Being "Next To Normal"

Stars Of The Broadway Musical Share What It's Like To Be Nominated For 11 Tony Awards

(CBS)  The stars of the emotional Broadway musical, "Next to Normal", based on a family dealing with mental illness, said they depend on their audiences for fulfillment after each performance.

"The audience fills me back up definitely," said Alice Ripley, who plays the mother in the musical, "because I deplete during the show."

The musical, which Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith said "blew his doors off," has been nominated for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Actors from the show appeared on The Early Show on Wednesday as part of the "Road to the Tony Awards" series.

Aaron Tveit, who has appeared in the Broadway productions of "Wicked" and "Hairspray," said performing in the show has been "rewarding."

"It's almost a completely organic cycle," he said. "We give it to (the audience), and they give it back to us, and we kind of do it all together every night."

The show has also made a star out of Jennifer Damiano, an 18-year-old actress. Nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, she plays 16-year-old Natalie, who is trying to be perfect, according to the show’s Web site.

Damiano told Smith getting nominated for a Tony is "awesome."

The cast members said they are all excited to attend the 63rd Annual Tony Awards on Sunday night. The awards will air at 8/7 Central on CBS.

In addition to Best Musical, "Next to Normal" was also nominated for Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley), Best Actor in a Musical (J. Robert Spencer), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Jennifer Damiano), Best Original Score (Tom Kitt (music)/Brian Yorkey (lyrics), Best Book of a Musical (Brian Yorkey), Best Director of a Musical (Michael Greif), Best Orchestrations (Tom Kitt/Michael Starobin), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Mark Wendland), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Kevin Adams), and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Brian Ronan).

"Next to Normal" can be seen at the New York's Booth Theatre.