Bermudian Nicholas Christopher was celebrating in New York City today after he was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Chess.

Mr Christopher said he was stunned to be nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical in the awards, which recognises the top Broadway performances and productions.

He said: “It feels pretty surreal. We were definitely hoping for it but then to see your name called is a different experience with it suddenly being real.

“I was face-timing with my whole family. My father had his Chess shirt on, my mother had her Chess shirt on and pom-poms. We were all crying.”

Chess, written in 1984, features a chess tournament between an American and a Soviet player to the backdrop of Cold War tensions.

Mr Christopher, the son of Hamilton town crier Ed Christopher, plays the stoic and tortured Anatoly Sergievsky, who falls for Florence Vassy, the second to Anatoly’s American opponent.

Mr Christopher won the role in the recent revival after being featured in a range of Broadway productions including Hamilton, Miss Saigon and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The actor said that while his performance in Chess had been praised, he had no inkling about his nomination before it was read out.

He said: “I wish there was some mole, but they keep everything pretty secret. I was hoping for it after having received other nominations.”

Mr Christopher was this year nominated for a Drama League Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performances.

Overall, the production garnered five Tony nominations including Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Orchestrations and two Best Performance acting awards for featured roles.

Mr Christopher said: “We have been texting. The other acting nominees in the cast — Bryce Pinkham, Hannah Cruz and I have all been texting. All of our dressing rooms are on the same floor. Third floor represent.”

He noted that his nomination felt like the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice by himself and those who have supported him.

Mr Christopher said: “I have been working steadily for 15 years and there have been other shows where I have been eligible to be nominated for a Tony, but it hadn’t happened.

“This is definitely a testament to the sacrifices that my parents and my teachers have made.”

Mr Christopher said that he was looking forward to coming back to the island for Cup Match this year, adding that this next career goal would be to bring a production to the island.

“I would love to do it,” he said. “That’s my next dream after this one, to bring a show and do it in Bermuda.

The winners of this year’s Tony Awards will be unveiled on June 7 at the Radio City Music Hall.

Chess is scheduled to remain at the Imperial Theatre in New York until September 13 with tickets available to purchase online.