On May 5, Anika Noni Rose won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her performance as the titular character in Classic Stage Company鈥檚 Carmen Jones鈥攂ut Rose was unable to be there. Currently filming the upcoming Netflix movie Jingle Jangle in the U.K., Rose wrote an acceptance speech just in case. But when the presenters announced her name, no one was able to read it.
半岛体育 presents Rose鈥檚 speech exclusively, which reveals the Tony Award鈥� and Lortel Award-winning actor鈥檚 years-long connection to the role that earned her the trophy:
Anybody who knows me knows I hate writing an acceptance speech ahead of possibly receiving something, because, what if it jinxes it! But if you鈥檙e hearing this tonight, that tells you two things: 1. I鈥檓 out of the country shooting a film, and as hard as I tried, I couldn鈥檛 get back there to be with you tonight. And 2: I鈥檝e been judging life wrong for some time, and I鈥檓 really glad!
I have wanted to do Carmen Jones my entire career, and to finally do it with this fabulous cast, in this moment was exactly what it should have been. I am so thankful to my agent, Gary Gersh for remembering what my answer was to the question he asked me upon our first meeting, a few years ago: 鈥淲hat have you always wanted to do, but haven鈥檛 gotten to?鈥� And calling me the moment he heard Classic Stage had gotten the rights. And to my managers, Kenny Goodman and David Williams, for wholeheartedly supporting me in a job that cut them a MetroCard a week.
And to John Doyle, I am ever grateful that you could see Carmen in me from our first (and only meeting) with my pink hair, blue v-neck sweater, jeans, and a booted broken foot. THAT鈥橲 love. Don鈥檛 let anyone ever say you don鈥檛 have vision!
SEE: Photos of Tony Winner Anika Noni Rose in Carmen Jones Off-Broadway
And to my vocal coach, Edward Sayegh, who took the three months after that meeting and guided me into opera shape. You changed my life, and I am ever grateful.
To every theatre I broached it to in the years leading up to this... thanks for saying no; it landed exactly where it belonged. And, you never know, maybe you鈥檒l get to host us in your space sometime soon鈥攁ll this opera AND you get to have a surplus in your set budget!
And lastly, thank you to the nominating committee and voters for the Lucille Lortels. This was one of the first places to recognize the work I do as an actor and singer鈥�15 years ago for Caroline, or Change鈥�and it means more than you know that you still see me.
Thank you so much. It鈥檚 been really good to be home.
