The Best After-Party Moments From the 2023 Tony Awards

With the majestic United Palace theater as its venue and “the show must go on”—even despite a writers’ strike—as its unofficial theme, the 76th Tony Awards began without missing a beat. “I’m live and unscripted,” host Ariana DeBose announced at the start of the show, moments after opening not with a traditional monologue, but a sprawling dance number instead. DeBose sat backstage, leafing through a binder of blank pages labeled “Script,” before proceeding to kick, twirl, and leap through the hallways of the theater.

This was just the first in a series of sock-it-to-’em showstoppers. Without the ceremony’s usual pre-written banter, numbers from the nominated shows (and a few additions) were firmly in the spotlight, beginning with “Cheering For Me Now” from New York, New York. Its lyrics no doubt struck a chord with this year’s Tony winners, as many likened their big moment to a dream come true during their speeches.

“I have wanted this my entire life,” gushed Alex Newell, who made history with J. Harrison Ghee on Sunday as the first openly non-binary actors to win Tonys. Both were fabulously dressed for the occasion: Newell, who plays a sultry whiskey distiller in Shucked, traded in her character’s signature bedazzled denim and cowgirl boots for a gold Christian Siriano dress that oozed Hollywood glamour. Some Like It Hot’s Ghee, meanwhile, hit a regal note in a custom blue look (complete with matching gloves) by Jérôme LaMaar, known for dressing the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna.

Recalling their win at an after-party in the courtyard of the United Palace, Ghee said, “The first thing I thought when I won was, Wow, the moment is here, and it’s time to step into it.” With their look, Ghee was “going for Black, queer-y joy, Cinderella vibes, and belle of the ball,” they added, gesturing to their diamond-and-sapphire jewels, flown in from Beverly Hills. 

For his part, Broadway producer extraordinaire Jordan Roth had a delightfully sinister take on fairytale-worthy dressing, drawing inspiration from his theater company’s Tony-nominated production of Into the Woods. “We are doing Little Red Riding Hood meets crystal revelations,” he said. “I’ve always been captivated by the witch, the magic, the power, and the vulnerability of it all. So I put them together through the glorious mind of designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin. Add 150,000 Swarovski crystals, and boom!” With a gravity-defying hood sculpted by Stephen Jones, Roth sent cameras flashing and took Tonys after-party style to new heights.