Interview Inside Laura Osnes’ Glamorous Night at the Met Ball What she wore, who she sat with, her favorite moment from the hottest event of the year, and how she ended up with Stephen Colbert’s number.

By Ruthie Fierberg

May 05, 2017

What she wore.
“I had four days to try and find something to wear. I knew Christian Siriano was interested in dressing someone for the Met Ball and my people had connections with his people and we had a fitting Saturday morning. I tried on several things that I loved and I was so ready to start making a decision and he was like, ‘Wait, I have one more thing. This is kind of a lot but, if you’re up for it, it could be an amazing moment.’ I tried on that pink rose skirt and we were all like, ‘Yes.’ I know the Met Ball is all about fashion and wearing something really bold that was going to grab attention. This was my first Met Ball, hopefully I get invited again but who knows if I ever will, so I gotta go big. Go big or go home.”

How she got ready.
“I was at the recording studio [recording the Bandstand cast album] for three hours that day. It was just me and the orchestra. Then, I went home to get hair and makeup done and then went off to the Met Ball. Talk about a day off—after a five-show weekend the week that we opened. Nate, my husband, carried my dress down the stairs [of our five story walkup] into the car—I got dressed in the car—and getting out of the car was hard because of this gigantic skirt. But it was amazing. I was like, ‘What am I doing here? I feel like a movie star.’”

Who she met inside.
“After the red carpet, you go into the Met and they have a beautiful display exhibit of the designer they were recognizing that night. I wandered through the exhibit alone and then I saw Andy Karl [Groundhog Day] and Orfeh [Legally Blonde The Musical] and I was like ‘Yay! Friends!’ I got to hang out with them most of the night and Josh Groban [The Great Comet]. We said hi to Hugh Jackman and Stephen Colbert. I was sitting at a table with Keri Russell and Daisy Ridley and then I was sitting next to Aziz Ansari. He is a hoot.

“I saw the Olsen twins, I saw Eddie Redmayne, Rose Byrne, everybody was there. It’s so not my world, but the next morning when I was going through photos I was like, ‘Oh that was Kendall Jenner?’ I was probably blissfully ignorant. I knew everyone was famous but I wasn’t freaking out over people. I was just like, ‘I’m going to be here and enjoy the people that I know and soak in the moment of being at the Met Ball in this amazing outfit.’”

Why it’s important for Broadway to be invited
“I think it’s so good for Broadway and I’m so happy that Anna is trying to recognize the whole Broadway community. She’s getting involved with the Tony Awards, she’s coming to see theatre, and I think that’s good to elevate the brand and blend the two worlds of fashion and theatre. It couldn’t be better for us.”

When she looks back…
“I think my favorite moment was actually while I was leaving: I saw Stephen Colbert. I met him at the Kennedy Center Honors last year—he hosted. He was the one person I felt like I had the courage to say hello to. He was so sweet. His wife Evelyn was also wearing Christian Siriano that night so he was like, ‘We have to get a picture.’ He took a picture of me and Evelyn and he was like, ‘What are your digits? Let me send you this photo.’ So he legit texted me the photo:

“The other unforgettable moment was right after the red carpet, they have this whole other huge staircase three flights up. I was the only one there. I climbed the staircase by myself in that giant skirt. At the top of the stairs was Anna Wintour. I literally felt like Cinderella at the ball. It was iconic.”