The Prom's Tony-Nominated Director Casey Nicholaw on Refraining from 'Sneak Attacks' & More

Director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw just earned his 11th Tony nomination for directing the seven-time Tony-nominated new musical The Prom, which he also choreographed. "I have a shelf with all of the nomination plaques," Nicholaw said to Paul Wontorek in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "I had perfect room for 10 and the shelves aren’t tall enough for another one. I put my 11th on top of another one. It unnerves me looking at it, honestly."

Previously winning a Tony for his direction of the long-running The Book of Mormon, The Prom has become Nicholaw's fourth currently-running show on Broadway joining Mean Girls and Aladdin. "Usually when theres a milestone or cast changes I drop in," Nicholaw said about how often he visits his productions. "Sometimes I go see a show and I have to have an emergency rehearsal the next week to get everyone back on track, but I love to see everyone and go backstage and say hi. I don't like to do sneak attacks."

When it comes to The Prom, Nicholaw has seen it go through several changes since its world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia in 2016. "It was no easy feat, and that’s why it took so long," Nicholaw said on finding the balance between heart and humor. "We thought we had it, and then we watched it and was like, 'Oh, we don’t have it.' We worked hard to make the town feel real, so the musical comedy was its own thing." As director, Nicholaw has been able to find the balance of loving the show as well as dissecting it. "It really about paying attention to my gut and watching how people are responding," he said. "One thing I can do well is be objective as an audience member."

One thing that has brought Nicholaw the most joy is seeing how audiences are reacting to the show. "It’s a completely original new musical, so no one knows what to expect," he said. "We never set out for it to have something for everyone. We set out for it to tell a story. There have been so many teens coming up to us saying, 'Thank you so much for this, it made me feel so strong.' One girl even looked over her shoulder and said, 'My dad is here tonight, I'm going to come out to him this weekend.' That’s why we do it."

As for which two characters from one of his currently running shows that Nicholaw would like to meet? "I would say Damian [from Mean Girls] and The Genie [from Aladdin]. They could tap together. Damian would be living his best Broadway life, and they would do 'Friend like Me' together. I think that would be good."

Go see The Prom, now playing at the Longacre Theatre.

Watch the full #LiveAtFive interview below!