TONYS 2008: The Nominees React to the Exciting News

Nominations in 26 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing's 62nd Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards® were announced today by Tony Award Winners Sara Ramirez and David Hyde Pierce at the Tony Award Nominations Announcement sponsored by IBM.  The nominees were selected by an independent committee of 23 theatre professionals appointed by the Tony Awards Administration Committee.  The 2008 Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The many talented nominees took a few moments out of their very exciting morning to share the reaction to having been given the honor of the nomination.

Best Performance By A Featured Actress In A Musical for Gypsy: Laura Benanti

I turned on the TV to NY 1 and my husband and I were getting ready to watch the Tony announcements and I got a text message from a friend saying 'Congratulations!' I was like, 'What are you talking about? They haven't announced them yet.' And he said, 'They're online.' So, we decided to pretend like we didn't know and enjoy it as if it was new to us! I was really grateful when they announced my name. And it's a thrill and exciting because our production is bare bones on purpose, to show the fading and broken down world of Vaudeville. The focus is the characters, it's about the story and the relationships between the characters, and I'm so excited that that's being recognized as a good thing. I'm proud of everybody. I'm really grateful that Arthur was eligible because he so deserves this nomination because without him the show wouldn't be here. Without him, in all honesty I don't know if I would of been here , his understanding of these characters is so in depth and amazing, so I'm really grateful that he was recognized as well. I'm thrilled for all of us. We are all so proud if it! I really feel so blessed. The first person I called was my mom. And then my grandma, it's just a feeling of being so grateful! This is my favorite part, I feel like all of us have already won!

Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Play, Come Back, Little Sheba: S. Epatha Merkerson

I got the call this morning. My publicist called around 6 AM, I'm in LA, so it was really early to have the phone ring. I was surprised and really happy and excited by it. Being able to have done the play in LA, and then getting the chance to bring the show to Broadway and having it be successful was a thrill and so the Tony nomination is just the sweetest thing. And, then all the calls coming in, 12 or 25 calls on my voices mail and the text messages from dear friends just makes it even sweeter. I'm on my way to the airport-I'm coming back to New York today, so I haven't had the chance to call anybody, but when it's my turn I'll call my Mom.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for XANADU: Kerry Butler

WOW! I just felt very relieved because I didn't want to let the show down. I've grown up going to Broadway and always watched the Tony awards since I was 9 years old dreaming and pretending I won one. I'm really honored by the nomination. My daughter isn't too happy right now though because the phone is ringing with people congratulating me and she wants mommy to play with the play-doh with her!

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for The Seafarer: Conleth Hill

The PR people rang. I was watching the Fox channel, I'm on my last day of doing work on new Woody Allen film, so I was watching as they said were going to announce them, and then they came back on with David Hyde Peirce, and they only read a few so I thought, we'll I'm not going to know about this until later. But, then Christine called and let me know.

It's been a long journey for Jim and myself and Conor, and I'm thrilled that Conor was nominated for best director as I feel he did a fantastic job. And if anything I feel I'm representing David, Ciaran and Sean, and you know, all the other people and The National, so it's a great honor and I'm thrilled.

I'm thrilled with the nomination, but once I'm done filming I have to go home. I haven't been home for nine months, so, I gotta get home. My garden is waiting for me!

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for The Seafarer: Jim Norton

What an incredible morning, my wife told me, she was heading out to do a voice over and saw it on TV, she woke me up with the good news, it was just so just very exciting. So today I got breakfast in bed! But was told not to expect it every morning! Hah!  I'm so very glad that Conor was recognized as best director also, because when you've also written the play, directing it is, you know, often the hardest part, so just thrilled he was nominated. And he was just here in New York, we were rehearsing and then he flew back yesterday to Dublin!

This was an incredible season doing the production, but we often said it was the season "that nearly didn't happen", because we delayed our opening night a couple of times and it felt like it would never come off, so it's very nice to have had it all worked out this way.

To be able to have done the work, you know all actor's dream of Broadway, and then you get there, and it's just unbelievable and then to get this kind of accolade, it's just the icing on the cake. I'm a very happy camper!

Best Direction of a Play for The Seafarer: Conor McPherson-

Well bizarrely I had just flown in from New York this morning into Dublin, I had been over in New York to see previews of my play Port Authority at the Atlantic Theater Company.  And, when I was booking my trip I didn't factor in the Tonys, apparently, I was thinking about it. So, I left, and got back this morning, and went to bed because I was so jet lagged. My wife then came in and said "I have some very good news!", So I'm going, "Am I dreaming, what's happening, And that is how I found out and I am really thrilled.

It's bizarre, it's absolutely bizarre, but I'm delighted that Jim and Conleth both were nominated, because they had been in the original production when we were starting out, ya know, for them to be recognized is very gratifying I have to say, I'm delighted for them.

Well, I got a lot of work at the moment, one play just opened in Dublin, and another one in about three weeks, so I have to figure out what, you know, if I can come back. So, it's just one of those years, you, in this business things go in cycles. It's slow, and feels like nothing is happening, and then suddenly, it's like Oh My God, I can't cope with everything that is happening! So, this is one of those "Oh My God", I can't cope moments. But I have say, it's a very nice complaint.

Best Musical, Original Score & Leading Actor in a Musical Nominee: Lin-Manuel Miranda

I was given the news just before we had a 'Good Morning, America' appearance, our first national television appearance! To be handed that sheet of paper, and seeing al those names on it! Then to immediately go perform "It Won't Be Long Now" in the middle of Times Square, it's just so amazing. And my Mom, my sister were with me, they came to the recording of the show, so to have them there was just, it's incredible. I'm just thrilled that Robin and Olga got recognized, I'm just thrilled that this production we call "Voltron", which is you know, me, and Quiara, Bill and Andy, Alex and Tommy, you know were all recognized, it's such a group effort so it's great we are all up there nominated.

Andrea Burns who's so amazing in the show, before our last Sunday matinee, went around to every cast member, the entire ensemble and gave out A Number 1 awards and that's how I feel about our ensemble and everyone in the cast. It's just so incredible, it's going to be a fun show tonight!

Best Performance by a Leading  Actor in a Play for Macbeth: Patrick Stewart

For the very first time in my life I broke a rule, I watched TV.

Usually I wait for my publicist to call, if they can, but well, they always call. And I wait to hear, you know, we are all very sorry, but you haven't been nominated. We all have those, but this morning I decided I'd brave it out and watch the thing as it happened. My phone has been ringing, but the very first call I made was to Kate Fleetwood, my co-star. Because more than anything else with this production, I wanted Kate to be acknowledged, she gives an absolutely outstanding performance. Audiences here in New York, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and especially at the Lycem, they have cheered her to the rafters, I just had a feeling that this was Kate's moment, and that gives me the greatest satisfaction! And she's also married to the director, and he gets nominated for Best Revival of a Play, and our set designer, and lighting and sound designers, across the whole creative life of this production people have been nominated. And, this is the big one.

I have said, I have said it repeatedly, over and over again, and I mean it as much today as the first time I said it, this is an ensemble piece, and if you take any one of the elements out of this, then it would not be the remarkable piece that it is, and that includes our two wonderful American actors who joined us when we came to Broadway, because two of our original cast had to go back to England. Rachel Ticotin and Byron Jennings who came into our cast and who are now completely integrated, you know, we now make fun of them, so you know how well they are part of the cast. They suffer the practical jokes just as much as anybody else does! And our four clever children, who are from New York.

It's just so wonderful.

Stay tuned for additional BroadwayWorld.com interviews with the 2008 Tony Award Nominees!

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