THE TONY AWARDS ARE HAPPENING THIS SUNDAY, FOLKS, RIGHT HERE
ON CBS.
IT'S A HUGE NIGHT FOR THEATER FANS.
SO MANY EXCITING CATEGORIES: BEST PLAY, BEST COSTUME DESIGN,
BEST SPELLING OF THE WORD "THEATER."
IT'S YOUR YEAR, "R-E."
( LAUGHTER )
HAVE A BUNCH OF THIS YEAR'S NOMINEES ON "THE LATE SHOW."
WE'VE HAD BRYAN CRANSTON, ANNETTE BENING, JEFF DANIELS,
SANTINO FONTANA, LAURIE METCALF, HEIDI SCHRECK, RUTH WILSON, AND
EVEN A PERFORMANCE BY THE CAST OF BEST MUSICAL NOMINEE "THE
PROM."
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
PERFORMER I STILL HAVEN'T TALKED TO, THE STAR OF THE MULTI-TONY
NOMINATED MUSICAL, "KING KONG."
AND AT 20 FEET AND 2,000 POUNDS, HE IS BY FAR BROADWAY'S BIGGEST
STAR.
NOW, IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT "KING KONG" IS ACTUALLY PLAYING
DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM HERE AT THE BROADWAY THEATER,
APPROPRIATELY NAMED "BROADWAY THEATER."
( LAUGHTER )
OVER THERE RIGHT NOW TO INTERVIEW KING KONG ABOUT THE
TONYS.
JON, CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME JUST A LITTLE BIT OF WALKING
MUSIC, "WALKING ACROSS THE STREET" MUSIC.
♪ ♪ ♪
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: HELLO!
ANYBODY?
IS THERE ANYBODY HERE?
EXCUSE ME, I-- HELLO?
EXCUSE ME.
PLEASE DON'T EAT ME, MR. KONG!
>> OH, NO, STEPHEN.
YOU JUST STARTLED ME.
AND, PLEASE, IT'S "DAME KONG."
GLI JUST ALWAYS THOUGHT OF, YOU KNOW, KING KONG AS BEING A MALE
ROLE.
>> STEPHEN, IT'S 2019.
OPEN YOUR MIND.
A WOMAN IS PLAYING KING LEHR ON BROADWAY.
YOU THINK I CAN'T PLAY A MALE MONKEY?
>> Stephen: TECHNICALLY, YOU'RE AN APE.
>> WHATEVER.
I'M NOT A SCIENTIST.
I AM AN ACTOR.
I PLAYED LADY MACBETH WITH THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY.
( CLEARS THROAT."
YET, I DO FEAR THY NATURE.
IT IS TOO FULL THE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS TO CATCH THE NEAREST
WAVE."
>> Stephen: BRAVA!
NO WONDER YOUR SHOW HAS SO MANY TONY NOMINATIONS.
>> OH, SURE, FOR SCENIC DESIGN, LIGHTING DESIGN, AND SOUND.
BUT WHAT ABOUT MY PERFORMANCE?
>> Stephen: WELL, I THINK BEST ACTOR AND BEST ACTRESS
TRADITIONALLY GO TO-- AND I WANT TO SAY THIS DELICATELY-- UHM...
HUMANS.
>> PRECISELY THE POINT.
I'M ALWAYS TYPECAST AS THE GIANT PRIMATE, AND, MEANWHILE, ALL THE
GOOD ROLES GO TO YOU PEOPLE.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "YOU PEOPLE?"
>> I MEAN YOU, PEOPLE.
>> Stephen: OH, OKAY.
>> NOT ONLY DO YOU GET ALL THE HUMAN ROLES.
YOU ALSO TAKE MOST OF THE ANIMAL ONES.
I COULD BE IN "CATS."
♪ MEMORIES ALONE IN THE MOONLIGHT ♪
>> Stephen: WOW, I HAD NO IDEA YOU HAD SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SINGING
VOICE.
>> YES.
I'M A TRIPLE THREAT: SINGING, DANCING, PUNCHING DOWN
AIRPLANES.
( LAUGHTER )
TIME TO GET BACK INTO CHARACTER.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> ♪ LA-LA-LA♪
( ROARS ).
>> Stephen: KING KONG, EVERYBODY!