Merchant Star Lily Rabe Remembers Her Late Mother, Jill Clayburgh, on Tony Nomination Day

The morning the Tony nominations are announced, phones start ringing off the hook for the happy few who get nods. As usual, Broadway.com is among the callers offering congratulations and getting responses. Here are the first reactions from 2011 Tony nominees. Congrats to all!

Lily Rabe
Nominated for Best Actress in a Play, The Merchant of Venice

"It’s been an amazing 48 hours of life, because my mother’s [the late Jill Clayburgh] memorial was yesterday. So when I went to bed, it had been quite a long and beautiful and hard day and I turned my phone off because I knew I really needed to get some sleep. I woke up and my mailbox was full and I thought maybe that was a good sign. Of course, the first person in the world I would want to tell is my mother! She got to see it in Central Park, so it’s all very full for me. It’s such an honor; I care so deeply about this production and about playing Portia, and I’m so glad that people are remembering the production. Being a part of the theater community has been important to me from the time I was a child, through my parents [Clayburgh and playwright David Rabe]. To be working in the theater steadily and to be recognized and appreciated by the community means the world. Al [Pacino, her co-star as Shylock] is in L.A, but he and I spoke this morning and we’re both so excited. The real celebration is the way this feels."