Ruthie Ann Miles didn’t think she’d win the coveted Tony Award for her featured performance as Lady Thiang in the revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "The King and I" at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, but she was told to be prepared just in case.
So the former Hawaii resident stored her acceptance speech in her smartphone.
Her funny and heartfelt remarks, delivered while reading from her white mobile device, became one of the most talked about moments of the CBS awards telecast Sunday.
"I believed the award would go to one of the ‘Fun Home’ nominees and was generally surprised that I would get to give the bullet points I prepared that morning," she said in a telephone call Monday. "I was advised by many wise people not to be that girl who was ill-prepared on national television."
In a trembling voice, Miles, a 2001 Kaimuki High grad, expressed gratitude for the award and gave a shout-out to "my love," her husband, Jonathan Blumenstein.
"I am so blessed to be with you. Thank you for coming on this crazy ride with me, and I don’t just mean to the theater."
Miles was born in Arizona and spent several years in Korea before settling in Hawaii with her mother, a single parent and music teacher. She now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The singer-actress said she quickly learned firsthand about the ritual, pace, parties, responsibility and perks of winning Broadway’s biggest honor.
"Jonathan and I arrived home as the sun’s rays began to peep through our curtains,"she said.
The celebration, capped by her win for best featured actress in a musical, marked two months of Tony-related events leading to awards night. She is the second islander ever to win a Tony for a performance. (The first was Angie "Leilani" Jones, in 1985’s "Grind.")
As Lady Thiang, the No. 1 wife in "The King and I," also starring Ken Watanabe and Tony winner Kelli O’Hara, Miles delivers a show-stopping "Something Wonderful," which also describes the rave reviews she and the show have received.
Nominees for big awards shows often get help selecting their gowns, and Miles was dressed by stylists provided by Anna Wintour of Vogue, who was part of an initiative to up the glamour quotient on the Tonys red carpet this year.
"I was wearing Giulietta — a gorgeous flowing red gown with some silver, gold and green accents," Miles said. "I believe much of what I wore had just come off the runway in Cannes."
With two months of festivitiesleading up to the Tonys, "I had to get, steal, borrow, so to speak, as well as wear every dress in my closet just to survive the season," she said.
"The after-parties were crazy. We went to The Plaza (hotel) for food and mingling with those invited; the entire food arena was open for us to pick our poison. There were oysters and burgers, specialty chocolate and macaroons, more desserts and beautiful foods than I’ve ever seen in one room."
She celebrated with fellow cast members at the legendary saloon P.J. Clarke’s and then, sometime after 2 a.m., headed to The Carlyle hotel for "the unofficial official after-after-party of Tony Sunday," she said. "That’s where we sing, piano bar style, mingle with old and new friends, take off our shoes and dance."
For now her Tony trophy is perched on a bookshelf at home, awaiting engraving.
"I’ve never held one before, so I was surprised to find it is very heavy. It’s sitting on a bookshelf so that our daughter doesn’t touch it; she’s already realized that (the medallion) spins, and she’s loved playing with it."
Miles is happy with the win, despite the challenges that come with it. "There is pressure to look your best, perform your best, give a good speech and do an exit interview," she said. "But in reality this is art. And live theater is a living, breathing art. It is different every show; we are humans telling a story, which is inspired and changing differently every moment. I hope audiences will keep that in mind as they watch, not only me, but the other women in their shows.
"I did not receive the prize because the other four didn’t deserve it, and I hope every nominee is given grace and permission to continue to search our characters without the pressure of having to be perfect."
On the home front, Miles is busy as a wife and mom.
"Things have definitely become more chaotic at home, only in the sense that I’m constantly whirling around watching our daughter, responding to messages, preparing for an event or show and trying to keep my house clean," she said.
A year from now, however, Miles will certainly appear on the Tonys telecast again — as a presenter. For now she’s looking for calm and "uninterrupted time" with her 3-year-old daughter.
