Later, Young appeared on the carpet in a Barbie-pink Marc Jacobs halter dress with a yellow floral brooch. “I came into this process very late. I had five days of rehearsal, and then I went to tech,” the two-time Tony winner, who plays Catherine’s sister Claire, told Vogue. “But it’s always like that for every play that I’ve ever done. I’m going to continue to build history up until the last day—the last performance. Right now, I’m focused on honoring Claire as best as I possibly can. My mind is with her, not on the external pressures or expectations.”
Like the play, the theme of the night was family and supporting fellow actors within the community. About 20 minutes before curtain-up, the red carpet filled with celebrity guests, including Matt Damon, who came out to support Cheadle, his longtime friend and fellow Ocean’s 11 co-star, while Nicolas Braun appeared to support Young, his co-lead in last year’s Gruesome Playground Injuries.
There was also a lot of love for play director Tommy Kail, who attended opening night with his wife, Michelle Williams, who also brought her best friend, Busy Philipps.
“I’ve never seen the show, so I’m looking forward to seeing it tonight. And obviously, Tommy is like family to me at this point, so I always want to support him. I love him so much,” Philipps told Vogue.
Inside the theater, Lin-Manuel Miranda was spotted chatting with fellow opening-night guests, looking casual but cool in a white tee and slacks, while Whitney Peak made her way to her seat in a Proof baseball cap inscribed with the show’s famous line: “I wrote it.”
Then, onstage, Kail’s vision for the Auburn revival came to life, the cast’s chemistry adding up to a great performance. During the electric standing ovation, Edebiri surprised the audience when she whipped out a vintage camcorder and began filming the moment for the actors and crew.
“It’s hard to make a show and hard to get a show on Broadway,” Kail, who appeared onstage for the curtain call, began. “The way that you get here, as David [Auburn] tells us in this play, is one little moment at a time.”
After the show, the cast came together at Pier 61’s Lighthouse for a celebratory after-party. Special guests of the cast and crew filled the pier’s 360-degree venue, which featured an outdoor bar perched in front of the twinkling, water-reflected skyline.
Hits by Lauryn Hill, Roberta Flack, and Whitney Houston echoed throughout the space as guests enjoyed open-bar cocktails and mingled across candlelit tables. In one corner of the room, the Proof foursome posed for photos with friends and family, even snapping a few selfies with guests. While Young was being pulled across the room with a martini in hand, Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams were spotted at the bar with co-star Chris Perfetti, where Love Story’s Sydney Lemmon caught up with Edebiri over drinks. Lasting well past midnight, the party floor lit up with late-night dancing as only a weary few began to trickle out. The celebratory evening had nothing left to prove.
