Kate Baldwin‚ Leading Actress in a Musical, Finian's Rainbow: For some reason, I was a little groggy this morning and I didn't hear my alarm. So when I got out of bed, I just headed straight to the shower, because I've got to be at rehearsal in, like, 45 minutes. So I went straight to the shower and thought, "Oh, they probably don't start on time, anyway." So I was getting out of the shower, and [my husband, Graham Rowat] just rounded the corner and very quietly pointed at me and said, "You got one."

Listen to Kate Baldwin's reaction to her nomination.

It was very sweet. It makes me really happy that people remember our show — that they remember the sweet show that was Finian's Rainbow. And even though our time was brief, to be honored with being remembered is so sweet, and it just makes me think that people are paying attention. It just really warms my heart.

Rosemary Harris, Featured Actress in a Play, The Royal Family (through a spokesperson): I'm thrilled to bits and so delighted for [fellow nominees] Jan, Cathy, John Lee and the entire 'Royal Family.' At the same time, I'm deeply saddened by the death of Lynn Redgrave. We've been friends since working together in the Royal National Theatre's inaugural production of Hamlet in 1963. My heart goes out to her family.

Christopher Ashley, Direction of a Musical, Memphis: I shouted out when we got a nom [AUDIO-LEFT2]for Best Musical, and it kept getting kinda better from there. We did great. It's such a beautiful feeling of being recognized. It makes you cheer up a bit, actually. You know, these musicals take so long [laughs] to get to opening night. You have these, like, multi-year journeys, so actually having a group of people say, "We think you did a good job," is just tremendously meaningful.

	Montego Glover

Montego Glover, Leading Actress in a Musical, Memphis: It was thrilling. I was like, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, really? That's great! That's great!" It's so exciting. I mean, you know? The Tonys represent such excellence in the theatre and so to be included…for my work and the piece that I'm working on. [AUDIO-LEFT3]To be included in these nominations is just tremendous. Tremendous! It's a huge honor.

Robin De Jesús, Featured Actor in a Musical, La Cage aux Folles: I was sitting on my couch and just watching it on the computer, because apparently you couldn't watch it anywhere else [because of breaking news about the Times Square terrorism suspect]. But I'm glad that that's the reason that it wasn't on TV. And I started screaming. It was kinda crazy and kind of — I don't know if this sounds really arrogant, but it was a bit of a relief, I guess, because so many friends were saying things to me, and you can't help [AUDIO-LEFT4]but, when people say things to you like, "You're gonna get nominated for this," you try to block it but there's a part of it that does stick with you, and you hope. And so you get excited and you don't know what it's gonna be like if you're not nominated and you have to see those people again [laughs] and are you gonna make it awkward or are they gonna make it awkward or, you know what I mean? And you have to deal with your own demons, so I'm really happy that I don't have to deal with those right now.

It means — wow. You know, you'd like to believe that it means that people actually take your work seriously and think highly of you and all of those beautiful things that you think of career-wise and artistically and business-wise, as well. …I've [been] watching the Tony Awards since I was in high school and wanting that so badly.

Douglas Hodge, Leading Actor in a Musical, La Cage aux Folles: Well, I sort of — all along, I thought, "Well, I'd better not even think about it," because I obviously would love it more than anything [laughs] and didn't want to put the mockers on it, if you know what I mean. So, I'm delighted and I do feel like, you [AUDIO-LEFT5]know, for the show to get 11 nominations… It's fantastic for each department, really. And I'm especially pleased about Kelsey [Grammer] being nominated, which is absolutely rioting and thrilling.

I think, nowadays, especially in America, I think everyone is interested in what's new and who's the next young thing. …I suppose I feel, you know, I've been working for 20 years just honing and failing and improving and finessing and, you know, just working on my craft. And, more or less, everything that I've learned, really, is demanded for by this particular role. So it does feel like I'm doing everything I know. I'm singing and dancing and acting and clowning and also trying to make it as moving as possible. So it's really encouraging and rewarding to think that all that work is recognized, even if it's just a nomination, it's absolutely terrific.

	Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington, Leading Actor in a Play, Fences (through a spokesperson): Being on Broadway, and [in] the theatre community as a whole, is like coming home again for me, and sharing a Tony nomination for Fences, with so many wonderfully talented people associated with this play, makes it seem like one big family reunion.

Geoffrey Nauffts, Playwright, Best Play, Next Fall: I was planning, in typical my fashion, to just kind of sleep through it and be woken up or not woken up accordingly, but that was sidetracked [when] one of my producers and my dear friend, Anthony Barrile, called me up about a half hour beforehand and basically said, "Wake up, [AUDIO-LEFT6]bitch." Apparently [cable channel] New York 1 wasn't gonna air them live and he doesn't have a computer and he needed me to turn on my computer and, you know, give him a blow-by-blow detail of it all. So that's how I found out.

It was thrilling. It was really, just a really great moment. One of those great moments that you hear about and that you read about, and it's a little surreal in that sense but really, really great. And then to be followed by my director, Sheryl Kaller, getting a nom was just — I jumped higher and louder for her nomination than I did for the play. I'm just so thrilled and happy for that recognition. She's been such an integral part of this whole production. I've been doing this a long time as an artist, as an actor primarily. And it's something, when I first started out, you know, you always think about and dream about and it's sort of the pinnacle of what we do. I never imagined it would come to me necessarily as a writer back then, but for it to be happening is just so amazing and thrilling and I guess it just gives me hope. I feel like it doesn't give me hope, it gives me faith, I guess, and I hope it gives other people faith that have been doing it for so long and have been in this game for so long to persevere and keep creating, because these moments can happen and it's thrilling when they do.