Awards shows always have two competitions: the actual awards, and the red carpet outside.
Cole Escola, star and playwright of the hit show Oh, Mary!, did both at the Tony Awards this year. Escola, who won the Best Leading Actor in a Play for their performance, first showed up prior to the event to show off their intricate and stunning look, an homage to actor Bernadette Peters' iconic look from the 1999 Tony Awards.
As Escola explained for reporters, Peters' gown at the time was actually a costume from the show Annie Get Your Gun, as she had performed a number from that show earlier in the night.
Escola's custom Wiederhoeft dress, an icy blue corseted gown hand-embellished with glass beads and antique sequins, was topped off by Escola's second homage of the night, the portrait in their pendant on their neck. The portrait was of Laura Keene, who was "the star and producer of Our American Cousin."
This portrait wrapped the look back around to Escola's nomination (and win) for Oh, Mary! which is a one-act play about Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln while at a performance ofāyou guessed itāOur American Cousin at the Ford Theatre.
Peters' comment to People Magazine about Escola's look was as delightful a quip as one might expect from the venerated Broadway icon.
"I thought 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!!"
People loved Escola's ensemble and Peters' response.
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Escola made their start as a YouTuber and has moved into theater.
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Commenters were quick to remind people that being weird isn't Escola's only claim to fame.
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Escola is a special type of cultural commentator.
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Finally, someone summed up the sentiments around Escola's homage.
Escola will be continuing their run as the lead in Oh, Mary! through June 21st, followed by Titus Burgess in the role through most of the rest of the summer.
