Inside Story

One of the most talked-about moments at the 78th Annual Tony Awards wasn’t a performance or a speech—it was Cole Escola’s lovingly hilarious tribute to Broadway icon Bernadette Peters.

Escola, who won a Tony for their role in Oh Mary!, graced the stage in a shimmering Cinderella-blue gown with an updo clearly inspired by Peters’ signature curls. The look paid cheeky homage to Peters’ 1999 Tony appearance, when she accepted her Best Actress win for Annie Get Your Gun in a similar costume straight off her performance.

Asked about the fashion nod, Escola quipped, “The first idea is the best idea. Why fix it if it ain’t broke?”

Peters, ever the class act, responded with characteristic wit via Playbill: “They looked absolutely lovely, but when I wore it, I wore my chest hairs in a different pattern. But more importantly, congratulations to Cole on the Tony!”

Escola’s win was one of many for Oh Mary!, which also nabbed Best Director of a Play. The show continues at the Lyceum Theatre, with Tituss Burgess stepping into the bloomers of Mary Todd Lincoln starting June 23. Meanwhile, Peters wraps her own triumphant run in Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends on June 29.

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