Rosie O'Donnell: In the leading actress category, two of the nominees, Rosemary Harris and Jennifer Ehle, are mother and daughter.
Nathan Lane: Oh, I love that. It's like Chinatown - which of you is nominated for a Tony? (slapping himself) My mother, my daughter, my mother, my daughter - it's my mother and my daughter!
RO: To present the award, a two time Tony winner, the one and only Matthew Broderick.
Matthew Broderick: Thank you and good evening. A landmark moment. As Rosie and Nathan pointed out, for the first time in the 54 year history of the Tonys, two of the nominees in the same category are mother and daughter. (pause) Yes, you can clap. The mother wants her daughter to win. The daughter wants her mother to win. And the other three nominees would be just as happy if neither of them win.
(laughter)
So, let's see. The five nominees are:
Jayne Atkinson for The Rainmaker
Jennifer Ehle, the daughter, for The Real Thing
Rosemary Harris, her mother, for Waiting in the Wings
(Jennifer must have said something to her because Rosemary Harris
turns back to Jennifer)
Cherry Jones for A Moon for the Misbotten
and Claudia Shear for Dirty Blonde
And the Tony for Best Actress goes to - Jennifer Ehle, The Real Thing.
(Jennifer looks shocked. She hugs and kisses her parents, and she starts to walk up to the stage.)
Announcer: This is Miss Ehle's first Tony Award.
Jennifer Ehle: Oh my goodness. What a homecoming. Thank you. Thank you. This play I love - thank you, Tom. Thank you, David, for nudging me out to the borders, repeatedly and all your support. And Stephen and all of the cast, and everybody you saw up here earlier receiving best revival - thank all of them. But most of all, I wouldn't be standing anywhere at all if it weren't for my beautiful, beautiful, beautiful parents. Thank you, and thank you for teaching me to walk and to talk and to read, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Thank you very much.