Broadway descends on Radio City Music Hall to celebrate this year’s performances in plays and musicals, with host James Corden. Fans crowded on the corner of 50th Street and 6th Avenue to catch a glimpse of the star-studded red carpet that was adorned with real hand-painted rainbow hued roses in honor of Pride Month and the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.
Red carpet guests included film, television, fashion, and of course Broadway icons. Last year’s Tony Awards host and 2019 presenter Josh Groban arrived looking dapper as fellow presenters Lucy Liu and Darren Criss laughed side-by-side. Presenters Andrew Rannells and Jesse Tyler Ferguson hugged Matt Bomer before Matt Carver and Jim Parsons joined them as the friends caught up on the red carpet. Comic icon and “Beetlejuice” presenter Catherina O’Hara looked gorgeous in a form-fitting striped gown, and a blonde Rachel Brosnahan was ethereal in a celestial-inspired tulle dress. Presenter Billy Porter continued his scene-stealing fashion takeover of 2019 with a cherry-hued sleeveless suit and red velvet train made of the closing curtain from Kinky Boots, updated with a pink tulle skirt.
Broadway veteran Kristin Chenoweth paired a black Christian Siriano mini dress with rainbow booties, a nod to the powerful theme of the evening. Vanessa Hudgens, fresh off of her own musical take this year with FOX’s Rent, donned a short printed dress dipped in sequins. Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play nominee and Choir Boy star Jeremy Pope elegantly wore a ruffled blouse under a chic black suit. Sarah Stiles of Tootsie looked darling in a black and pink beaded dress. Icon Harvey Fierstein, known most famously for his turn as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, attempted to sneak past the red carpet reporters before being greeted by a round of applause.
Fashion icon Sienna Miller and model Hilary Rhoda walked the carpet as Tony Award presenters, with Miller stunning in a velvet and lace black tea-length tulle dress, and Rhoda floating by in a cascading teal gown. Actress and model Emily Ratajkowski arrived in a dark cutout gown with designer Michael Kors, and legendary designer Valentino Garavani quickly walked the red carpet. Special guest Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour wowed in a gathered high neck long-sleeved floral green silk dress as she entered into the theater.
Corden’s charming parents, Malcolm and Margaret, interviewed nominees and presenters alike at the end of the carpet. Both parents reminisced that their son, tonight’s host, started with comedy in church. With Malcolm being a musician and Margaret a former singer, it’s no wonder Corden’s innate comedic and musical talent stems from his upbringing. Malcolm and Margaret also shared their favorite Broadway experiences so far this year, including Tootsie last night and Oklahoma! the day before. “We’ve had such a good time in New York,” Margaret Corden said. Malcolm had climbed King Kong for a segment airing Wednesday for the “Late Late Show with James Corden,” and both hope to see Tony Award-nominated play Hadestown, among the other nominated shows.
As the night continues and the curtain rises on the Tony Awards, we can only agree with Corden’s parents: we want to see them all.
