'It's Like Christmas' as Vanya Star Kristine Nielsen Celebrates Her 'Unbelievable' First Tony Nomination

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!

Kristine Nielsen
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

“I’m wildly excited. It’s like Christmas! I’m absolutely beyond happy, I’m over the moon that it could be with Chris Durang and with Nicky Martin. I’ve had the luck to work with both of them numerous times. To me, this is just the best, to be able to have this day. It’s unbelievable. And to have this fantastic group of people, wonderful actresses and even more wonderful actresses who aren’t included and were all spectacular this year. You could spin a wheel and you’d be talking to one of the others! I wish there was even more love given to more of us, but I’m being greedy there. I’m superstitious [so I didn’t watch the nominations]. My dear friend and agent Richard Fisher gave me a shout out, so we could both cry and laugh. He’s hung in through some very difficult, quiet years, so I’m very appreciative that he is the one who had the responsibility [to give me the news]. And of course my husband had to pick up the pieces after the phone call! I’m just happy that I’ve reached [this] before I died—that I had a chance.”

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