don't even I
appreciate all the tags.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I appreciate the love, but I don't go down that
rabbit hole of the comments because your feelings, Mike get hurt.
My feelings have gotten hurt in the past. Son, you
thinking you fierce, and then somebody says something sideways, and
then my comeback is, but you're home. I'm on the
red carpet, Okay, cool beans. The only people's like June Ambros.
(10:28):
Her opinion matters. She styled me, She's a fashion icon,
a styling legend. Her opinion matters. Get on the red
carpet again. So I'm like, okay, I'm good. By the
time I get on the red carpet, like Samuel L. J. Jackson,
Latanya Richardson, Danielle Brooks, George Clooney and his wife amm Clooney.
(10:49):
There we all are kind of getting on the red
carpet at the same time.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
I'm Sarah Brellas. We're just everybody's kind of you know.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
So I'm like, okay, cool, I'm in good comp striking
up conversations.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
The pictures are going great.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Then I did interviews after interview after interview after interview.
I'm so glad I did not have to perform, because
I probably would have just taken pictures and went straight
into my dressing room. I'm going to give y'all some
other intel. Nicole Scherzinger did the Red Carpet, but I
(11:25):
don't think she did interviews until her win. And I
want people to understand why people maybe just take pictures
and they run right into their seat or to their
dressing room.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
The number that Nicole Scherzinger saying from Sunset.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Boulevard required her presence, It required her to be calm,
It required her vocals. Mind you, she did a matinee
before her Tony Award performance, so honor that meaning she
couldn't do a lot of interviews because as hoarse as
(12:07):
I felt after talking, talking, talking talking to some of everybody,
There's no way I would have been able to perform
in best voice. So I'm so glad. I think I
know Megan Hilty performed. I don't know if she did
like interviews or not. So sometimes I just want to
give y'all intel sometimes on why you sometimes see your
(12:29):
favorite figures possibly zip past a lot of interviewers, especially
if they're performing. First of all, y'all, I'm nervous as
crap not performing, And there are times I have performed
on award shows and I'm like, we got to stop
and talk to people. I won't do that today. I
(12:51):
will gladly talk to people after. But I like to
get somewhere and sit down and calm myself. I want
to make sure that. Let me tell you how I
know a performance is gonna be great. It is thirty
seconds in. I didn't crack or fall, okay, So I
need that space to zone out and pray and focus.
(13:14):
Then after I do what I do, you come and
talk to the people. But as I'm saying that, because
as I was doing interviews, I saw Nicole sher singer,
zip right past all the outlets that she could have
interviewed with. But the great thing is she was able
to do interviews after she won for Best Actress in
the Leading Role of a Musical, absolutely well deserved. I'll
(13:38):
go more into the winners I'm a little later. But
it was great, you guys, seeing so many legends and
icons of theater that were there. It was a great
room to be in. I was like, people were asking
me amazing questions. How did it feel to be back
(14:02):
on Broadway, but not only back on Broadway originating a role,
getting able to sit in my seat anticipating best Musical?
Like wow, we were nominated, but we did not win
Maybe Happy Ending one for Best Musical at the twenty
twenty five American Theater Wing Tony Awards.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
So yeah, that's great. Purpose won Best Play.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Maybe Happy Ending one Best Book of a Musical, meaning
that's who wrote the musical. Marco Pennett wrote Death Becomes
Her the book, although he did not write the movie.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
But you know, you have to like.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Change the movie into a musical, so that's who writes
the book basically the script of the musical. So we
did not get that. We did not win Best Original
School Maybe Happy Ending won that Best Performance by an
Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical went to
Nicole Scherzinger.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
We had two nominees from.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Death Becomes Her in that category, making hill Ty Jennifer Samard,
but it went to Nicole Scherzinger. Honey, when I saw
Oprah on stage to present the award for Best Performance
by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical,
in my spirit, I knew, I knew who that award
(15:36):
was going to. And just so y'all know, as I'm
sitting in the awards, I'm actually sitting there thinking, not
even thinking as a participant in a nominated musical, y'all,
I started thinking as a producer because I want to
produce one day.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
I don't know if I want to direct, but I.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Want to, And I also began to think of the
next I do want to be in a play. You
got to have some real chops to be in a play,
because in a musical, you can sing. If you got
a song to fall back on, you can kill it.
(16:21):
Maybe not in a play. You got to be able
to act. You gotta be able to captivate people through
the choices that you make. So as matter of fact,
I want to shout out Kara Young, who won Best
Performance by an Actress in a Featured role in a
(16:42):
play Carra Young in Purpose. I cannot wait to be
able to see some of these Broadway shows, y'all. Are
shows we run on the same schedule, so it's really
difficult to see a lot of these amazing shows because
like when Buayne a Vista Social Club is on, Death.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Becomes Her, We're on as well. So it's just I'm
gonna figure that out. I'm gonna figure that out.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
But I thought so I started sitting there thinking as
a consumer of the arts. One day, as a producer
and maybe as a person in a play, but more
so from a producer standpoint. I began to kind of
pick apart what I think producers look for. I'm excited
(17:30):
about even the Tony nominations committee. What is it that
they are looking for that makes you or the show
that you are in to be nominated? Even for Best
Costume Design, Best Scenic Design, Best Sound Design, those are
all voted for by a committee. Okay, I'm saying that again.
(17:56):
It's kind of like the Grammys, the Recording Academy me
that I I am a part of, things are voted
on back to the Tony committee. They have to see
every single Broadway show, especially the ones that get nominated.
(18:17):
So any show that was nominated for Best Musical, Best Play,
everybody on the committee has to go see the show
everybody right, same way with the Grammys. We have to
listen down to the total.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Body of work.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
It really is a task, but it is a task
I don't take for granted. It is a task that
I actually enjoy. I'm not on the Tony Awards committee,
but from what I'm seeing in research, that's how they work.
So I personally want to give love to everybody that
(19:08):
was nominated and everybody that won a lot of great performances.
Buena Vista Social Club, Operation Mincemeat, Let's see Maybe Happy Ending. Oh,
I cannot wait to see maybe Happy Ending, stranger things.
(19:28):
I want to see everything. I want to see Purpose
Sunset Boulevard. I'm glad Nicole extended her stay because I'm like, man,
will I be able to see her before she leaves.
Best choreography went to Patrick del Gotto and just Justin
Peck for Buena Vista Social Club.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Baby let Me tell You Something. Oh.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Best orchestrations also went to Buena Vista Social Club.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
I just love how the music moved.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I was so moved last night period, just sitting there
like wow, I get to be a.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Part of this.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I am a part of this amazing community. And to
think back when I was a little girl, how the
art was kind of shunned, especially if you were raised
in the church. It was okay as long as you
sang in the church. But the minute you wanted to
take your gift outside of the church, people were still
(20:28):
wondering if you were saved, did you still love God?
If you wanted to take your art outside of the
church and not only that what the arts is to
the LGBTQIA plus community.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
I listened to so.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Many people express sentiments and their speeches yesterday at the
Tony Awards, like fear her and the arts is one
of the safest places that you can express yourself and
be understood. I am grateful for my death. Becomes her family,
(21:20):
their family, their family again.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Listen, Oh, I want to tell y'all.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
So Adam Lambert was sitting in front of me, and
the fun part of sitting by him, like Cynthia Arriva
was singing down you hear me, Audra McDonald Nicole. Oh,
there were so many great performances, and me and Adam
I found we found ourselves kind of like nodding our
(21:48):
head at the same places. And I found found myself
giving him these taps on the back of his shoulder.
First of all, I was giving him taps because I
was hearing him sing a little bit and he was
doing these amazing rips, and I was.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Like, you better sing. I hear you, bro, I hear you.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
So those taps, that those love taps that I give
people sometimes it is because I'm like, I hear you, Haman,
I hear you doing number rips or we were connecting
on some of the same things musically that we both
were enjoying through the night.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
So that was incredible.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
I want to shout out my cast made Christopher Seeber,
who brought snacks. So there is a pre show I
believe that started at like six point thirty that ended
at like almost at eight o'clock. Then then then the
then at two of the Tony Awards started at eight o'clock.
(22:42):
I got in my seat by like, I don't know,
six point fifty, and for the pre show, I ate
a little bit before I left.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
I was pulled. Let me see, y'all. I'm so mad.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
I was pulled out of my seat during Cynthia Revo's performance.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Now, during soundcheck, I.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Was sitting in a seat, y'all. She passed me to
Mic and you know, this church girl was ready.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
I was ready.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
So she and I were texting and I was like, okay,
well let me prepare because she might pass me to Mic.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Actually, in the actual.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Telecast, y'all, I was pulled out of my seat from
my presenter spot because she was first. Then they presented
an award, and then I was third to present the
next performance, which was Death Becomes Her. But I was
so mad because they pulled me out of my seat
just to take me backstage to get like touched up,
(23:46):
to bring me back to the audience.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
And I was like, what, I could have dabbed my
own self. I could have.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
And y'all know that song. It was right up my alley.
All you need is a song. They had the choir.
It was giving church and in rehearsal, I was like, yes,
this is amazing. Cynthia was singing down. So I missed
my opportunity to to sing with Cynthia because I was
(24:20):
pulled out of my seat. So just so y'all know
that when you're presenting or performing at an award show,
even though you might sit for part of the show,
they come pull you out of your seat to bring
you backstage maybe about I don't know. They pulled me
about maybe eight minutes or so prior to my actual slot.
(24:44):
So I just want y'all to know what does that mean?
What do you mean you were pulled out of your seat?
One of the amazing stage managers they come and grab
you to let you know, hey, your time slide is
coming up for you to perform or sing or present
so that's what happen. But it was great. Adam Lambert,
actually he held it down. He did really good, So
(25:08):
that was great. Kudos to Cynthia Arrivo for her amazing
hosting skills. She was also credited as a producer for
the Tony Wards, So you go girl. When I saw
(25:31):
her credits, saw those credits, I said.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
OK, she did that. That was amazing.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Shout out to my glam squad, Nil Scabelli and Theo
Barrett June Ambrose for styling mean, Patricia Black of All
Bright Fashioned, Stuart Whitesmiths Shoes, and Alexis Buitar for the
amazing clutch.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
But it was amazing. Did y'all see all Trum McDonald
as I'm typing, let me see Audra McDonald.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
Y'all, this is in real time, so excuse if it's
kind of sounding all over the place.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
I want you to go with me. Let's see. Wow.
All all your needs is.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
An oscar and she'll be an egot. She has six
Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Emmy.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Amazing, amazing, amazing. Aldra McDonald proved why she is who
she is. If I am not mistaken, she is the
most nominated. Let me see, let me see if this
shows I don't want to say it wrong. So y'all,
(26:50):
thank y'all for being patient. I never want to miss
I don't want to like, I want to have my
facts straight. But Aldra is credited as being one of
the most nominated actresses in the Tonys. Hold on, y'all,
thank y'all for bearing with me. Audra McDonald, I'm y'all,
(27:13):
this is gonna be rare. Most that I'm actually in
real time like typing and researching. Yeah, Aldra McDonald is
the most Tony nominated performer in Broadway history, more than
(27:33):
any performer ever. She has eleven Tony nominations. Okay, I
had to get that right. She became the most awarded
performer in Tony history in twenty fourteen with six wins.
First nominated in nineteen ninety four, man her performance yesterday
(27:58):
breath taking, Nicole Scherzinger's performance literally breathtaking, breathtaking again, shout
out to the women that represented so well, and I am.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
So glad to be a part of the family.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
So those are my thoughts about the Tonys, and I
get to go to work and do a show for y'all.
The cool thing about a lot of people that y'all
saw performing on the Tonies yesterday, they actually had a
They actually had a matinee Death Becomes Her. We were blessed.
(28:39):
We did not have a show yesterday, very rare. So
I am so excited to get to that Luntfine Tan
Theater and give it all I got. Being at the
Tonies reinvigorated me and exhausted me all at the same time.
But I'm going with a new found love and a
(29:01):
new found appreciation.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Y'all.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Sometimes you got to appreciate where you are and say
to yourself, I get to do this, I get to
do this. My prayer for you is that you get
to do it too, whether it's making impact on your job,
making impact at your school, making impact at home.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
With your family. And that's okay too, you know what
I mean. It is a joy.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Thank y'all for rocking with me these past four seasons.
So last week's episode, y'all got to hear my feelings.
You know, if I felt snubbed by the Tony Awards,
and again I do not feel snubbed. I was disappointed,
(29:57):
but I also wanted to check where that disappoint ointment
came from So anytime you are disappointed, that means you
had an expectation, and it's not an expectation with the
spirit of entitlement. Sometimes you just get so excited and
then listen. Then your friends hype you up. My friends
on social media hype you up, like, girl, your performance
(30:20):
is Tony Award nominee worthy. And people are like, girl,
I know you're gonna get it. You're gonna get it,
You're gonna get it. So then I started believing what
folks were starting to say, like you're gonna get it,
You're gonna get it, You're gonna get it. And then
it didn't happen, and you're like wan wah. But again
the true win was just it's still being a part
of this show again. A newfound hunger to do what
(30:44):
I do. I want to do a play next time,
maybe even do some producing. Shout out to Candy Burris,
Deborah Martin, Chase, Even Lowell Cunningham, Marshal Chisholm, Jimmy Horowitz
at NBC Theatrical Universal Theatrical Group who produces Death of Coms.
(31:04):
So I'm learning so much on the producing side. Production
is kind of a different thing than actually being a producer.
I'm not gonna go down that rabbit hole, and y'all
can see I'm a stickler for words, So I yeah,
I In case y'all didn't hear how I felt about
that in the last in the season premiere episode about
(31:27):
how I felt about the Tonys. Just know that I'm
okay and that I get to be a part of
this amazing community. I love y'all, and I pray that
you find yourself in a community that you love and
that loves you back. If not create one.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Thank y'all so much for listening. Please continue to.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Follow and share about my podcast, Checking In with Michelle Williams.
You can listen to it right here on The Black
Effect Podcast Network or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Thank you so much for joining me. Until next time.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio
and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
iHeartRadio and The Black Effect.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Coming up next.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
On a new episode of Checking In, I share about
what really went down at the Tony Awards.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey, everybody, what's up?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Welcome to another amazing episode of Checking In. This is
the second episode of the fourth season. I can't stress
it enough. Thank y'all for listening, and thank y'all so
much for the awesome response of the season premiere episode.
Thank y'all so much for just being gracious as it
(00:55):
related to how I felt about the.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Tony Award nominations.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
This week's episode is about my experience going to the
Tony Awards.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
I checked.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
This was my second Tony Awards experience. Last time I
was at the Tony Awards was June thirteenth, two.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Thy ten, fifteen freaking years ago. That's a long time ago.
Fifteen years ago. I had really really short hair, y'all.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I was obviously going through something when I cut my
hair that short. It's like I remember cutting my hair
during that Unexpected era out that unexpected album, that era,
and then before you know it, it just kept getting
shorter and shorter and shorter, and so.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I googled some pictures from me from that moment. It
was a pixie.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I don't even think people even know that I had
a pixie. But yet, go ahead and look at Michelle
Williams Tony Awards twenty ten and you'll see that short haircut.
I'm not saying it was a bad haircut. I just
I'm like, eh, I didn't like it on me.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Anyway.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
This year's Tony Awards experience was amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It was a lot. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
If people know, or I don't know if people will
accept y'all. I'm a teach introvertish Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It's like, once my job is done, I like to
go home.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Now if that requires talking to people, it takes a
lot of prayer.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
And building my capacity up.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
For me too, I never like anyone to feel overlooked,
so I'm always making sure I'm trying to make eye contact.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I'm making sure no one feels.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Like I wasn't hearing what they were saying, and you know,
and really all it takes is just being present in
the moment, right. But I care about people's interactions with me.
Although I'm not gonna be perfect, there are times where
I'm gonna be like.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Hey girl, have thank you for the love. Gotta go.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
But even in that moment, I always want people to
know that, you know, I stopped and took as much
time with the person, really as much as I could, right,
But also I get over stimulated. So by the time
maybe around ten fifteen, ten thirty ish, I started getting
(03:36):
this pounding headache on the right side.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Of my head.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
But I made it all right. So let's start with
the morning. So I presented at the Tony Awards. I
presented the amazing performance of my fellow cast mates and
Death Becomes Her Great But my car pickup was at
like seven fifty a to make sure we were at
Radio City Music Hall by like eight thirty, you know,
(04:04):
to sit a little bit. So it was a full
kind of like dress rehearsal where everybody performs their number
in their actual in the wardrobe that they're going to
be performing. In Cynthia arrival, she was the amazing host,
so yes, even she was there to make sure that
everything that she was wearing was good. So dress rehearsals
(04:26):
are so important. Please don't feel like you're finna get
up at a show and dance and twirl and not
wear the outfit. Okay, that's why my butt fell on
one O six in park. Okay, didn't know the shoes
(04:46):
we were wearing. We didn't know the clothes we were wearing.
But you won't catch us slipping today.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Okay. Dress rehearsal.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Little tip, even if you don't have the actual outfit
that you're gonna.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Wear, wear something that's close to it.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
If you know you are gonna wear a long flowing
skirt that's got a mermaid fishtail on it, make sure
you child go on Amazon somewhere and buy you a
makeshift little something so that you'll know how it feels if.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
You aren't gonna have your outfit at the time.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Okay, I just went off on a tangent, because yeah,
you just want to make sure when you're doing an
amazing performance like that on the Tony Awards, dress rehearsals
are so important. So why was I at the dress
rehearsal to read the freaking teleprompter of what I was
going to say? Normally, you know, like I gotta come
(05:46):
to rehearsal to read, but hey, following orders and it
was great.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Left rehearsal ran an erin. By the time I ran
an erin.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
It was time for or hair and makeup to come
to my place, get dressed, all that good stuff, go downstairs,
getting to the assigned vehicle, head over to the Tony Awards.
I was late, about forty five minutes late. Leave me
(06:20):
and we did not account for the Puerto Rican Day
Parade that was so a lot of there were a
lot of street closures. So I was like, oh my gosh,
I'm gonna miss the red carpet. Oh my gosh, I
want people to see this amazing dress.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
What am I doing? I'm gonna miss the red carpet.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
And June Ambrose styled me and she would have bit
my head off had I missed the red carpet. Okay,
Bibhu Mohapatra was the amazing designer of my dress. Honey,
that was a whole moment in itself. I had an
(07:02):
outfit planned, but I wasn't comfortable and I didn't think
the original dress that I had was Tony Awards appropriate.
If y'all notice at the Tony Awards, it's giving glamour,
but like that old tone that just old Hollywood glamour.
(07:25):
And the dress that I was going to wear was
fears but it was giving MTV Awards and I was
not going to be comfortable, matter of fact, having to
present an award and I wasn't comfortable with certain cuts
of the dress. So I'm so glad that I went
(07:46):
with Bibhu Mohapatra. It was just glamorous. It reminded me
of the coat that I wear and Death Becomes Her
that opening number cold. It reminded me all of my
costumes and Death Becomes Her are just full of jewels.
And since I'm talking about the costumes and Death Becomes Her,
let's shout out Paul Taswell, who won a Tony Award
(08:10):
last night for Best Costume Design. Yes, Paul taz Will
also won an Academy Award OSCAR this year for his
design of Wicked. So we are so fortunate and blessed
to have Paul Taswell be our costume.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Designer who won a Tony. Actually he was the only.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Person out of ten nominations that Death Becomes Her hat
who went home with the Tony. But we were still winners.
The fact that we were nominated for Best Musical, who
was a Best Seeing Design, Best Leading Actress.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Child?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
What were the other nominations? Oh, the Best score and lyrics,
all of that all right, cool anyway, So I thought
I was gonna miss the red carpet. We get to
the red carpet and it's amazing, and so I literally
have to pray. I have to talk myself down thanking
(09:07):
John Murray, producer of The Sherry Shepherd Show, who called.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Me at around What time did he call me?
Speaker 3 (09:13):
He probably called me around four fromteen four thirty to
talk me off the ledge because he knew my anxiety
was bubbling. Why do I get anxiety especially for red
carpet stuff? Because I feel amazing in what I wear.
But once you walk on the red carpet and you
get it from of them cameras and all the fashion outlets,
(09:35):
and people start picking it up, and then it's maybe
not necessarily them, it's by the time everything hits social
media and everybody who don't know nothing about fashion gets
an opinion on what you're wearing. So I don't even
look at a lot of the fashion. I'm tagged in
(09:57):
a lot of stuff.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I won't even read the comments. I don't even I
appreciate all the tags.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I appreciate the love, but I don't go down that
rabbit hole of the comments because your feelings, Mike get hurt.
My feelings have gotten hurt in the past. Son, you
thinking you fierce, and then somebody says something sideways, and
then my comeback is, but you're home. I'm on the
red carpet, Okay, cool beans. The only people's like June Ambros.
(10:28):
Her opinion matters. She styled me, She's a fashion icon,
a styling legend. Her opinion matters. Get on the red
carpet again. So I'm like, okay, I'm good. By the
time I get on the red carpet, like Samuel L. J. Jackson,
Latanya Richardson, Danielle Brooks, George Clooney and his wife amm Clooney.
(10:49):
There we all are kind of getting on the red
carpet at the same time.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
I'm Sarah Brellas. We're just everybody's kind of you know.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
So I'm like, okay, cool, I'm in good comp striking
up conversations.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
The pictures are going great.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Then I did interviews after interview after interview after interview.
I'm so glad I did not have to perform, because
I probably would have just taken pictures and went straight
into my dressing room. I'm going to give y'all some
other intel. Nicole Scherzinger did the Red Carpet, but I
(11:25):
don't think she did interviews until her win. And I
want people to understand why people maybe just take pictures
and they run right into their seat or to their
dressing room.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
The number that Nicole Scherzinger saying from Sunset.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Boulevard required her presence, It required her to be calm,
It required her vocals. Mind you, she did a matinee
before her Tony Award performance, so honor that meaning she
couldn't do a lot of interviews because as hoarse as
(12:07):
I felt after talking, talking, talking talking to some of everybody,
There's no way I would have been able to perform
in best voice. So I'm so glad. I think I
know Megan Hilty performed. I don't know if she did
like interviews or not. So sometimes I just want to
give y'all intel sometimes on why you sometimes see your
(12:29):
favorite figures possibly zip past a lot of interviewers, especially
if they're performing. First of all, y'all, I'm nervous as
crap not performing, And there are times I have performed
on award shows and I'm like, we got to stop
and talk to people. I won't do that today. I
(12:51):
will gladly talk to people after. But I like to
get somewhere and sit down and calm myself. I want
to make sure that. Let me tell you how I
know a performance is gonna be great. It is thirty
seconds in. I didn't crack or fall, okay, So I
need that space to zone out and pray and focus.
(13:14):
Then after I do what I do, you come and
talk to the people. But as I'm saying that, because
as I was doing interviews, I saw Nicole sher singer,
zip right past all the outlets that she could have
interviewed with. But the great thing is she was able
to do interviews after she won for Best Actress in
the Leading Role of a Musical, absolutely well deserved. I'll
(13:38):
go more into the winners I'm a little later. But
it was great, you guys, seeing so many legends and
icons of theater that were there. It was a great
room to be in. I was like, people were asking
me amazing questions. How did it feel to be back
(14:02):
on Broadway, but not only back on Broadway originating a role,
getting able to sit in my seat anticipating best Musical?
Like wow, we were nominated, but we did not win
Maybe Happy Ending one for Best Musical at the twenty
twenty five American Theater Wing Tony Awards.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
So yeah, that's great. Purpose won Best Play.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Maybe Happy Ending one Best Book of a Musical, meaning
that's who wrote the musical. Marco Pennett wrote Death Becomes
Her the book, although he did not write the movie.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
But you know, you have to like.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Change the movie into a musical, so that's who writes
the book basically the script of the musical. So we
did not get that. We did not win Best Original
School Maybe Happy Ending won that Best Performance by an
Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical went to
Nicole Scherzinger.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
We had two nominees from.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Death Becomes Her in that category, making hill Ty Jennifer Samard,
but it went to Nicole Scherzinger. Honey, when I saw
Oprah on stage to present the award for Best Performance
by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical,
in my spirit, I knew, I knew who that award
(15:36):
was going to. And just so y'all know, as I'm
sitting in the awards, I'm actually sitting there thinking, not
even thinking as a participant in a nominated musical, y'all,
I started thinking as a producer because I want to
produce one day.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
I don't know if I want to direct, but I.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Want to, And I also began to think of the
next I do want to be in a play. You
got to have some real chops to be in a play,
because in a musical, you can sing. If you got
a song to fall back on, you can kill it.
(16:21):
Maybe not in a play. You got to be able
to act. You gotta be able to captivate people through
the choices that you make. So as matter of fact,
I want to shout out Kara Young, who won Best
Performance by an Actress in a Featured role in a
(16:42):
play Carra Young in Purpose. I cannot wait to be
able to see some of these Broadway shows, y'all. Are
shows we run on the same schedule, so it's really
difficult to see a lot of these amazing shows because
like when Buayne a Vista Social Club is on, Death.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Becomes Her, We're on as well. So it's just I'm
gonna figure that out. I'm gonna figure that out.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
But I thought so I started sitting there thinking as
a consumer of the arts. One day, as a producer
and maybe as a person in a play, but more
so from a producer standpoint. I began to kind of
pick apart what I think producers look for. I'm excited
(17:30):
about even the Tony nominations committee. What is it that
they are looking for that makes you or the show
that you are in to be nominated? Even for Best
Costume Design, Best Scenic Design, Best Sound Design, those are
all voted for by a committee. Okay, I'm saying that again.
(17:56):
It's kind of like the Grammys, the Recording Academy me
that I I am a part of, things are voted
on back to the Tony committee. They have to see
every single Broadway show, especially the ones that get nominated.
(18:17):
So any show that was nominated for Best Musical, Best Play,
everybody on the committee has to go see the show
everybody right, same way with the Grammys. We have to
listen down to the total.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Body of work.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
It really is a task, but it is a task
I don't take for granted. It is a task that
I actually enjoy. I'm not on the Tony Awards committee,
but from what I'm seeing in research, that's how they work.
So I personally want to give love to everybody that
(19:08):
was nominated and everybody that won a lot of great performances.
Buena Vista Social Club, Operation Mincemeat, Let's see Maybe Happy Ending. Oh,
I cannot wait to see maybe Happy Ending, stranger things.
(19:28):
I want to see everything. I want to see Purpose
Sunset Boulevard. I'm glad Nicole extended her stay because I'm like, man,
will I be able to see her before she leaves.
Best choreography went to Patrick del Gotto and just Justin
Peck for Buena Vista Social Club.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Baby let Me tell You Something. Oh.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Best orchestrations also went to Buena Vista Social Club.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
I just love how the music moved.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I was so moved last night period, just sitting there
like wow, I get to be a.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Part of this.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I am a part of this amazing community. And to
think back when I was a little girl, how the
art was kind of shunned, especially if you were raised
in the church. It was okay as long as you
sang in the church. But the minute you wanted to
take your gift outside of the church, people were still
(20:28):
wondering if you were saved, did you still love God?
If you wanted to take your art outside of the
church and not only that what the arts is to
the LGBTQIA plus community.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
I listened to so.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Many people express sentiments and their speeches yesterday at the
Tony Awards, like fear her and the arts is one
of the safest places that you can express yourself and
be understood. I am grateful for my death. Becomes her family,
(21:20):
their family, their family again.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Listen, Oh, I want to tell y'all.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
So Adam Lambert was sitting in front of me, and
the fun part of sitting by him, like Cynthia Arriva
was singing down you hear me, Audra McDonald Nicole. Oh,
there were so many great performances, and me and Adam
I found we found ourselves kind of like nodding our
(21:48):
head at the same places. And I found found myself
giving him these taps on the back of his shoulder.
First of all, I was giving him taps because I
was hearing him sing a little bit and he was
doing these amazing rips, and I was.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Like, you better sing. I hear you, bro, I hear you.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
So those taps, that those love taps that I give
people sometimes it is because I'm like, I hear you, Haman,
I hear you doing number rips or we were connecting
on some of the same things musically that we both
were enjoying through the night.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
So that was incredible.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
I want to shout out my cast made Christopher Seeber,
who brought snacks. So there is a pre show I
believe that started at like six point thirty that ended
at like almost at eight o'clock. Then then then the
then at two of the Tony Awards started at eight o'clock.
(22:42):
I got in my seat by like, I don't know,
six point fifty, and for the pre show, I ate
a little bit before I left.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
I was pulled. Let me see, y'all. I'm so mad.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
I was pulled out of my seat during Cynthia Revo's performance.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Now, during soundcheck, I.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Was sitting in a seat, y'all. She passed me to
Mic and you know, this church girl was ready.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
I was ready.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
So she and I were texting and I was like, okay,
well let me prepare because she might pass me to Mic.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Actually, in the actual.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Telecast, y'all, I was pulled out of my seat from
my presenter spot because she was first. Then they presented
an award, and then I was third to present the
next performance, which was Death Becomes Her. But I was
so mad because they pulled me out of my seat
just to take me backstage to get like touched up,
(23:46):
to bring me back to the audience.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
And I was like, what, I could have dabbed my
own self. I could have.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
And y'all know that song. It was right up my alley.
All you need is a song. They had the choir.
It was giving church and in rehearsal, I was like, yes,
this is amazing. Cynthia was singing down. So I missed
my opportunity to to sing with Cynthia because I was
(24:20):
pulled out of my seat. So just so y'all know
that when you're presenting or performing at an award show,
even though you might sit for part of the show,
they come pull you out of your seat to bring
you backstage maybe about I don't know. They pulled me
about maybe eight minutes or so prior to my actual slot.
(24:44):
So I just want y'all to know what does that mean?
What do you mean you were pulled out of your seat?
One of the amazing stage managers they come and grab
you to let you know, hey, your time slide is
coming up for you to perform or sing or present
so that's what happen. But it was great. Adam Lambert,
actually he held it down. He did really good, So
(25:08):
that was great. Kudos to Cynthia Arrivo for her amazing
hosting skills. She was also credited as a producer for
the Tony Wards, So you go girl. When I saw
(25:31):
her credits, saw those credits, I said.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
OK, she did that. That was amazing.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Shout out to my glam squad, Nil Scabelli and Theo
Barrett June Ambrose for styling mean, Patricia Black of All
Bright Fashioned, Stuart Whitesmiths Shoes, and Alexis Buitar for the
amazing clutch.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
But it was amazing. Did y'all see all Trum McDonald
as I'm typing, let me see Audra McDonald.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
Y'all, this is in real time, so excuse if it's
kind of sounding all over the place.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
I want you to go with me. Let's see. Wow.
All all your needs is.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
An oscar and she'll be an egot. She has six
Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Emmy.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Amazing, amazing, amazing. Aldra McDonald proved why she is who
she is. If I am not mistaken, she is the
most nominated. Let me see, let me see if this
shows I don't want to say it wrong. So y'all,
(26:50):
thank y'all for being patient. I never want to miss
I don't want to like, I want to have my
facts straight. But Aldra is credited as being one of
the most nominated actresses in the Tonys. Hold on, y'all,
thank y'all for bearing with me. Audra McDonald, I'm y'all,
(27:13):
this is gonna be rare. Most that I'm actually in
real time like typing and researching. Yeah, Aldra McDonald is
the most Tony nominated performer in Broadway history, more than
(27:33):
any performer ever. She has eleven Tony nominations. Okay, I
had to get that right. She became the most awarded
performer in Tony history in twenty fourteen with six wins.
First nominated in nineteen ninety four, man her performance yesterday
(27:58):
breath taking, Nicole Scherzinger's performance literally breathtaking, breathtaking again, shout
out to the women that represented so well, and I am.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
So glad to be a part of the family.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
So those are my thoughts about the Tonys, and I
get to go to work and do a show for y'all.
The cool thing about a lot of people that y'all
saw performing on the Tonies yesterday, they actually had a
They actually had a matinee Death Becomes Her. We were blessed.
(28:39):
We did not have a show yesterday, very rare. So
I am so excited to get to that Luntfine Tan
Theater and give it all I got. Being at the
Tonies reinvigorated me and exhausted me all at the same time.
But I'm going with a new found love and a
(29:01):
new found appreciation.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Y'all.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Sometimes you got to appreciate where you are and say
to yourself, I get to do this, I get to
do this. My prayer for you is that you get
to do it too, whether it's making impact on your job,
making impact at your school, making impact at home.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
With your family. And that's okay too, you know what
I mean. It is a joy.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Thank y'all for rocking with me these past four seasons.
So last week's episode, y'all got to hear my feelings.
You know, if I felt snubbed by the Tony Awards,
and again I do not feel snubbed. I was disappointed,
(29:57):
but I also wanted to check where that disappoint ointment
came from So anytime you are disappointed, that means you
had an expectation, and it's not an expectation with the
spirit of entitlement. Sometimes you just get so excited and
then listen. Then your friends hype you up. My friends
on social media hype you up, like, girl, your performance
(30:20):
is Tony Award nominee worthy. And people are like, girl,
I know you're gonna get it. You're gonna get it,
You're gonna get it. So then I started believing what
folks were starting to say, like you're gonna get it,
You're gonna get it, You're gonna get it. And then
it didn't happen, and you're like wan wah. But again
the true win was just it's still being a part
of this show again. A newfound hunger to do what
(30:44):
I do. I want to do a play next time,
maybe even do some producing. Shout out to Candy Burris,
Deborah Martin, Chase, Even Lowell Cunningham, Marshal Chisholm, Jimmy Horowitz
at NBC Theatrical Universal Theatrical Group who produces Death of Coms.
(31:04):
So I'm learning so much on the producing side. Production
is kind of a different thing than actually being a producer.
I'm not gonna go down that rabbit hole, and y'all
can see I'm a stickler for words, So I yeah,
I In case y'all didn't hear how I felt about
that in the last in the season premiere episode about
(31:27):
how I felt about the Tonys. Just know that I'm
okay and that I get to be a part of
this amazing community. I love y'all, and I pray that
you find yourself in a community that you love and
that loves you back. If not create one.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Thank y'all so much for listening. Please continue to.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Follow and share about my podcast, Checking In with Michelle Williams.
You can listen to it right here on The Black
Effect Podcast Network or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Thank you so much for joining me. Until next time.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio
and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
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