Once Nominee John Tiffany Will Celebrate in Scotland Until Alan Cumming Makes Him Go to the Tonys

The morning the Tony nominations are announced, phones start buzzing with texts and calls 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 2012 Tony nominees. Congrats to all!

John Tiffany
Nominated for Best Director of a Musical, Once

“I can’t believe it. I’m in Scotland just now so I didn’t actually realize [the nominations] were announced so early. I was at a lunchtime performance and my phone started going crazy in my pocket on silent, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, who’s died?’ It was just five minutes before the end of the show, which was just a very informal thing, so I sneaked a look at it and found out that I’d been nominated for a Tony! I didn’t find out we’d nominated for 11 until I got out of the show. I told the people I was with, and then of course I phoned my mum. She said, ‘Can I come?’ and I said ‘Mum, I don’t even know if I can go yet!’ I’m doing MacBeth with Alan Cumming and we open like two days after the Tonys, but there’s no way Alan won’t make me go to the Tonys. He knows how much fun they are, so he’ll be throwing me onto a plane. Then I phoned [Once choreographer] Stephen Hoggett, who I’ve known since I was 15. We’ve gone to school together and we’ve worked together all these years, and it’s just unbelievable that our life together just keeps getting better and better. I’m surprised—well, not surprised, because that makes it sound like I don’t think it’s very good—but I’m overwhelmed that we’ve gotten so many nominations because it really is a little delicate show. I start MacBeth rehearsals in Glasgow on Monday, so I will get over for the day of the Tonys but that’s it, unfortunately. But we find a way to celebrate in Scotland.”

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