Porgy and Bess Star Norm Lewis Had to Rewind Tony Announcement to Believe His Nom

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!

Norm Lewis
Nominated for Best Actor in a Musical, Porgy and Bess

“I couldn’t sleep. I set my DVR for 8:30 just in case I overslept. For some reason my mind couldn’t shut off so I got up and said, ‘Let me just go ahead and look.’ I was a little nervous because you just never know. There were so many great performances this year and I know that they only have a limited number of people they can choose so I couldn’t believe it! I had to rewind to make sure they said my name. People over the years have said, ‘Oh man you should have been nominated for this or you should have been nominated for that.’ I appreciate that but I just hope that they enjoy the work that I do on stage. I am very proud of the show. I am proud of the cast. I am proud to be up there with, Oh God what is her name again? Audra. Audra something. She’s an up and comer. She’s a new person. She’ll have a future soon. Seriously, it’s great to be up there with her. David Alan Grier, I’m just happy for him. Oh my God and the young man Phillip Boykin, who plays Crown in our show. When I met him and I saw him do his work to go into this character I said, ‘New York is not going to be ready for you. You are going to get a lot of attention.’ A Tony nomination is a celebration of this medium that we love and enjoy so much. I have been doing this for over 20 years now and to be at the pinnacle of what I think is live entertainment at the Broadway stage and to be recognized for work that you are very proud of is awesome. It feels great.”

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