Darren Criss: Joshua Henry won Best Actor in a Musical after tacos from Birria
darren criss is the name on the page, but Joshua Henry owned the night at the 79th annual Tony Awards. He started with tacos from Birria before later taking home Best Actor in a Musical at Radio City Music Hall.
That sequence gave the evening a simple arc: a pre-show stop, then a major trophy. For Broadway insiders moving through Manhattan after the ceremony, it was one more reminder that Tony night is as much about the rooms around the show as the show itself.
Birria before Radio City
Joshua Henry kicked off his night ahead of the 79th annual Tony Awards with tacos from Birria, then turned that into a win for Best Actor in a Musical. The pairing is about as Broadway as it gets: an unglamorous pre-show meal, then a top prize on the biggest night of the season. Henry is also the star of Ragtime, so the award added another headline to a show already in the mix.
His win mattered because it came after a night that already had momentum around him. The production around Ragtime was part of the conversation before the trophy was handed out, and Henry’s win gave the title a stronger place in the awards ledger.
Edition Hotel on the 11th floor
An exclusive Mastercard and Capital One pre-show reception unfolded on the 11th floor of the Edition Hotel, where Carrie St. Louis performed two songs for an intimate crowd of 50 people. One of them was “Don't Rain on My Parade.” The setting was smaller than the ceremony, but it kept the night moving before guests spread out across Manhattan.
After Pink hosted the Tony Awards, the crowd moved from the main event into a series of afterparties. The official party for silver ticket holders went to The Rink at Rockefeller Center, while Rachel Zegler welcomed guests upstairs on the fourth floor for Late Night at Pebble Bar.
Pebble Bar and Rosa Mexicano
At Pebble Bar, Laurie Metcalf had a gin, cucumber and lime cocktail in hand, and her Tony Award sat on the table beside her. Nathan Lane joined her there, turning the room into one of the night’s busiest stops. Zegler said of her first Tony Awards ceremony, “It was really amazing,” and, “It’s a really good environment.”
At Rosa Mexicano in Lincoln Center, the cast of Ragtime celebrated its win for Best Revival of a Musical. That gave Henry’s personal victory a larger company frame, with one show leaving the ceremony with a trophy and its cast still collecting after-hours momentum across the city.
For readers tracking Broadway’s social circuit, the clearest takeaway is that the night’s center of gravity shifted quickly from Radio City to a handful of Manhattan rooms. Henry left one with the biggest individual prize, while the rest of the cast and guests kept the celebration moving in public view.
