LuPone got the ball rolling very quickly, mentioning she wanted to be sure the majority of the audience – theatre folk – could enjoy Monday, May 24, their day off from work. She introduced her Sweeney Todd and Gypsy leading men, Michael Cerveris and Boyd Gaines, respectively, who presented four awards: Outstanding Music, Outstanding Lyrics, Outstanding Book of a Musical and Outstanding Orchestrations.

Bon Jovi's David Bryan won the Outstanding Music Award for Memphis and took a while to navigate the auditorium aisles before taking the stage. "I was in the cheap seats so I didn't know," he joked, before going on to deliver his thanks and to say the show was "from the heart … it shows not what tears us apart but what brings us together."

	John Kander
	photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Another Off-Broadway musical was honored when Alex Timbers took Outstanding Book of a Musical for the Public Theater's Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Timbers, who also directed the show, paid special tribute to the dramaturges who had helped him research President Andrew Jackson's life and times and develop his irreverent and provocative theatre piece, naming the Public's artistic director, Oskar Eustis; Anne Davison; Ann Sloan; and his composer-lyricist, Michael Friedman, whom he called "the best dramaturg of all."

After Bryan again appeared with Daryl Waters to accept Outstanding Orchestrations for Memphis, LuPone introduced "Law & Order" and Rent star "and fellow Acting Company alumnus" Jesse L. Martin, who presented Outstanding Music in a Play to Grammy-winning jazz musician Branford Marsalis for the revival of August Wilson's Fences. Marsalis was not present; Kenny Leon, the revival's director, accepted on behalf of the man he called "a true genius."

Martin then presented the choreography award to Twyla Tharp for Come Fly Away. Tharp paid special thanks to "each and every one of you for the gift that you give every day [by making] Broadway a productive environment in which we can perform."

Cheyenne Jackson presented the directing awards, starting with Outstanding Director of a Play. The winner, Michael Grandage of Red, thanked playwright John Logan; James Bierman, the executive producer of the play's London home, the Donmar Warehouse, where Grandage is artistic director; the designers; actors Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne; and Broadway producer Arielle Tapper Madden, "the person who makes it happen for us in America."

Michael Mayer, who was named Outstanding Director of a Musical for American Idiot, thanked producer Tom Hulce for making "so many of my dreams possible" and the "phenomenal cast, which will knock your socks off when you see them."

Drama Desk president William Wolf delivered welcoming remarks before introducing Edward Albee, who presented a special award to the cast, creative team and producers of Horton Foote's The Orphans' Home Cycle. Orphans actress and Foote's daughter, Hallie Foote, accepted for the team, reading a quote from her late father: "I am more alive when I am writing, and I can do anything when I am writing well."

Adriane Lenox presented two additional special awards – to the Godlight Theatre Company and the Ma-Yi Theatre Company – before Drama Desk winner Angela Lansbury (introduced by fellow Mrs. Lovett, LuPone, as "our theatre royalty") appeared to announce composer-lyricist Jerry Herman's special award "for enchanting and dazzling audiences with his exuberant music and heartfelt lyrics for more than half a century." Lansbury accepted for the absent Herman.

The evening's double acting nominee, Bobby Steggert, presented scholarships to LaGuardia students Zola Howard and Brandon Riley, and Drama Desk presenter Robert R. Blume made additional remarks, before Martha Plimpton presented Featured Actor in a Play award to Santino Fontana for Brighton Beach Memoirs. Fontana, who played older brother Stanley in the very short-lived revival, said he was unprepared and almost didn't come, ultimately coming alone because he could barely afford the $200 ticket. He repeatedly exclaimed, "I can't believe this!" and added it has been "a very bizarre year."