Matilda Scribe Dennis Kelly Will Celebrate His Tony Nom After Cleaning Up for His Italian Mother-in-Law

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 thrilled to be among the callers offering congratulations and getting responses. Here are the first reactions from 2013 Tony nominees. Congrats to all!

Dennis Kelly

Nominated for Best Book, Matilda

"It’s great news, really nice! I was actually having my lunch [when I heard about the nomination], which I usually do in a café. I work there, as well, because the only way I can force myself to work is to do it in front of other people, so I don’t feel guilty about sitting and staring into space. [Tony recognition is] awful strange, if I’m honest. It’s kind of amazing. That’s been the story of Matilda, because I wasn’t in the sort of family that grew up with theater or anything like that. Even to be doing something for the RSC was pretty amazing, and to be doing something with Roald Dahl is even more amazing. To be opening on Broadway was slightly insane, and now to be nominated for a Tony is beyond mad really. I think this show feels really good on Broadway. It’s great to see it with American performers because Broadway is the home of the musical. We feel pretty welcome here. I’d like to be celebrating, but my wife’s mother is coming over tomorrow, and she’s from Italy. I’ll be celebrating by cleaning the house, making sure that my Italian mother-in-law doesn’t think I’m a slob—which I am!"

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