When adapting Mean Girls for Broadway, book writer (and scribe of the original screenplay) Tina Fey didn’t just tweak her 2004 story. She managed to find new motivations behind the characters familiar to a generation; she wove in now-classic one-liners with an avalanche of new jokes; and she made something entirely fresh and new while still making the audience feel they are experiencing the musical version of the hit screen comedy.

Read: THE 2018 TONY NOMINEES SHARE THEIR REACTIONS IN 1 WORD

Aside from a satisfying chuckle, Fey has found her Broadway experience rewarding and Tony nomination day was a family celebration. “I can’t lie, I’m very excited for my own family because my husband [composer Jeff RIchmond] is nominated,” she says. “I’m thrilled for our cast as well. It's a very young cast, we have 13 Broadway debuts!”

Watch the full video interview above.