You saw the Tony Awards but only BroadwayBox can bring you inside five of the Tony Awards' biggest, most exciting parties: the joint Something Rotten!/Hand to God bash, An American in Paris, Fun Home, Curious Incident and the O&M after-after party honoring Tony recipient Tommy Tune at the Carlyle.
Midnight: Editor Josh Ferri and photographer Jenny Anderson arrive at Bryant Park Grill for Kevin McCollum’s Tony bash for his Broadway comedies Something Rotten! and Hand to God. The casts are mingling; it's a mix of indoor, outdoor and rooftop party, with a crowd surrounding Rotten! Tony winner Christian Borle at the bar.
“My favorite part of the awards tonight was honestly the very end when we all came out and just started dancing to ‘Oh, What A Night.’ Everyone was living their lives and twirling around on stage. It was so much fun.” Michael James Scott.
“I need my cell phone because I am social media queen. I have to share all my videos and photos with all my fans and friends because I want to show them the whole process.” Marisha Wallace
“I had like 37 text messages when I checked my phone [after my Tony performance], and it kept going from there—I definitely was feeling the love. And now I’m here crashing somebody else’s party.” It Shoulda Been You’s Lisa Howard.
“We were all crying watching our show do ‘A Musical’ because not only was it a great Broadway moment—if I were a kid watching that at home I would have been dying—but also that’s my Broadway family. It was pretty magical.” Heidi Blickenstaff
12:40 AM: We bid adieu and head over to Rock Center Café at 30 Rock for the An American in Paris soiree. As we approach, we can hear the classic sounds of Sinatra and music from the ‘40s fill the air. Inside the musical’s Tony-winning director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon is being mobbed by affection and congratulations near the entrance, while the cast spreads out throughout the party enjoying themselves.
“It’s better than I dreamed. I always dreamed of performing at the Tony Awards; I always dreamed of being at the Tony Awards, but there’s nothing like the real thing.” Brandon Uranowitz
“One thing no one tells you about winning a Tony is how big Radio City Musical Hall looks from the stage—it is vast—and how nervous I’d be up there making a speech.” Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon
“A killer party has to have a mixed crowd—you have to have different kinds of people otherwise it's everyone just talking about the same thing. A dance floor that's not too big but big enough that you can wile out but still be contained. And, in my opinion, a bathroom attendant; if you're meeting someone special and you go to the bathroom you want some gum or a mint.” Catfish’s Nev Schulman
“My favorite part of the telecast was sitting next to Chita Rivera. I was on the aisle and she was right next to me on the other aisle, and whenever awesome things were happening or people were dancing she kept looking at me and reacting. We just shared all these moments and I thought, ‘How is this happening?’” Max von Essen
1:20 AM: Next stop is Tanner Smith’s, as we make an appearance at the big party for this year’s Tony-winning Best Musical (and our Show of the Month) Fun Home. It was like the Sleep No More of Tony parties with one room magically leading into the next and never knowing what you’ll find—be it Judy Kuhn and Tony winner Lisa Kron dancing to Madonna or Michael Cerveris and his dad taking photos with his latest Tony Award.
“I feel like everything that I have learned since the first Tony is in this Tony. This part has asked for everything that I have been able to learn and more. And this acknowledgement means that much more because of it.” Tony winner Michael Cerveris
“I’d tell this year’s Tony winners to continue to go out there every night and give it everything, because there are going to be a lot of people coming. Just live in it and work hard. You got the Tony, do the performance.” Pippin winner Patina Miller
“I think it was a lot of incredible feelings of validation that this show we have been working on for so many years got recognized on such national level. It’s incredible.” Joel Perez
“Oh my god, if they play Madonna’s ‘Ray of Light’ I would be so down right now.” Beth Malone
2 AM: Though the Fun Home party is still bumpin’, we tear ourselves away to see what’s happening over at Hudson Terrace where the Tony Award-winning Best Play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is celebrating. We walk in right after Tony-winning playwright Simon Stephens delivers a rousing speech and just in time to see the First Lady of the British Theatre, Elaine Paige, meets newly minted Tony winner Alex Sharp.
“No one can prepare you for how it feels. The amount of adrenaline that was running through my body was like I was a primitive man being chased by a lion.” Tony winner Alex Sharp
“So when they announced Best Revival of a Play for Skylight—I don't know if you caught this—but as the producers were bum rushing the stage there was one woman who was maybe sat just a little too far back and she knew she had like 90 seconds to get up there, so she came tearing down the aisle in a floor length gown. Then she didn't even have time for the steps, she hiked her dress up and threw her leg over the stage and climbed her way. It was incredible. I also loved when Megan Fairchild broke her back in the button of that On the Town number—that gave me life. And then all of the Curious Incident awards gave me a whole bunch of life.” Taylor Trensch
2:30 AM: Now it’s time to head over to O&M’s exclusive after-after party at the Carlyle in honor of Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Tommy Tune. Absolutely everyone is there. We walk in to Tune, Patrick Page and more singing “What I Did For Love” around the piano; there’s a discotheque happening and upstairs Tony winners, nominees and others kiki about Broadway’s biggest night. We stay until lights up at 4 AM (though the crowd doesn’t clear out until nearly 4:30) gathering photos and quotes.
“It’s been unbelievable. Three years ago, Ruthie [Ann Miles] was the first person I met when I moved to New York to do Here Lies Love, and now she’s f#*king winning a Tony and we are in the Tony for Best Revival. It’s weird how things change so quickly, but it’s nice to have someone that knew you and that you knew before all of this crazy stuff happened.” King and I’s Conrad Ricamora
“I have spilled on the all-white sailor suit. I drink copious amounts of coffee and green juices and they have absolutely spilled on my costumes, but my wardrobe crew is the best on Broadway, so I can live my dreams with my green juices and my coffee knowing the wardrobe crew has my back.” On the Town’s Jay Armstrong Johnson
“The highlight of my night was, during the first commercial break, I went over to Helen Mirren and I asked for a selfie. And I said, ‘Being in your shadow is the biggest honor.’” Hand to God’s Geneva Carr
“They actually throw a party here. They don’t do this in England; it’s completely foreign and amazing and I’m enjoying every moment of it. It’s so cool! I’m going to miss all this honoring every week.” Wolf Hall’s Lydia Leonard
“Tommy Tune hired me to be the national press agent for The Will Rogers Follies when I was very young and starting in the business—I wasn't even in New York. Basically I got to see America in a really deep way courtesy of Tommy Tune. What he taught me was a level of showmanship and how PR can actually be an extension of the show, and that's how I do it today. He’s the one who taught me that very concept.” O&M president Rick Miramontez
**All photos by Jenny Anderson for BroadwayBox.com
