A Peek Inside the VIP Speakeasy Lounge at the 2023 Tony Awards

Baccarat and Zacapa Rum transformed a luscious red room into a private lounge for Broadway's biggest night.

The Baccarat and Zacapa Rum VIP speakeasy at the Tony Awards 2023.

David Graver

Subscriber Benefit

For the first time, the 2023 Tony Awards ceremony will take place in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood, in the ornate grandeur of the United Palace theater. The nearly 3,400-seat hall will welcome a marquee roster of Broadway talent alongside Academy Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee Ariana DeBose, returning to host the annual extravaganza in consecutive years. And while the over-the-top venue—an architectural pastiche designed by Thomas Lamb, with interiors by Harold Rambusch (of Radio City Music Hall fame)—exudes innate theatricality, an even-more-spectacular speakeasy has been created inside for VIP guests.

Up the grand staircase, beyond frosted-glass double doors and beneath an historic art deco fixture that reads "VIP Lounge," ultra-premium Guatemalan rum brand Zacapa and French luxury crystal maison Baccarat have transformed a second-floor space into an exclusive green room. Baccarat custom-designed the centerpiece of the speakeasy, a serving counter lined with shimmering crystal tiles and topped with a slab of black onyx with thick, golden veins that nod to the color of Zacapa rum. The bar is flanked by rounded bottles of Zacapa's top-shelf expression, XO, and Baccarat crystal glassware on shelves.