FEATURE: 2019 Drama Desk Nominations
This morning the Drama Desk—of which I am a proud, first-time voting member!—announced its nominations for the 64th Annual Drama Desk Awards, celebrating the best of Broadway and Off-Broadway during the 2018-2019 season. Take a look at the nominations below—hyperlinks go to my reviews—and stay tuned for the winners to be announced at the awards show on Sunday, June 2nd.
Outstanding Play
“Fairview”, by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Soho Rep
“The Ferryman”, by Jez Butterworth
“Lewiston/Clarkston”, by Samuel D. Hunter, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
“Usual Girls”, by Ming Peiffer, Roundabout Theatre Company
“What the Constitution Means to Me”, by Heidi Schreck, New York Theatre Workshop and Broadway
Outstanding Musical
“Be More Chill”
“The Hello Girls”, Prospect Theater Company
“The Prom”
“Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”, Ars Nova
“Tootsie”
Outstanding Revival of a Play
“Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine”, Signature Theatre
“Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts”, National Asian American Theatre Company
“Our Lady of 121st Street”, Signature Theatre
“Summer and Smoke”, Classic Stage Company/Transport Group
“The Waverly Gallery”
“Uncle Vanya”, Hunter Theater Project
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
“Carmen Jones”, Classic Stage Company
“Fiddler on the Roof”, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and Off-Broadway
“Kiss Me, Kate”, Roundabout Theatre Company
“Merrily We Roll Along”, Fiasco Theater/Roundabout Theatre Company
“Oklahoma!”, Bard Summerscape/St. Ann's Warehouse and Broadway
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Jeff Biehl, “Life Sucks”
Edmund Donovan, “Lewiston/Clarkston”
Raúl Esparza, “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”
Russell Harvard, “I Was Most Alive With You”
Jay O. Sanders, “Uncle Vanya”
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Midori Francis, “Usual Girls”
Zainab Jah, “Boesman and Lena”
Elaine May, “The Waverly Gallery”
Laurie Metcalf, “Hillary and Clinton”
Heidi Schreck, “What the Constitution Means to Me”
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, “The Prom”
Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Damon Daunno, “Oklahoma!”
Santino Fontana, “Tootsie”
Steven Skybell, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, “The Cher Show”
Beth Leavel, “The Prom”
Rebecca Naomi Jones, “Oklahoma!”
Anika Noni Rose, “Carmen Jones”
Stacey Sargeant, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Charles Browning, “Fairview”
Arnie Burton, “Lewiston/Clarkston”
Hampton Fluker, “All My Sons”
Tom Glynn-Carney, “The Ferryman”
Brandon Uranowitz, “Burn This”
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Harriett D. Foy, “The House That Will Not Stand”
Megan Hill, “Eddie and Dave”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, “To Kill A Mockingbird”
Ruth Wilson, “King Lear”
Alison Wright, “Othello”
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Corbin Bleu, “Kiss Me, Kate”
André De Shields, “Hadestown”
Sydney James Harcourt, “Girl from the North Country”
George Salazar, “Be More Chill”
Patrick Vaill, “Oklahoma!”
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Stephanie Hsu, “Be More Chill”
Leslie Kritzer, “Beetlejuice”
Soara-Joye Ross, “Carmen Jones”
Sarah Stiles, “Tootsie”
Ali Stroker, “Oklahoma!”
Mary Testa, “Oklahoma!”
Outstanding Director of a Play
Sarah Benson, “Fairview”
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, “The Jungle”
Sam Mendes, “The Ferryman”
Tyne Rafaeli, “Usual Girls”
Taylor Reynolds, “Plano”
Jeff Wise, “Life Sucks”
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Noah Brody, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Rachel Chavkin, “Hadestown”
Scott Ellis, “Tootsie”
Daniel Fish, “Oklahoma!”
Joel Grey, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Outstanding Choreography
presented by LaDuca Dance Shoes
Camille A. Brown, “Choir Boy”
Warren Carlyle, “Kiss Me, Kate”
Denis Jones, “Tootsie”
Lorin Latarro, “Twelfth Night”
Rick and Jeff Kuperman, “Alice by Heart”
David Neumann, “Hadestown”
Outstanding Music
presented by Music Theatre International
Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Joe Iconis, “Be More Chill”
Peter Mills, “The Hello Girls”
Mark Sonnenblick, “Midnight at the Never Get”
Shaina Taub, “Twelfth Night”
David Yazbek, “Tootsie”
Outstanding Lyrics
presented by Music Theatre International
Chad Beguelin, “The Prom”
Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Joe Iconis, “Be More Chill”
Peter Mills, “The Hello Girls”
David Yazbek, “Tootsie”
Outstanding Book of a Musical
presented by Music Theatre International
Scott Brown and Anthony King, “Beetlejuice”
Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Robert Horn, “Tootsie”
Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, “The Prom”
Dominique Morisseau, “Ain't Too Proud”
Outstanding Orchestrations
Larry Blank, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Simon Hale, “Girl from the North Country”
Daniel Kluger, “Oklahoma!”
Charlie Rosen, “Be More Chill”
Daryl Waters, “The Cher Show”
Outstanding Music in a Play
Paul Castles and Jongbin Jung, “Wild Goose Dreams”
Justin Ellington, “Mrs. Murray's Menagerie”
Justin Ellington, “The House That Will Not Stand”
Nick Powell, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Jason Michael Webb and Fitz Patton, “Choir Boy”
Outstanding Set Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, “The Jungle”
Es Devlin, “Girls & Boys”
Maruti Evans, “The Peculiar Patriot”
Mimi Lien, “Fairview”
Matt Saunders, “Daddy”
Outstanding Set Design for a Musical
presented by Hudson Scenic
Rachel Hauck, “Hadestown”
Laura Jellinek, “Oklahoma!”
Laura Jellinek, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
David Korins, “Beetlejuice”
Rae Smith, “Girl from the North Country”
Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Dede M. Ayite, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”
Dede M. Ayite, “If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka”
Ásta Bennie Hostetter, “Mrs. Murray's Menagerie”
Toni-Leslie James, “Bernhardt/Hamlet”
Nicole Slaven, “Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts”
Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
William Ivey Long, “Beetlejuice”
William Ivey Long, “Tootsie”
Bobby Frederick Tilly II, “Be More Chill”
Michael Krass, “Hadestown”
Bob Mackie, “The Cher Show”
Paloma Young, “Alice by Heart”
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Amith Chandrashaker, “Boesman and Lena”
Amith Chandrashaker, “Fairview”
Jiyoun Chang, “Slave Play”
Jon Clark, “The Jungle”
Simon Cleveland, “Spaceman”
Yi Zhao, “The House That Will Not Stand”
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
presented by Production Resource Group
Adam Honoré, “Carmen Jones”
Bradley King, “Hadestown”
Jamie Roderick, “Midnight at the Never Get”
Barbara Samuels, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Scott Zielinski, “Oklahoma!”
Outstanding Projection Design
Peter England, “King Kong”
Katherine Freer, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”
Luke Halls, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Alex Basco Koch, “Be More Chill”
Peter Nigrini, “Beetlejuice”
Joshua Thorson, “Oklahoma!”
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Tyler Kieffer, “Plano”
Fitz Patton, “Choir Boy”
Nick Powell, “The Ferryman”
Jane Shaw, “I Was Most Alive With You”
Mikaal Sulaiman, “Fairview”
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Simon Baker, “Girl from the North Country”
Drew Levy, “Oklahoma!”
Brian Ronan, “Tootsie”
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, “Hadestown”
Mikaal Sulaiman, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Outstanding Wig and Hair Design
Campbell Young Associates, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Cookie Jordan, “Eddie and Dave”
Paul Huntley, “Tootsie”
Charles G. LaPointe, “Beetlejuice”
Charles G. LaPointe, “The Cher Show”
Outstanding Solo Performance
Mike Birbiglia, “The New One”
Carey Mulligan, “Girls & Boys”
Liza Jessie Peterson, “The Peculiar Patriot”, National Black Theatre/Hi-Arts
Erin Treadway, “Spaceman”, Loading Dock Theatre
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag”
Unique Theatrical Experience
“All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914”, Theater Latté Da/Laura Little Theatrical Productions/The Sheen Center
“Love's Labor's Lost”, Shake & Bake
“The B-Side: "Negro Folklore from Texas State Prisons"” The Wooster Group
“What to Send Up When It Goes Down”, The Movement Theatre Company
Outstanding Fight Choreography
U. Jonathan Toppo, “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”
Claire Warden, “Daddy”
Claire Warden, “Slave Play”
Outstanding Puppet Design
Michael Curry, “Beetlejuice”
Sonny Tilders, “King Kong”
Tschabalala Self, “Daddy”
Special Awards:
Ensemble Award: To the uncanny ensemble of “Dance Nation” for their pointed portrait of a dance troupe driven by competition but fused by the experiences of youth: Purva Bedi, Eboni Booth, Camila Canó-Flaviá, Dina Shihabi, Ellen Maddow, Christina Rouner, Thomas Jay Ryan, Lucy Taylor, and Ikechukwu Ufomadu.
Sam Norkin Award: To Montana Levi Blanco, who enriched this season with his vibrant and detailed costumes for “Fairview”, “The House That Will Not Stand”, “Fabulation, Or the Re-Education of Undine”, “Eddie and Dave”, “Daddy”, and “Ain't No Mo'”. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a Blanco costume is worth considerably more, telling us a complete story about its wearer while giving us something fabulous to look at.
To Mia Katigbak, the backbone of the Off-Broadway scene, we acclaim her for her performances this season in “Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts”, “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine”, “Peace for Mary Frances” and “Recent Alien Abductions”. This award also recognizes her vital presence as the artistic director of NAATCO and her sustained excellence as a performer and mentor.
To Repertorio Español for presenting a year-round rotating repertory of new and classic Spanish-language plays in its intimate Gramercy venue. For the past 51 years, Repertorio has been an indispensable theater for Spanish-speaking audiences, while inviting non-Spanish-speaking theatergoers to discover the delights of the Spanish-language canon and introducing New York audiences to the work of actors like Zulema Clares and Germán Jaramillo.
Productions with more than one nomination:
“Oklahoma!” – 12
“Tootsie” – 11
“Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future” – 9
“Be More Chill” – 8
“Beetlejuice” – 7
“Hadestown” – 7
“Fairview” – 6
“The Prom” – 5
“Carmen Jones” – 4
“Fiddler on the Roof” – 4
“Girl from the North Country” – 4
“The Cher Show” – 4
“The Ferryman” – 4
“Choir Boy” – 3
“Daddy” – 3
“Kiss Me, Kate” – 3
“Lewiston/Clarkston” – 3
“The Hello Girls” – 3
“The House That Will Not Stand” – 3
“The Jungle” – 3
“Usual Girls” – 3
“Alice by Heart” – 2
“Boesman and Lena” – 2
“By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” – 2
“Eddie and Dave” – 2
“Girls & Boys” – 2
“Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts” – 2
“I Was Most Alive With You” – 2
“King Kong” – 2
“Life Sucks” – 2
“Merrily We Roll Along” – 2
“Midnight at the Never Get” – 2
“Mrs. Murray's Menagerie” – 2
“Plano” – 2
“Slave Play” – 2
“Spaceman” – 2
“The Lehman Trilogy” – 2
“The Peculiar Patriot” – 2
“The Waverly Gallery” – 2
“Twelfth Night” – 2
“Uncle Vanya” – 2
“What the Constitution Means to Me” – 2
