“The Prom” took home the prize of outstanding musical at the 2019 Drama Desk Awards Sunday night.
In the show categories, “The Ferryman” won the outstanding play award and “Fiddler on the Roof” won for outstanding musical revival. “The Waverly Gallery” won for outstanding revival of a play.
The nominations list had been led by “Oklahoma!” “Tootsie” and “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future.”
Because “Hadestown,” “Torch Song” and “Choir Boy,” all had off-Broadway runs in recent seasons, the Drama Desk nominating committee chose to only consider “those elements that constituted new work.” The Drama Desk categories include Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway.
The ceremony, hosted by Michael Urie, took place at The Town Hall. The Drama Desk Awards were executive produced by Matt Britten, chief executive of Broadway Brands, which is the parent company of Broadway News. Joey Parnes Productions was the producer.
Full List:
(Asterisk indicates the winner)
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 andBroadway
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 Companyc
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Bard Summerscape/St. Ann’s Warehouse andBroadway
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, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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,Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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, Arthur Miller’s 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, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Joel Grey, Fiddler on the Roof
Outstanding Choreography presented by LaDuca Shoes
Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
*Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
Rick and Jeff Kuperman, Alice by Heart
Lorin Latarro, Twelfth Night
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, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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 Studio
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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
Michael Krass, Hadestown
William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
William Ivey Long, Tootsie
*Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Bobby Frederick Tilly II, Be More Chill
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, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 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
Paul Huntley, Tootsie
Cookie Jordan, Eddie and Dave
Charles G. LaPointe, Beetlejuice
*Charles G. LaPointe, The Cher Show
Campbell Young Associates, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
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 / Sheen Center
Love’s Labour’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
Tschabalala Self, “Daddy”
*Sonny Tilders, King Kong
Special Awards:
Ensemble Award: To the uncanny ensemble of Dance Nation for their pointed portrait of a dance troupe riven 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.
