Special Reports

After the Tonys, We Party: Inside the Fancy Galas to Celebrate Broadway's Biggest Night

From the Plaza to the Carlyle, Broadway stayed out really late on Sunday night.

Tyne Daly dances the night away at the party for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder at Rockefeller Center.
Tyne Daly dances the night away at the party for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder at Rockefeller Center.
(© David Gordon)

"I really have to pee!" Lena Hall said as she clutched a pair of red pumps in one hand and her newly won Tony Award in the other. When an awards show ends, the stars get down to party. And when you're in a crowded hotel suite at 2:30 in the morning and everyone is congratulating you for winning, you really have to boil it down to the basics: Take off your shoes, let people hold your trophy, and find a bathroom.

That was at the Carlyle Hotel, the last stop for many Tony attendees, where the after-prom, hosted by Rick Miramontez and his Broadway publicity firm O&M Co., continued on multiple floors until dawn. But first there were the other parties, starting with the officially sanctioned annual Tony Awards Gala at the Plaza Hotel. The Tonys Gala is usually the first stop for many nominees and it was no surprise that once the show finally ended, the likes of Sting, Samuel L. Jackson, and Fran Drescher hit the town in their cocktail attire to celebrate.

A hop, skip, and a jump across town were the individual show parties. After dazzling the Tonys viewership with her delightful acceptance speech, newly crowned Best Actress in a Musical Jessie Mueller partied with her Beautiful cohorts at Bobby Van's Steakhouse. A few blocks away, powerhouse Broadway producer Jeffrey Richards celebrated his productions — and his Tony-winning Best Play All the Way — at the Redeye Grill, a favorite spot where he holds the opening-night celebrations for nearly all of his shows. Roundabout Theatre Company celebrated its terrific season, and its Tony-nominated shows including Violet, Cabaret, and Machinal at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square.

Closer to Radio City was the shindig for Broadway's newest Best Musical winner, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (GGLAM), held under the stars at the Summer Terrace at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. There, the guests danced the night away to DJs Andrew-Andrew, while the creative and heralded stars Jefferson Mays, Lisa O'Hare, Lauren Worsham, and Bryce Pinkham greeted their guests. The GGLAM affair proved popular: Among the guests were Les Misérables star Caissie Levy and her hubby, as well as Tyne Daly, who, while still in the gown she wore on the red carpet hours earlier, cut a mean rug on the dance floor to Hanson's "MMMBop."

Which brings us back to the Carlyle and O&M's annual multifloor fiesta, where you literally have no idea whom you'll bump into. As Hedwig's Hall worked the room and let people feel how heavy her Tony statuette actually is (3.5 lbs), 2013 Cinderella nominee Laura Osnes and her husband, Nathan Johnson, held court in the corner, while Casa Valentina's nominated scribe Harvey Fierstein greeted everyone with customary hugs and kisses. Photographer extraordinaire Joan Marcus, recipient of a Tony Honor this year, stayed out as long as she could, with an early Monday-morning flight to Chicago to shoot the pre-Broadway run of Sting's new musical, The Last Ship. Downstairs at Bemelmans Bar, the party continued as guests imbibed and pianists played showtunes.

When the sun finally rose over Central Park, it was time to go home.

Lena Hall shows off her Tony Award in the press room.
Lena Hall shows off her Tony Award in the press room.
(© David Gordon)

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Les Misérables

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Cinderella

Closed: January 3, 2015