The awards ceremony will be taped for subsequent broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. WNET/Thirteen, the PBS station for the metropolitan New York City area, will broadcast the awards May 27 from 12:30 PM-2:30 PM ET. NYC TV 25 will also broadcast the awards ceremony on May 24 at 8 PM and May 26 at 10 PM.
The Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, writers and editors that honors all areas of New York theatre, including Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway.
Tony Award winners James Naughton and Beth Leavel announced the nominations for the Drama Desk Awards April 26 at the New York Friars Club. Leading the pack was the new musical LoveMusik, which garnered 12 nominations, including one for Outstanding Musical. Four other productions received 10 nominations apiece: Curtains, Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening and The Coast of Utopia.
The following awards were voted by the nominating committee and will be presented at the annual ceremony:
Outstanding Ensemble Performance
The cast of In the Heights
The cast of Lebensraum Special Awards
•John Kander and Fred Ebb for 42 years of excellence in advancing the art of the musical theatre.
•Austin Pendleton - actor, director, playwright, teacher — a Renaissance man of the American theatre.
•Transport Group for its breadth of vision and its presentation of challenging productions.
•National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene for preserving 92 consecutive seasons the cultural legacy of Yiddish speaking theatre in America.
Nominations for the 52nd Annual Drama Desk Awards follow.
Outstanding Play
David Harrower, Blackbird
Terrence McNally, Some Men
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Tom Stoppard, The Coast of Utopia
Bernard Weinraub, The Accomplices
August Wilson, Radio Golf
Outstanding Musical
Curtains
In the Heights
Legally Blonde
LoveMusik
Mary Poppins
Spring Awakening
Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Hairy Ape
Hedda Gabler
Journey's End
Talk Radio
The Taming of the Shrew
Woyzeck
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
110 in the Shade
The Apple Tree
Company
Di Yam Gazlonim!
H.M.S. Pinafore
Les Misérables
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Goes Boating
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Brían F. O'Byrne, The Coast of Utopia
Christopher Plummer, Inherit the Wind
Liev Schreiber, Talk Radio
Kevin Spacey, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Paul Sparks, Essential Self-Defense
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Orlagh Cassidy, The Field
Blythe Danner, Suddenly Last Summer
Jennifer Mudge, Dutchman
Sandra Oh, Satellites
Annie Parisse, The Internationalists
Meryl Streep, Mother Courage and Her Children
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, LoveMusik
Raul Esparza, Company
John Gallagher, Jr. Spring Awakening
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
David Hyde Pierce, Curtains
Martin Short, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Ashley Brown, Mary Poppins
Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde
Kristin Chenoweth, The Apple Tree
Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade
Lea Michele, Spring Awakening
Donna Murphy, LoveMusik
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Chisholm, Radio Golf
Billy Crudup, The Coast of Utopia
Boyd Gaines, Journey's End
John Ortiz, Jack Goes Boating
Andrew Polk, The Accomplices
Frederick Weller, Some Men
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Myriam Acharki, Woyzeck
Xanthe Elbrick, Coram Boy
Sarah Nina Hayon, Rearviewmirror
Jan Maxwell, Coram Boy
Martha Plimpton, The Coast of Utopia
Rita Wolf, The American Pilot
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Christian Borle, Legally Blonde
Aaron Lazar, Les Miserables
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
Orville Mendoza, Adrift in Macao
David Pittu, LoveMusik
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Linda Balgord, The Pirate Queen
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Les Miserables
Debra Monk, Curtains
Orfeh, Legally Blonde
Barbara Walsh, Company
Karen Ziemba, Curtains
Outstanding Director of a Play
Declan Donnellan, Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage, Frost/Nixon
Doug Hughes, Inherit the Wind
Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia
Ciarán O'Reilly, The Hairy Ape
Tom Ridgely, Marco Millions (based on lies)
Outstanding Director of a Musical
John Doyle, Company
Thomas Kail, In the Heights
Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde
Harold Prince, LoveMusik
Alex Timbers, Gutenberg! The Musical!
Outstanding Choreography
Patricia Birch, LoveMusik
Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Matthew Bourne, Edward Scissorhands
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins
Bill T. Jones, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde
Outstanding Music
John Kander, Curtains
Paul Leschen, Twist: Please, Sir, May I Have Some More?
Peter Melnick, Adrift in Macao
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening
Outstanding Lyrics
Fred Ebb, with additional lyrics by Rupert Holmes and John Kander, Curtains
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde
Steven Sater, Spring Awakening
Bill Strauss, Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton, Capitol Steps
Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Scott Brown and Anthony King, Gutenberg! The Musical!
Julian Fellowes, Mary Poppins
Heather Hach, Legally Blonde
Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone, Curtains
Steven Sater, Spring Awakening
Alfred Uhry, LoveMusik
Outstanding Music for a Play
Mark Bennett, The Coast of Utopia
Adam Cork, Frost/Nixon
Gerard McBurney, Oliver Twist
The Propeller Company, The Taming of the Shrew
Ray Rizzo, Adam Rapp and Lucas Papaelias, Essential Self-Defense
David Van Tieghem, Inherit the Wind
Outstanding Orchestrations
William David Brohn, Curtains
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Company
Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman, In the Heights
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening
Jonathan Tunick, The Apple Tree
Jonathan Tunick, LoveMusik
Outstanding Set Design of a Play
Bob Crowley and Scott Pask, The Coast of Utopia
David Gallo, Radio Golf
David Korins, Essential Self-Defense
David Korins, Jack Goes Boating
Garin Marschall, Hell House
Scott Pask, Blackbird
Outstanding Set Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, LoveMusik
Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins
Anna Louizos, Curtains
Anna Louizos, In the Heights
David Rockwell, Legally Blonde
Kris Stone, Brundibar/But the Giraffe
Outstanding Costume Design
Mara Blumenfeld, Lookingglass Alice
Judith Dolan, LoveMusik
William Ivey Long, Curtains
Santo Loquasto, Suddenly Last Summer
Robert Morgan, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Catherine Zuber, The Coast of Utopia
Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley, LoveMusik
Maruti Evans, Blindness
Paul Gallo, Blackbird
Mark Jonathan, Prometheus Bound
Kenneth Posner, Brian MacDevitt, Natasha Katz, The Coast of Utopia
Japhy Weideman, Jack Goes Boating
Outstanding Sound Design
Acme Sound Partners, In the Heights
Mark Bennett, The Coast of Utopia
Gregory Clarke, Journey's End
Duncan Robert Edwards, LoveMusik
Frank Gaeta, Dai (enough)
Richard Woodbury, Talk Radio
Outstanding Solo Performance
Iris Bahr, Dai (enough)
Ed Harris, Wrecks
Capathia Jenkins, (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story
Anna Manahan, Sisters
Vanessa Redgrave, The Year of Magical Thinking
Nilaja Sun, No Child…
Unique Theatrical Experience
Absinthe
Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise
Be
Brundibar/But the Giraffe
Edward Scissorhands
Hell House
Shows with multiple nominations:
LoveMusik, 12
The Coast of Utopia, 10
Curtains, 10
Legally Blonde, 10
Spring Awakening, 10
In the Heights, 9
Mary Poppins, 6
Company, 5
Frost/Nixon, 4
Jack Goes Boating, 4
The Apple Tree, 3
Blackbird, 3
Essential Self-Defense, 3
Inherit the Wind, 3
Journey's End, 3
Les Misérables, 3
Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, 3
Radio Golf, 3
Talk Radio, 3
The Accomplices, 2
Adrift in Macao, 2
Brundibar/But the Giraffe, 2
Coram Boy, 2
Dai (enough), 2
Edward Scissorhands, 2
Gutenberg! The Musical, 2
The Hairy Ape, 2
Hell House, 2
A Moon for the Misbegotten, 2
110 in the Shade, 2
Some Men,2
Suddenly Last Summer, 2
The Taming of the Shrew, 2
Woyzeck, 2
*Two shows were not considered for this year's nominations: Grey Gardens, which was eligible last season and could only be considered for any new elements in the Broadway production; and Deuce, which removed itself from the Drama Desk race.
Robert R. Blume is executive producer of the 52nd Annual Drama Desk Awards. Lauren Class Schneider is producer, and Jeff Kalpak is director. Associate producers are Jacki Barlia Florin, Corine Dana Cohen, Margot Astrachan and Les Schecter. Elias EL-Hage is the general manager. Randie Levine-Miller is special events director for the Drama Desk. Roy A. Somlyo is Consulting Producer.
The 2007 Drama Desk nominators included chairperson Barbara Siegel (TalkinBroadway.com and TheaterMania.com); Glenda Frank (Plays International and nytheatre-wire.com); Tony Phillips (New York Press); Andrew Propst (Americantheatreweb.com and XM Satellite Radio); Richard Ridge (Broadway Beat TV); and Drama Desk president William Wolf (Wolfentertainmentguide.com).
Kristin Chenoweth, who received a Tony nomination for her work as Glinda in Stephen Schwartz's Wicked, has been seen on the New York stage in Stairway to Paradise, The Fantasticks, Scapin, Steel Pier, A New Brain, Epic Proportions, Strike Up the Band, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Apple Tree and Candide. The actress won her Tony Award for her performance as Sally Brown in the Broadway bow of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Chenoweth recently released her second solo recording, "As I Am" (Sony Classical), and her screen credits include "Kristin," "The West Wing," "The Music Man," "The Pink Panther," "Stranger Than Fiction," "Deck the Halls" and "Running with Scissors." She will be seen this fall in the new ABC series "Pushing Daisies."
For more information visit www.dramadesk.com.
