Scenes From the 78th Tony Awards: Hamilton Reunions, Feathered Frocks, and One Disposable Camera

It may have been a rainy, gray June night, but the climate inside of Radio City Music Hall was full of wonder and admiration during Sunday’s Tony Awards. Hundreds of elegant evening ensembles and a kaleidoscope of suits filed into the venue, which hadn’t hosted the Tonys ceremony since 2022. And on a balcony overlooking the sea of guests was a VIP hideaway that had ticket-holders craning their necks for a glimpse: a swanky speakeasy sponsored by Baccarat and Dewar’s. (In true theater kid fashion, the first group of guests used the space to recreate the “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” scene from Evita.)

The ever-radiant Death Becomes Her nominee Jennifer Simard was among the earliest arrivals, wearing a nude mermaid gown with beading all over the bodice. Shortly afterwards, Anthony Ramos posted up at the end of the balcony, sipping on a cocktail and making himself comfortable.

Ariana DeBose appeared later, dripping in pearls. “Hi, I’m Ari!” she chirped by way of introduction. DeBose has a three-time Tonys host before Sunday; how did she feel about handing off those duties to Cynthia Erivo? “The stakes are definitely lower, I’m just so relaxed. I just love the Tonys, who doesn’t love the Tonys?”

She then spotted Ramos, and suddenly an impromptu Hamilton reunion was underway. At about the same time, Daveed Diggs shimmered in wearing a turquoise tuxedo, pausing to snap selfies with friends and chat with Jasmine Cephas-Jones; and when Christopher Jackson passed regally through the red rope, he might as well have been George Washington himself. Last but not least came the inimitable Phillipa Soo, who was sentimental about the milestone reunion: “It’s such an emotional feeling. I feel like it’s very telling about how much we gave to ourselves in that show. It feels like 10 years ago, but on the other hand, it feels like no time has passed.”

Those Tony veterans happily shared the space (and excitement) with the first-timers, such as Glengarry Glen Ross’s Bob Odenkirk, who dashed in dressed in a sparkly, deep blue tuxedo, and & Juliet’s Charli D’Amelio, wearing an embellished Zuhair Murad princess gown. Turning to the bar, Odenkirk toasted, “This is my first Tony Awards!”

When Julianne Hough sauntered in serving ballerina-tulle-mermaid goddess, she immediately made the space her playground, twirling around lamps for photo ops and dipping over the balcony; and John Proctor Is the Villain’s Sadie Sink, dazzling in Prada, regaled folks with congratulations before exclaiming, “Let’s get a drink!”

Elsewhere, when asked who she was most excited to see at the Tonys, Death Becomes Her’s Megan Hilty replied, “I’m just excited to see my husband tonight. We rarely get to see each other, so this is a welcome date night.” After those lovebirds found their way to their seats, the woman of the hour, Cynthia Erivo, was met with a flurry of flashes as she posed in her stunning, sculptural Schiaparelli bodice. Although she had just five minutes before showtime, Erivo found the time to share a tender moment with Dylan Mulvaney before being whisked away to prepare for curtain up.

Broadway’s newest breakout star turned pseudo-influencer Tom Francis, known on TikTok as “sodascout,” had a disposable camera in hand to snap pictures of his date, Hadestown alumna Maia Reficco—the two of them sweetly carrying on as if they were the only people in the 6,013-seat concert hall. That visual made one thing Baccarat crystal-clear: theater people may live for the spotlight, but backstage, the’re all humility and heart.