The 2019 Tonys Red Carpet Was An LGBTQ+ Dreamscape

It's no secret that Broadway is home to many LGBTQ+ people, whether as actors, producers, directors, designers, what have you. I mean, have you seen the jazz hands, kick ball changes, and costumes of the Great White Way? In keeping with that theme, the Super Bowl of Theatre made a major nod to the community on the red carpet of the Tony Awards. The floral backdrop of the carpet featured a rainbow Pride flag made of roses. And we have Anna Wintour's daughter, Bee Shaffer to thank for it!

"I was going to do lilac and purple, and she said, 'No, just go for the stripes," Wintour told Entertainment Tonightabout the inspiration for the flag. "And she was right."

According to event designer Raul Avila, who also does the decor for the annual Met Gala, the flag was composed of almost 22,000, hand spray-painted roses. He was recruited to design for the Tonys five years ago by the Vogue editor-in-chief who's also responsible for the look and artistic direction of the Tony Awards' red carpet.

"Anna always has such a clear vision for the creative direction," Avila told The Hollywood Reporter. "The inspiration meetings start at least six months before the Tonys, but the actual process starts a few days before in our warehouse, where we pre-build a wall to ensure it is prepped for the roses." PassionRoses donated the florals for the backdrop.

The backdrop comes as New York City, which hosted this year's Tonys, celebrates Pride month and is the host of World Pride.

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