On June 16, 1966, the restaurant hosted the 20th Tony Awards. In commemoration to the actress Helen Menken, who had died three months prior, the ceremony was closed to the public. The ceremony was also the first Tony Awards to be held in the afternoon. Entertainers began performing in the Rainbow Room again in 1973, for the first time in decades, starting on September 18 of that year when classical-piano duo Whittemore and Lowe played three 40-minute-long sets, with half of each set dedicated to song requests from guests.