NEW YORK (AP) — When Cristin Milioti arrived at her final audition for the musical “Once,” her palms were slick with sweat, and she felt like she was going to pass out.

These were no ordinary audition nerves, though. In fact, Milioti, then 24, was already the hands-on favorite of the director, John Tiffany, who’d been blown away by her acting in an earlier meeting.