Inside, bold lighting and lots of candles were used to brighten up the space. Frost Lighting created distinct environments by lighting areas with blue, fuschia and red overhead lights. Susan Edgar Design's decor mirrored the colors with draped monochromatic cloths and dozens of votive candles in tinted holders on the tables. Each area's bar served up a colored specialty drink—blue martinis, cosmopolitans and red kirs and kir royales—to match the area's hue. While the fuschia and blue bars were standard, the red room's bar stood out with three tiers of faux flame lamps (black-base lamps with mini fans propelling red-orange fabric) surrounded by dozens of votive candles.
Outside, the garden's perimeter was tented with clear canopies from Party Line Tent Rentals, and tables bordered the edges. The summer garden was cleared to serve as the dance floor, and the Peter Duchin Orchestra performed on the outdoor stage.
After sitting through the three-hour awards show, guests weren't shy about heading to the buffet tables. Restaurant Associates laid out a summery spread that included grilled and lime-marinated steaks with chipotle sauce; shrimp, clam, mussel and calamari platters; grilled vegetables with new potatoes in rosemary oil; Israeli couscous with minced vegetables; and haricot vert topped with frizzled onions and shallot Dijon vinaigrette. Three-tiered bread baskets supplied olive bread, seven-grain rolls and Parmesan toasts, and for dessert, guests indulged in chocolate-dipped ice cream bonbons, petit fours, chocolate-dipped strawberries, biscotti and carrot cake squares.
Read about last year's Tonys ball...
