All eyes were on Cole Escola last night.

The “Oh, Mary!” star, 38, attended the Tony Awards 2025 in New York City, paying tribute to Bernadette Peters in a silvery-blue gown.

Escola’s Wiederhoeft confection was inspired by the dress the actress wore to the Tony Awards in 1999, when she won the award for best leading actress in a musical for “Annie Get Your Gun.”

“It’s my favorite blue, I call it Cinderella blue,” Escola told People on the red carpet about the dress.

Adorned with hand-embroidered metallic blue glass beads, their custom Wiederhoeft look featured an off-the-shoulder neckline, corset-style bodice and a floor-grazing taffeta train.

The actor, who uses they/them pronouns and identifies as non-binary, also nodded to Peters with an aburun curly wig reminiscent of her signature look.

Escola completed the red carpet outfit with a pendant necklace that included a photo of British actress Laura Keene, who was the lead star in “Our American Cousin.”

“Initially speaking about this look with David and Cole, we were really inspired by Bernadette Peters’ look from the 1999 Tony Awards,” designer Jackson Wiederhoeft said in press release. “We were all obsessed with the color and the medals on the front, a sense of fake naiveté.”

The designer added, “We found ourselves inspired by additional themes of faded crypticism, false innocence, fightfulness, womanly age-hold historically feminine garments, queenly status and ancient doors.”

Escola earned five nominations for their performance in “Oh, Mary!,” including best play and best leading actor in a play, with the star taking home the latter award — and making history in the process.

Not only was Escola the first openly non-binary actor to win in the category, but also the first person to win the award for a play they wrote themselves since Harvey Fierstein did so in 1983.

They shouted out the category’s other nominees, George Clooney, Jon Michael Hill, Daniel Dae Kim, Harry Lennix and Louis McCartney while on stage.

“It’s an honor to be in your company, and more than that, it’s been a sincere pleasure spending time with you over these warm salads at all these lunches,” Escola said.

“First of all, hi mom. I love you. I’ll call you when I can,” they added during their acceptance speech.

“Oh, Mary!” is a dark comedy that follows first lady Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.

Ben Stiller‘s still feelin’ the pain from the Knicks’ crushing defeat to the Pacers … and with no NBA Finals game to attend at MSG, the actor threw on his finest tux and hit up the Tony Awards just a handful of blocks from the arena, where the actor lamented the loss in front of the A-list crowd!

Stiller’s mini-therapy session went down Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall — the biggest night in theatre — when Stiller was on stage to present the award for Best Play.

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“I’m so honored to be here because theatre is my passion. The place where I feel most at home. The stage has been a constant sanctuary for me, dating all the way back to last week when the Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.” Ben said, drawing a big laugh from the audience.

The 59-year-old continued … “I was told there’s a huge crossover between theatre lovers and sports fans.”

Cue more laughter.

Then Stiller got to business — announcing the nominees — and then the winner … which ended up being “Purpose” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Despite everyone getting a kick out of the actor’s jokes, it’s clear the “Severance” EP is still working through the five stages of grief after New York was bounced from the playoffs by their rival Pacers in six games.

The native New Yorker was a staple throughout the playoff run … sitting courtside alongside Timothée Chalamet and many other big-name celebrities. Stiller even made the trip to Indiana, watching his Knicks from deep within enemy territory.

Hang in there, Ben … next season tips off in just over four months!

Oprah was hyping up the theater scene at the 2025 Tony Awards — but some couldn’t help but feel as if she threw some major side-eye at Patti LuPone over her whole beef with fellow Broadway stars Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald.

The talk show queen dropped this gem onstage: “Our celebration of this astounding year in live theater turns to the women whose work sparked lively conversations among theater fans.” Then, she shot the crowd a knowing look, adding, “Lotta talking going on!”

omg not Oprah Winfrey throwing shade at Patti LuPone while presenting at the Tony Awards lol pic.twitter.com/l7WvmA8Bev

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) June 9, 2025
@SpencerAlthouse

The crowd was cracking up at the joke — Oprah didn’t name names, but let’s be real, everyone was pretty convinced it was a dig at Patti, who certainly had everyone talking lately on the Broadway scene.

Oh, and to add some spice, Audra was in the crowd, nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical — the category Oprah was presenting. But, she lost out to Nicole Scherzinger for “Sunset Boulevard.”

Patti wasn’t in attendance, and whether she was going to show up was anyone’s guess, especially after the drama surrounding her recent New Yorker magazine profile. In it, she made some controversial comments about Audra and Kecia.

PL called Kecia a “bitch” who “doesn’t know what the f*** she’s talking about” — in response to Kecia calling Patti’s complaints about her noisy music rehearsals as “micro aggressive.”

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More than 500 Broadway artists signed an open letter slamming Patti, who eventually issued an apology.

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter just had an excellent reunion.

The actors and longtime friends, who will soon star in an upcoming revival of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, spoke to PEOPLE on the red carpet Sunday, June 8, at the 2025 Tony Awards in New York City, where they were in attendance to present one of the awards.

Reeves, 60, and Winter, 59, matched in classic black tuxedo looks. The Matrix star put a twist on his ensemble by adding a white handkerchief in the suit pocket. He also cuffed his blazer sleeves to show the white of his shirt sleeves.

Winter tells PEOPLE that he and Reeves “wanted to work together” again after their famous Bill & Ted movies, and have “known each other a very long time” — fitting for “a play about two people who have known each other a very long time. … And Keanu had this crazy, inspired idea that suddenly turned into reality, for both of us.”

As for what fans can expect, Winter adds, “I think every time the play is done, it’s different, because of who’s playing it. It’s very, very personal, and so we’re bringing ourselves to it.”

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Waiting for Godot will begin preview performances at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre on Sept. 13, ahead of an official opening on Sept. 28. The limited-engagement production is currently scheduled through Jan. 4, 2026.

For Reeves’ Broadway debut, the John Wick actor will play Estragon. Winter, who appeared in Broadway’s 1977 production of The King and I and 1979’s Peter Pan, plays Vladimir in the acclaimed existential work.

PEOPLE debuted a video conversation with director Jamie Lloyd on April 14 about the upcoming production, in which the longtime pals — who first worked together on 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure — explained how they’ll naturally bring their offstage bond to their roles.

“It’s like being in a band together. We kind of know each other’s rhythms,” Winter shared in the video. “Being able to bring that into, onto a stage, that’s sort of our fundamental. That’s in our bones away.”

“The films that we did together, the Bill & Ted films, the language in those films had the architecture and their rhythms,” added Reeves. “Even from early days, we approached them theatrically or even commedia dell’arte: ‘Okay, I do something, you do something, I get the ball, you get the ball.’ “

“That’s why, in the audition, we were so vibed,” Winter recalled of himself and Reeves. “Because you didn’t get that from other actors so much.”

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Reeves and Winter became close while filming Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a sci-fi comedy that follows time-traveling friends who visit historical figures for their history presentation.

In 1991 and 2020, they reprised their roles as Ted Logan and Bill Preston for a second and third installment of the cult-classic series.

See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 78th annual Tony Awards, hosted by Cynthia Erivo at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and airing on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. ET.

Kristin Chenoweth wants her fans to go into The Queen of Versailles with the right expectations.

Speaking with PEOPLE on the red carpet at the 2025 Tony Awards in New York City on Sunday, June 8, the Broadway veteran warned fans of Wicked — in which she originated the role of Galinda/Glinda opposite Idina Menzel’s Elphaba — that her upcoming role is “very different.”

“People think they’re gonna get Wicked — you’re not gonna get Wicked, so don’t get disappointed,” says Chenoweth, 56.

The Stephen Schwartz musical Queen of Versailles, which Chenoweth is co-producing through her production banner Diva Worldwide Entertainment, will mark the actress and singer’s return to the Broadway stage after a decade away.

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An adaptation of Lauren Greenfield’s award-winning 2012 documentary of the same name, The Queen of Versailles follows socialite Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel and her “Timeshare King” husband David Siegel’s multi-million dollar quest to build the biggest private home in America. Chenoweth plays Jackie, with F. Murray Abraham as David.

“We’ve worked on it for five years, and I need to birth this baby, you know?” Chenoweth tells PEOPLE, before reflecting on “22 years with” Wicked music and lyrics writer Schwartz, 77.

And what got her “interested” in The Queen of Versailles was “what it has to say,” despite some initial reservations she admits she had about signing on.

“When Stephen called me [and explained the premise], I was like, ‘I don’t know … ‘ ” Chenoweth tells PEOPLE. “But then we started talking and discussing and developing, and it got me excited.”

As for her Wicked days, they’re not too far removed from Chenoweth’s life now, as both she and Menzel, 54, made surprise cameo’s in last year’s Jon M. Chu-directed movie treatment.

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While Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande took over the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, Menzel and Chenoweth play members of an Emerald City singing group that perform “One Short Day,” a song about the Wizard of Oz’s magical arrival to the land.

And asked whether she and Menzel will return in the films’ second part — Wicked: For Good, which hits theaters this November — Chenoweth recently told PEOPLE exclusively, “All I can say to the fans is they’ll just have to go and see.”

Chenoweth will appear in The Queen of Versailles at the St. James Theatre in New York City, with previews beginning Oct. 8 ahead of a Nov. 9 opening night.

The 2025 Tony Awards will air on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. ET.

Once again, it’s time to anoint the winners of the Tony Awards.

The 78th annual iteration of the theatrical awards, celebrating the best of the past season on Broadway, returns to CBS this year, airing live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) will host the ceremony, which will also feature performances from many of the nominees including the casts of Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Maybe Happy Ending, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, Sunset Blvd., Just In Time, and Real Women Have Curves.

Additionally, Harvey Fierstein will be on hand as the recipient of the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, while Celia Keenan-Bolger will receive the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award.

The broadcast is also set to feature a special 10th anniversary performance from the original Broadway cast of Hamilton.

Presenters will include Aaron Tveit, Adam Lambert, Alex Winter, Allison Janney, Ariana DeBose, Auli’i Cravalho, Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston, Carrie Preston, Charli D’Amelio, Danielle Brooks, Jean Smart, Jesse Eisenberg, Julianne Hough, Katie Holmes, Keanu Reeves, Kelli O’Hara, Kristin Chenoweth, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Lea Michele, Lea Salonga, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Bay Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Sara Bareilles, Sarah Paulson, and Tom Felton.

There is also a pre-show, The Tony Awards: Act One, which begins at 6:40 p.m. ET/3:40 p.m. PT and is hosted by first-time nominee Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending) and Hamilton star (and Tony Winner) Renée Elise Goldsberry.

So, how can you watch all the action?

The pre-show is exclusively on Pluto TV, a free streaming television service. After downloading the Pluto TV app, users can view The Tony Awards: Act One by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the “Live Music” channel, which is found within the Entertainment category on the service.

Audiences will have to switch channels (or apps) to watch the main event. The Tony Awards air live on both CBS and Paramount+ with Showtime (note: the broadcast will only be available to subscribers of Paramount+ with Showtime, not essential subscribers).

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To keep up with the events of the evening, Entertainment Weekly will be updating our 2025 Tony Award winners list live throughout the night.

Broadway’s biggest night is here!

The 2025 Tony Awards are officially underway, and some of Broadway’s biggest stars are hitting the red carpet.

Hosted by Cynthia Erivo, the sure-to-be-starry night will see the likes of George Clooney, history-making Audra McDonald, Sarah Snook, Nicole Scherzinger and a Hamilton 10th anniversary reunion performance that has everyone buzzing.

Below, see all the stars arriving at the 2025 Tony Awards.

The Tony Awards hit NYC like a standing ovation — Broadway royalty and Hollywood glam stormed the carpet, serving looks and legacy like their lives depended on it.

It was serious star power at the 78th Tony Awards — George and Amal Clooney, Keanu Reeves, Brooke Shields and more descended on Radio City Music Hall, with host Cynthia Erivo leading the charge for a night of pure theatrical glam.

Hollywood heavyweights lit up the red carpet — Bryan Cranston, Katie Holmes, and a nominated Sadie Sink all brought the heat to Broadway’s biggest night.

Charli D’Amelio, Lea Michele, Julianne Hough, Kristin Chenoweth, and nominee Nicole Scherzinger weren’t lurking in the shadows — they brought serious sparkle and stole their share of the spotlight.

Hit up the gallery… we’ve got even more A-listers bringing the heat, including Tom Felton, Gayle King, Samuel L. Jackson, and LaTanya Richardson. You don’t wanna miss this lineup!