Other Desert Cities Star Stockard Channing on How Tony Nomination Day is Like High School

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!

Stockard Channing
Nominated for Best Actress in a Play, Other Desert Cities

“I’m very happy and honored to be nominated. [Show publicist] Philip [Rinaldi] woke me up at 8:30 and I went right back to sleep. I work the night shift! [Even with six previous Tony nominations] you still go through all these emotions—it sends you right back to high school emotionally, so it’s a great relief to have a little respite from high school horror. You try to keep it in perspective, but the nomination is a great honor. I love this play. We’ve been doing it for so long, and it’s really nice for it to have a fresh flush of recognition from the outside world. I’m delighted for [playwright Jon Robin Baitz]; we’ve e-mailed each other this morning. I have to confess that I wish Stacy [Keach] had been nominated, because he’s so fabulous, and Joe [Mantello] did a great, great job with subtle direction, so if there’s a fly in the ointment, it’s that, but I’m not going to dwell on it. We’re all out there, this ensemble, and we’re a very happy bunch.”