Tony Nominee John Benjamin Hickey Embraces His ‘Embarrassment of Riches’

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!

John Benjamin Hickey
Nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Play, The Normal Heart

“I had a 6:00AM call for The Big C, so I was at work!  Matthew Broderick [who announced the nominations] is an old friend of mine and he texted me and said, 'Turn on the news.' I said, 'OK, maybe Matthew knows something that nobody else does,' which he usually does. And then the phone calls started pouring in. I was so happy and excited. At about 8:45 we were just about to set up for a closeup on Laura Linney and she said, 'May I have everyone’s attention please?' The crew all gathered around and she said, 'I’d just like everybody to know that John Benjamin Hickey just got nominated for a Tony Award.' So everybody clapped and cheered and all the crew were so sweet, and Laura was so thrilled for me. I’m sort of pinching myself. I know it’s a cliché to say it, but I think Joe [Mantello] and Ellen [Barkin] would say the same thing, that this nomination is for every single person in our show. I'll celebrate when I make the five o’clock train back into New York to make my seven o’clock curtain for The Normal Heart tonight! Then I’ll probably have a very quick glass of Champagne after the show before I come back up to work tomorrow morning. It’s an embarrassment of riches."