Tony Nominee Q&A with Groff, Gallagher & Mayer

Best Featured Actor in a Musical nominee John Gallagher, Jr. last appeared on Broadway in Rabbit Hole. Theatre credits include: Current Events at MTC, David Lindsay-Abaire's plays Kimberly Akimbo; Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club and South Coast Repertory and the UK premiere of Fuddy Meers (Birmingham Repertory and London's West End Arts Theatre). Television: "The West Wing," "Law & Order," "Law & Order: CI," "NYPD Blue," "Ed," "Love Monkey" and HallMark Hall of Fame's "The Rising Flamingo." Film credits: Pieces of April, the upcoming Mr. Gibb, and Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret.

Best Director nominee Director Michael Mayer's Broadway credits include 'night Mother, After the Fall; Thoroughly Modern Millie (Drama Desk Award and Tony nomination); An Almost Holy Picture; Uncle Vanya; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Tony nomination); The Lion in Winter; Side Man (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards); A View From the Bridge (Drama Desk award, Outer Critics Circle and Tony nominations); Triumph of Love. Off-Broadway credits include Dawn Upshaw in Round About at Lincoln Center, The Credeaux Canvas, Stupid Kids, Antigone in New York, Baby Anger, View of the Dome, Missing Persons, America Dreaming, Hundreds of Hats.

How did you hear the news about your nomination?

John: I didn't think that I was going to get to watch it  because I'm not a morning person and whenever I'm doing a show, I'm even less of a morning person because I'm up all night. I come home from the theatre, and I can't fall asleep right away so I end up staying up late. I was thinking as I went to bed that I have to set my alarm, because I've never watched them being announced before but now that certainly my show is eligible for nominations, I wanted to. I got up and sat on pajamas in my couch and watched it by myself. I got very excited watching all the nominations for the show, and got very excited when Jonathan's name was announced and then of course excited when mine was as well. I was listening to it, and was wondering for a moment if I was imagining it? Or if they were reading my category and I didn't hear it. And it took a while to get to my category and then I heard my name and realized that I hadn't missed it.

When did the calls start?

John: There was a small delay and then it trickled in throughout the day till midnight, all day – people I hadn't heard from for years and everyone. Text messages, phone calls, emails.

And how about you?

Jonathan: I woke up at 8:20. My brother's in town and we went to see Deuce last night. I bought him tickets for his birthday and so he was there and my roommate was there and we were one of the first categories called. So one minute along, and when they said my name and then they kept coming I was so happily freaked out. The cast was emailing each other and texting each other all day. I thought that my phone was going to explode.

What a great energy.

Michael: I'm so proud, I'm going to take the boys to Sardi's for lunch one of these days very soon. Just the three of us, me and the boys to have our own taste of Broadway glamour.

The new school and the old school… With 11 nominations, the mood at the show must be great…

Michael: I wish that there were an ensemble Tony, because we would SO get that. How could there be a contest? These guys are the cream of the crop.

Any other season lea michelle would be up there with them, because she should be and in any other season she would be. The sweetest thing would be to have the three of them, but 2 out of 3, I'm happy there.

How'd you hear the news?

Michael: I was watching TV.

And was it instant communications between the cast?

Michael: We had this email chain, well a couple. On the producers side, all of us used the performance report which goes out every night and has everyone's email address on it and other people used a different listserv. There were these giant lists and messages that I was coming home to. I howled at some of the emails going all around because they were so much fun – as is the cast!

Photo by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.