News & Views from the Drama Desk
April 29, 2004
For Release: Thursday, April 29, at 9:00 AM (NYT)
49 th ANNUAL DRAMA DESK NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED!!!
WICKED GARNERS 11 NOMINATIONS TO HEAD LISTFOLLOWED BY ASSASSINS AND HENRY IV WITH SEVEN EACH,
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE AND WONDERFUL TOWN FOLLOW WITH SIX;
TABOO, I AM MY OWN WIFE, RAMAYANA 2K3 AND MUSICAL OF MUSICALS; THE MUSICAL CAPTURE FIVE NOMINATIONS EACH
New York, NY, April 29, 2004 - Wicked, the new Broadway musical, dominated the nominations for the 49 th Annual Drama Desk Awards, which were announced here today, by capturing a total of 11 nominations, including two for co-stars Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. The revival of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and LCT's new production of Shakespeare's Henry IV, staged by Jack O'Brien, followed with seven nominations each.
Six nominations went to both the revival of Wonderful Town, including one for its star Donna Murphy, andCaroline, or Change, including a nomination for Tonya Pinkins. Five nominations apiece went to Ramayana 2K3, The Musical of Musicals: The Musical and the controversial Taboo, including two for music and lyrics to Boy George.
The revival of A Raisin in the Sun, received four nominations, along with Johnny Guitar, Bombay Dreams and Big River. Five productions captured three nominations each, among them the revival ofFiddler on the Roof, The Boy From Oz, Intimate Apparel, Bug, and the Works Production ofMoby Dick. Hugh Jackman and Alfred Molina were nominated for their starring roles in The Boy From Oz and Fiddler on the Roof, respectively.
The nominees for Outstanding Play are: The Beard of Avon by Amy Freed; The Distance From Here by Neil LaBute; Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones; I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright; the Works Production of Moby Dick by Julian Rad; and The Tricky Part by Martin Moran. Outstanding Musical nominees include, Caroline, or Change; Johnny Guitar; The Musical of Musicals: The Musical; and Wicked.
Outstanding play revival nominations went to: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Watermill Theatre production from Propeller/BAM); A Raisin in the Sun; The Colleen Bawn; The Daughter-in-Law; Henry IV (LCT); and The Normal Heart.
Nominations for Outstanding Musical Revivals were received by: Assassins; Big River; Fiddler on the Roof; Finian's Rainbow; First Lady Suite; and Wonderful Town.
In the performance categories, Outstanding Actor in a Play nominations were awarded to: John Michael Higgins(Big Bill); Kevin Kline (Henry IV); Frank Langella (Match); Brian F. O'Byrne (Frozen); Christopher Plummer (King Lear); and Paul Sparks (Blackbird). Outstanding Actress in a Play nominations went to: Eileen Atkins (The Retreat From Moscow); Shannon Cochran (Bug); Viola Davis (Intimate Apparel); Lizan Mitchell (Trojan Women); Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun); and J. Smith-Cameron (Sarah, Sarah).
Hugh Jackman and Alfred Molina were each nominated for their starring roles in The Boy From Oz and Fiddler on the Roof, respectively. Other nominees in that category are: Hunter Foster (Little Shop of Horrors); Tyrone Giordano (Big River); Michael McElroy (Big River); and Euan Morton (Taboo). In the Outstanding Actress in a Musical, there will be stiff competition among Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked); Judy McLane (Johnny Guitar); Idina Menzel (Wicked); Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town); Elaine Paige (Sweeney Todd); and Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change).
Nominees for Outstanding Director of a Play include: Hilary Adams (Moby Dick); Dexter Bullard (Bug); Edward Hall (A Midsummer Night's Dream) (Watermill Theatre production from Propeller/BAM); Moises Kaufman (I Am My Own Wife); Kenny Leon(A Raisin in the Sun); and Jack O'Brien (Henry IV) (LCT). In the musical staging category, the nominees include Joe Mantello for both Assassins and Wicked; Jeff Calhoun (Big River); Pamela Hunt (The Musical of Musicals: The Musical); Kathleen Marshall (Wonderful Town); and George C. Wolfe (Caroline, or Change).
Outstanding Choreography nominations were garnered by: Stephen Hues (Ramayana 2K3); Kathleen Marshall (Wonderful Town); Jerry Mitchell (Never Gonna Dance); and Anthony Van Laast and Farah Khan (Bombay Dreams).
Nominations for Outstanding Solo Performance were given to: Barbara Cook (Barbara Cook's Broadway!); Ben Gazzara (Nobody Don't Like Yogi); Sarah Jones (Bridge and Tunnel); Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife); Martin Moran (The Tricky Part); and Will Power (Flow). Nominations in the Unique Theatrical Experience category went to: Ramayana 2K3; Todd Robbins' Carnival Knowledge; and Toxic Audio in Loud Mouth. An Outstanding Ensemble Award was voted to the cast of The Distance From Here.
The Drama Desk also voted to present Special Awards to Dakin Matthews for his adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry IV, as well as to The Flea Theater and The Classical Theater of Harlem.
(Note: Avenue Qand Golda's Balconywere eligible last season for their Off-Broadway engagements, with Avenue Qgarnering six nominationsand Golda's Balconyreceiving two nominations, including a Drama Desk Award to Tovah Feldshuh for Outstanding Solo Performance. Thus, both shows were ineligible for Drama Desk Awards this season.)
The nominations were announced by award-winning actors Mary-Louise Parker and Tony Roberts, who were introduced by Drama Desk President William Wolf of Wolfentertainmentguide.com and Drama Desk Special Events Director Randie Levine-Miller.
A cocktail reception for Drama Desk nominees will be held at St. JohnBoutique, 665 Fifth Avenue, on Thursday, May 6, 2004, 5:00 to 7:00 PM.
The 49 th Annual Drama Desk Awards will take place on Sunday, May 16, at9:00 PM at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. The awards show, hosted by Harvey Fierstein, will be webcast live by Theatermania.com, and will be televised on a delayed basis on NYC TV Channel 74, New York City's official television network, on Wednesday, May 19, at 9:00 PM, Saturday, May 22, at 4:00 PM and Sunday, May 23, at 8:00 PM.
A limited number of tickets are available to the public by calling 212/352-3101 or visiting the TheaterMania.com website at http://www.theatermania.com. To become a Friend of the Drama Desk and to find out more about the organization and this year's awards show, visit http://www.dramadesk.com
Robert R. Blume is Executive Producer of the 49 th Annual Drama Desk Awards. TheaterMania.com is the Associate Presenter. Lauren Class Schneider is Producer and Jeff Kalpak is Director. Jeff Dobbins is the writer. Associate Producers are Sarah Galvin, Corine Dana Cohen, Jae French and Les Schecter, who is also Director of Publicity. Felicia M. Lopes is the General Manager. Randie Levine-Miller is Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk. The Drama Desk Awards is a TheatreSport Limited ( www.TheatreSport.org) production in association with TheaterMania.com. Roy A. Somlyo is Executive Consultant to the Drama Desk Awards.
Elizabeth Gerst , Director of Program Development for NYC TV, will be the executive producer of the broadcast; David Lazecko, NYC TV's Director of Technical Operations, will oversee and coordinate video production.
For the second year in a row, the awards ceremony will be webcast live by TheaterMania.com (www.theatermania.com), the leading website covering theater in over 40 markets in the United States, plus London and Toronto. TheaterMania.com registers nearly one-million visitors a month and has over TheaterMania.com registers nearly 1 million visitors a month and has over 275,000 members.
The Drama Desk Awards will also enlist personal sketches from this year's nominated performers and creative talent for its Art*Kive program created three years ago by Associate Producer Sarah Galvin. This annual program -- unique to the Drama Desk Awards -- invites the nominees to render a sketch that is relevant to the role or stage production that helped them achieve their nomination. The sketches will be displayed at the awards ceremony.
The Drama Desk, which presented its first awards in 1955, is the only theater organization whose award nominations honor Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway and not-for-profit theater productions equally in multiple categories. The Drama Desk membership includes over 140 voting theater critics, reporters and editors. Major sponsors for the awards ceremony, presented by Robert R. Blume in association with TheatreSport,Ltd., include: The New York Times; TheatreMania.com; GSD Productions, Inc.; Michelob Ultra; Variety; and Hit Show Club. Drama Desk Benefactors: David S. Stone, Esq., Boies Schiller and Flexner, LLP/NJ office; Lynn and Lewis Pell; Ron B. Shapiro; Richard I. Kandel; Lawrence Fraiberg; The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation; and Jamie deRoy. Drama Desk Scholarship Contributors: The Smart Family Foundation; TheaterMania.com; Jamie deRoy & friends; and Daryl Roth Productions.
Additional Sponsors: International Barter Network; VisionMix Creative Services; Rare Salon; and Manhattan Bride Magazine. Reception Sponsors: St. John Boutique/Gotham Magazine; Compass Restaurant & Bar; and The New York Friars Club. Food and beverages donated by: Link Restaurant; Cademartori's Imports of Italy; and The Wine Spectator Magazine. Transportation provided by: Excalibur Extravaganza Limousine Company and Gray Line NY Sightseeing.
Members of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee include: Barbara Siegel, TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate, chairperson; William Wolf, Wolfentertainmentguide.com, Drama Desk President; Andy Buck, Playbill; Arlene Epstein Nassau Herald; David Finkle, TheaterMania.com; Edward Karam, The Guardian (UK); and Richard Ridge, Broadway Beat TV.
The Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of: William Wolf, President; Leslie (Hoban) Blake, Vice President; Charles Wright, Treasurer and Second Vice President; Ellis Nassour, Secretary; and Members-at-Large: Michael Bracken, David Kaufman, Sam Norkin, Barbara Siegel, and Elyse Sommer.Shows with multiple nominations:
Wicked…………………………………. 11
Assassins…………………………….. 7
Henry IV……………………………….. 7
Caroline, or Change………………… 6
Wonderful Town ……………………. 6
I Am My Own Wife…………………… 5
Ramayana 2K3……………………… 5
Taboo………………………………….. 5
Bombay Dreams ……………………. 4
Big River……………………………… 4
Johnny Guitar……………………….. 4
A Raisin in the Sun…………………. 4
The Boy From Oz……………………. 3
Bug……………………………………. 3
Fiddler on the Roof ………………… 3
Intimate Apparel……………………. 3
Moby Dick (Works Productions)………….. 3
The Beard of Avon………………….. 2
Blackbird ……………………………… 2
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof……………… 2
The Daughter-in-Law……………….. 2
The Distance From Here…………… 2
First Lady Suite…………………….. 2
A Midsummer Night’s Dream…….. 2
Never Gonna Dance ……………….. 2
The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci 2
The Tricky Part……………………… 2Outstanding Play :
The Beard of Avon (Amy Freed)
The Distance From Here (Neil LaBute)
Humble Boy (Charlotte Jones)
I Am My Own Wife (Doug Wright)
Moby Dick (Julian Rad) (Works Productions)
The Tricky Part (Martin Moran)
Outstanding Musical :
Caroline, or Change
Johnny Guitar
The Musical of Musicals: The Musical
Wicked
Outstanding Revival of a Play :
The Colleen Bawn
The Daughter-in-Law
Henry IV (LCT)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Watermill Theatre production from Propeller/BAM)
The Normal Heart
A Raisin in the Sun
Outstanding Revival of a Musical :
Assassins
Big River
Fiddler on the Roof
Finian’s Rainbow
First Lady Suite
Wonderful Town
Outstanding Actor in a Play :
John Michael Higgins (Big Bill)
Kevin Kline (Henry IV) (LCT)
Frank Langella (Match)
Brian F. O’Byrne (Frozen)
Christopher Plummer (King Lear)
Paul Sparks (Blackbird)
Outstanding Actress in a Play :
Eileen Atkins (The Retreat from Moscow)
Shannon Cochran (Bug)
Viola Davis(Intimate Apparel)
Lizan Mitchell (Trojan Women)
Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun)
J. Smith-Cameron (Sarah, Sarah)
Outstanding Actor in a Musical :
Hunter Foster (Little Shop of Horrors)
Tyrone Giordano (Big River)
Hugh Jackman (The Boy From Oz)
Michael McElroy (Big River)
Alfred Molina (Fiddler on the Roof)
Euan Morton (Taboo)
Outstanding Actress in a Musical :
Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked)
Judy McLane (Johnny Guitar)
Idina Menzel (Wicked)
Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town)
Elaine Paige (Sweeney Todd)
Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change)
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play :
Ned Beatty (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)
Michael Berry (Moby Dick) (Works Productions)
Andre De′ Shields (Prymate)
Aidan Gillen (The Caretaker)
John Lithgow (Mrs. Farnsworth)
Corey Stoll (Intimate Apparel)
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play :
Jayne Houdyshell (Well)
Mikel Sarah Lambert (The Daughter-in-Law)
Margo Martindale (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)
Jan Maxwell (Sixteen Wounded)
Audra McDonald (A Raisin in the Sun)
Mary Louise Wilson (The Beard of Avon)
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical :
Joel Blum (Golf: The Musical)
Jeffrey Carlson (Taboo)
Raul Esparza (Taboo)
Mitchel David Federan (The Boy From Oz)
Marc Kudisch (Assassins)
Raymond Jaramillo McLeod (Wonderful Town)
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical :
Lovette George (The Musical of Musicals: The Musical)
Isabel Keating (The Boy From Oz)
Alix Korey (Listen to My Heart)
Anika Noni Rose (Caroline, or Change)
Jennifer Simard (The Thing About Men)
Mary Testa (First Lady Suite)
Outstanding Director of a Play :
Hilary Adams (Moby Dick) (Works Productions)
Dexter Bullard (Bug)
Edward Hall (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) (Watermill Theatre production from Propeller/BAM)
Moises Kaufman (I Am My Own Wife)
Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun)
Jack O’Brien (Henry IV) (LCT)
Outstanding Director of a Musical :
Jeff Calhoun (Big River)
Pamela Hunt (The Musical of Musicals: The Musical)
Joe Mantello (Assassins)
Joe Mantello (Wicked)
Kathleen Marshall (Wonderful Town)
George C. Wolfe (Caroline, or Change)
Outstanding Choreography :
Stephen Hues (Ramayana 2K3)
Kathleen Marshall (Wonderful Town)
Jerry Mitchell (Never Gonna Dance)
Anthony Van Laast and Farah Khan ( Bombay Dreams)
Outstanding Music :
RaRa Avis and Andrew Yeater, et al (Ramayana 2K3)
Boy George (Taboo)
Eric Rockwell (The Musical of Musicals: The Musical)
Stephen Schwartz (Wicked)
Martin Silvestri and Joel Higgins (Johnny Guitar)
Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change)
Outstanding Lyrics :
Joanne Bogart (The Musical of Musicals: The Musical)
Boy George (Taboo)
Sean Hartley (Cupid and Psyche)
Joel Higgins (Johnny Guitar)
Stephen Schwartz (Wicked)
Outstanding Book of a Musical :
Winnie Holzman (Wicked)
Tony Kushner (Caroline, or Change)
Outstanding Orchestrations :
Paul Bogaev ( Bombay Dreams)
William David Brohn (Wicked) Michael Starobin (Assassins)
Harold Wheeler (Never Gonna Dance)
Outstanding Set Design of a Play :
John Lee Beatty (Twentieth Century)
Scott Bradley (The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci)
Ralph Funicello (Henry IV) (LCT)
David Korins (Blackbird)
Andrew Lieberman (Wintertime)
Derek McLane (I Am My Own Wife)
Outstanding Set Design of a Musical :
John Lee Beatty (Wonderful Town)
Robert Brill (Assassins)
Eugene Lee (Wicked)
Tom Pye (Fiddler on the Roof)
Mark Thompson ( Bombay Dreams)
Outstanding Costume Design :
Jess Goldstein (Henry IV) (LCT)
Susan Hilferty (Wicked)
Robert A. Prior and Lisa Leighton (Ramayana 2K3)
Jenny Mannis (Animal Farm)
Mark Thompson ( Bombay Dreams)
Catherine Zuber (Intimate Apparel)
Outstanding Lighting Design :
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (Assassins)
TJ Gerckens (The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci)
Donald Holder (The Violet Hour)
David Lander (I Am My Own Wife)
Brian MacDevitt (Henry IV)
Kenneth Posner (Wicked)
Outstanding Sound Design :
Mark Bennett (Henry IV) (LCT)
Scott Jennings (Ramayana 2K3)
Brian Ronan (Bug)
Dan Moses Schreier (Assassins)
David Van Tieghem (The Stendhal Syndrome)
Outstanding Solo Performance :
Barbara Cook (Barbara Cook’s Broadway)
Ben Gazzara (Nobody Don’t Like Yogi)
Sarah Jones (Bridge and Tunnel)
Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife)
Martin Moran (The Tricky Part)
Will Power (Flow)
Unique Theatrical Experience :
Ramayana 2K3
Todd Robbins’ Carnival Knowledge
Toxic Audio in Loud Mouth
Outstanding Ensemble Performance
The cast of The Distance From Here
Special Awards :
Dakin Matthews for his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV.
The Flea Theater
The Classical Theatre of Harlem
Press Contact: |
Les Schecter/Matthew Donohue |
| Tel: | 212/586-2600 |
| E-mail: | lester.schecter@verizon.net or matthew_p._donoghue@worldnet.att.net |
WELCOME TO LEGEND OF KREMLIN VODKA.. NOW OFFICIAL VODKA OF THE DRAMA DESK AWARDS!
New York, NY, May 18, 2008 – South Pacific, the Lincoln Center revival of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic 1949 musical, won five awards(..read more)
53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards Nomination Announced; A Catered Affair leads list with 12 Nominations
New York, April 28, 2008—Nominations for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced this morning at the New York Friars Club (..read more)
