Composer Tim Minchin on Why Matilda's Tony Nods are a 'Massive Bonus' for the Show's Future

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!

Tim Minchin
Nominated for Best Score, Matilda

"I’m on English time, so I was up at 6AM doing some work, and I actually missed the announcements, but I checked in. I don’t know what I expected really—I don’t think too much about these sort of things—but it certainly looks pretty nice. It feels like I’m a very lucky and very happy chap. This show started in Stratford-upon-Avon three years ago and we’ve watched it grow, and it’s so exciting to have it here and to have people come and see it. There’s always mixed feelings with competitions—which is what the Tony Awards are—because you’re pitted against one another. In a way, it’s an incredible honor to be nominated but in another way you think, 'Oh, but now somebody has to lose.' Everyone involved in Matilda on the creative side is sort of low-key; we’re not a particularly high-fiving bunch of people. For us, the fact that people are enjoying it is plenty, but this is all a massive bonus, and it means a lot to the future of the show. The thing we want most is that thousands and thousands of people of all ages come and see it, because we believe in it and we think we’ve made something that does good in the world. It’s a show with a lot of heart, and if these awards make more people come, then I’m keen on that."

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