Cole Escola pays tribute to Bernadette Peters with Tony Awards 2025 red carpet gown

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.