Quotable Quotes: 2004 Tony Press Room

Who: Tony Award winners and presenters

What: The 2004 Tony Awards

Where: The Rainbow Room

When: Sunday, June 6, 2004

_________________________________________

"Tonight!" --Carol Channing on when she started her new career as a rap star

"My wife said to me, 'I think you're going to win--and if you don't win, I'll run naked down Broadway.' I thought, I might not mind not winning. I would have liked to have seen that." --The Boy from Oz star Hugh Jackman

"If you win, go to the microphone where the presenter said your name." --Don Richard as Urinetown's Officer Lockstock directing the crowd at Radio City before the telecast

"And if you lose, stay seated!" --Jennifer Cody as Little Sally adding another helpful hint

"This is the greatest weekend in the world. You've got the Lakers game, The Sopranos, the Tonys and J.Lo got married." --A Raisin in the Sun star Sean Combs

"I hope it's a sign of change for the better." --Anika Noni Rose on this year's high profile for African-American women on Broadway

"OK, it's going to be hard to talk now." --Audra McDonald after watching Phylicia Rashad's speech on the monitor in the press room

"I would like to personally invite every Republican delegate to come see our show." --Assassins star Michael Cerveris on the Republican National convention, which will be held in New York City

"He has not seen it yet." --Avenue Q co-creator Jeff Marx on whether George W. Bush has seen the show

"I have HBO on-demand." --The Sopranos star Edie Falco on missing the show's season finale, which ran opposite the Tony Awards

"Nicole Kidman told me, 'If you don't win, I might read your name out anyway!'" --Hugh Jackman on the presenter, who is his friend and fellow Aussie

"I am? I didn't know that. I hadn't thought about it like that. One of the great things is that art transcends these things. I hadn't thought of it in terms of ethnicity. I don't know what to say." --A Raisin in the Sun star Phylicia Rashad on being told that she is the first African-American actress to win in the Best Actress in a Play category

"I got fired from every job I ever had. My life has never been the same since encountering Bobby." --Avenue Q co-creator Jeff Marx on working with his collaborator Robert Lopez

"I played Dorothy in The Wizard Oz in fourth grade. Maybe that was a good omen." --Wicked star Idina Menzel

"There's no secret. We have no advice. Just a lot of therapy. Lots and lots." --Anne Meara on the secret to the success of her long marriage to Jerry Stiller

"I don't know. Maybe Elton." --Billy Joel responding to a question asking who he'd have as his vp if he were elected president

"Yes, I feel naked. I left it under the seat." --I Am My Own Wife's Jefferson Mays on not wearing a hat to the press room

"There'd be more tension if only one of us was [nominated]." --Idina Menzel on whether there are any tensions between her and fellow nominee and co-star Kristin Chenoweth

"I've had a lot of terrific opportunities. I work both sides. The problems are the same--keeping people awake and in their seats." --Henry IV director Jack O'Brien on working on both musicals and straight plays

"Puffy's not in our show." --Caroline, or Change's Anika Noni Rose on whether the hip-hop generation is touched by her show

"Oh, I always loved it. Don't we all? Only miserable sick people don't. It's downright American!" --Carol Channing on rap music

"Do any of you want to know what orchestrations are?" -Michael Starobin, who won the Best Orchestrations category for his work on Assassins

"I am also in the NBA finals." --Edie Falco on her hectic evening

"When you've been around as long as I have, you know everybody." --Chita Rivera on her connection with Kathleen Marshall

"I guess this puts me in an exclusive category. No one can touch Hal Prince, he has like 400." --Audra McDonald on her fourth Tony win

"I guess my purpose now is to write a Broadway musical, but I never would have guessed that four years ago." --Avenue Q librettist Jeff Whitty

"I'm doing a movie called Ask the Dust. All my scenes are with Colin Farrell. I get to kiss him. Although, that's nothing compared with kissing [husband] Taye Diggs." --Idina Menzel on an upcoming project

"He exceeded my expectations. He has a work ethic unlike any I've ever seen. He is tireless." --Audra McDonald on her Raisin in the Sun co-star Sean Combs

"There was some fear that because we have puppets on our hands, we wouldn't be seen as actors." --Avenue Q star John Tartaglia

"I think we can now announce that Rod will be replacing Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz." --Avenue Q producer Kevin McCollum

"It's like being on drugs." --Avenue Q co-creator Jeff Marx on his reaction to winning Best Musical

"The lovely thing about being an actor is you can fake anything." --I Am My Own Wife's Jefferson Mays on being nervous

"What did I talk about?" --Idina Menzel on her acceptance speech

"I was listening for the W. I was listening for the Wwwww." ----Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez on waiting for the announcement of the Best Musical category, in which Wicked was heavily favored to win

"I beat Smarty Jones" --Wicked costume designer Susan Hilferty on winning the triple crown of theater: the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award and the Tony Award

"I feel like Smarty Jones." --Avenue Q's Jeff Whitty

"In fact, Smarty Jones is coming to our party!" --Avenue Q producer Kevin McCollum

"Thank you for that. I had a vested interest." --I Am My Own Wife star Jefferson Mays on interrupting interviews to watch the Best Play announcement on the monitor in the press room

"I was hoping some of the puppets from Avenue Q would become available, but I think they'll be busy for some time." --I Am My Own Wife playwright Doug Wright on who could replace Jefferson Mays in the solo show

"Broadway's lost a lot of heart." --Wicked's Joel Grey on how today's Broadway compares to the Broadway of 30 years ago

"I think tonight represents one big thing: Broadway got its heart back." --Avenue Q producer Jeffrey Seller

"This is an honor for any actress to win." --Phylicia Rashad on being the first African-American actress to win in the Best Actress in a Play category

"I feel his spirit eight times a week at the Imperial, but tonight I knew he was there." --Hugh Jackman on Peter Allen

"I would love to come back! There's no place in the world like Broadway" --A Raisin in the Sun's Sean Combs