Sara Bareilles got a little help from her friend.
During the Tony Awards’ annual In Memoriam segment, the Waitress alum and ceremony host Cynthia Erivo performed “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie while the faces of members of the theater community who have passed away during the last year were displayed behind them.
The final honoree to be shown during the June 8 segment was that of Gavin Creel, a beloved Broadway actor who died of a rare form of cancer in September at the age of 48.
Gavin had been a close friend of Sara’s after working on Waitress together, and as the stage lights faded to black during the award show, Cynthia and Sara could be seen holding hands as they looked at Gavin’s face before Cynthia turned and held Sara close in a hug, the latter having grown visibly emotional.
The Wicked star continued to comfort Sara, rubbing her back and sharing a few words with her before the award show went to a commercial break.
Also honored during the segment were late stars and theater powerhouses such as James Earl Jones, Maggie Smith, George Wendt, Linda Lavin and Quincy Jones.
The moving segment—and the powerful moment of comfort shared between Sara and Cynthia—was just one of the many memorable moments to come from the award ceremony, which saw actors such as Nicole Scherzinger, Darren Criss, Sarah Snook and Cole Escola walk away winners.
For Nicole—who won Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard—her nomination was proof of how far she’s come.
“I always felt like I wasn’t living in my full potential, my full purpose, and I was never happy with myself, never satisfied,” the Pussycat Dolls alum told E! News’ Keltie Knightoutside Radio City Music Hall ahead of the ceremony. “It’s because I knew I had so much more to give, and this role in this opportunity allowed me to give all of me, and it’s changed my life, and I’m so grateful for it.”
She continued, “I’m so grateful that I’m able to connect with people on a deeper, soulful, spiritual level, that I could make a difference in these people’s lives, because that’s what we do it for. That’s exactly what we do it for. So I’m just so thankful.”
For more from the Tony Awards, keep reading.
Julianne Hough
In Christian Siriano SS24 RTW
Sarah Snook
In Richard Quinn
Katie Holmes
In custom Prada and Dana Rebecca Designs
Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves
Daveed Diggs
In Amiri
Megan Hilty
In Pamella Roland
Anna Wintour
In Givenchy
Rosie Perez
In Pamella Roland
Justina Machado
In Christian Siriano
Rachel Sussman
Audra McDonald
In Christian Siriano
Darren Criss
In custom Christian Siriano
Jonathan Groff
In Thom Browne and Tiffany & Co. jewelry
Jean Smart
In Christian Siriano
Nicole Scherzinger
In custom Rodarte and Kwiat jewelry
Sarah Paulson
In Schiaparelli SS25 Couture and Buccellati jewelry
Danielle Brooks
Stephane Rolland SS25 Couture
Laufey
In Valentino PF25 and Hearts on Fire jewelry
Phillipa Soo
In Genny
Cynthia Erivo
In Schiaparelli SS25 Couture and FOPE jewelry
Cole Escola
In Wiederhoft
Bryan Cranston
Kristin Chenoweth
In Christian Siriano FW25 RTW
George Clooney and Amal Clooney
In Tamara Ralph SS25 Couture
Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson
Sadie Sink
In custom Prada and Fred Leighton
Gayle King
In vintage Vicky Tiel Couture
Michelle Williams
In Bibhu Mohapatra
Zoey Deutch
In Tiffany & Co. jewelry
Lea Michele
In custom Michael Kors Collection and EFFY Jewelry
