Drama Desk Winners 2015: Updating Live

The winners of the 60th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced Sunday May 31st. The ceremony was held at Town Hall and hosted by Tony winner Laura Benanti. The show was live-streamed on theatremania.com.

Click the link to view the complete list of nominees:
http://samonstage.blogspot.com/2015/04/2015-drama-desk-nominees-complete-list.html

Check out this year's winners below!


OUTSTANDING PLAY
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL
HAMILTON

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
THE ELEPHANT MAN

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
THE KING AND I

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
ALEX SHARP, CURIOUS INCIDENT...

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
HELEN MIRREN, THE AUDIENCE

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
ROBERT FAIRCHILD, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
KRISTIN CHENOWETH, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
K. TODD FREEMAN, AIRLINE HIGHWAY

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
ANNALEIGH ASHFORD, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
CHRISTIAN BORLE, SOMETHING ROTTEN!

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
RENEE ELISE GOLDSBERRY, HAMILTON

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
THOMAS KAIL, HAMILTON

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
MARIANNE ELLIOTT, CURIOUS INCIDENT...

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

OUTSTANDING MUSIC
LIN -MANUEL MIRANDA, HAMILTON

OUTSTANDING LYRICS
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, HAMILTON

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, HAMILTON

OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS
CHRISTOPHER AUSTIN, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

OUTSTANDING MUSIC IN A PLAY
ARTHUR SOLARI & JANE SHAW, TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT

OUTSTANDING REVUE
JUST JIM DALE

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
BOB CROWLEY, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
CATHERINE ZUBER, GIGI

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
PAULE CONSTABLE, CURIOUS INCIDENT...

OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN
FINN ROSS, CURIOUS INCIDENT...

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
NEVIN STEINBERG, HAMILTON

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
IAN DICKINSON, CURIOUS INCIDENT...

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
BENJAMIN SCHEUER, THE LION

UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
QUEEN OF THE NIGHT

SPECIAL AWARDS (previously announced)
Outstanding Ensemble to: the cast of A.R. Gurney's WAYSIDE MOTOR INN

Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award to: BESS WOHL

Special Awards to:
JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON
ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE
ANDY BLANKENBUEHLER

Tony Awards Telecast Takes Shape

Announcements have begun to roll in regarding the performance lineup at the 2015 Tony Awards. We were first treated to the news that three shows who didn't receive nominations will perform a number on the awards show: Findging Neverland, Gigi, and It Shoulda Been You.

Today, specific performer and song details have been revealed for many of this year's nominees.

The cast of The King and I, up for nine Tony Awards, will feature nominees Kelli O'Hara, Ken Watanabe, and Ruthie Ann Miles. They will perform a medley of three classic songs from the show: "Getting to Know You", "Something Wonderful", and "Shall We Dance".

The entire cast of Best Musical Revival nominee On the Town will perform a selection of songs, featuring "New York, New York" and highlighting the three sailors (Tony Yazbeck, Clive Alves, and Jay Armstrong Johnson).

Roundabout's revival of On the Twentieth Century will follow the medley trend, performing "Life is Like a Train", "Babette", and "On the 20th Century". Tony nominated actors Kristin Chenoweth and Andy Karl, as well as star Peter Gallagher, will all be featured.

Best Musical nominee The Visit will showcase Chita Rivera's signature number "Love and Love Alone" (with a portion of the ballet duet), and the more up-tempo eunuch number "I Would Never Leave You".

Best Musical front-runner Fun Home will stick with one song, and one performer. The youngest nominee of the night, Syndey Lucas, will take the stage for the touching "Ring of Keys".

Musical rival Something Rotten! will showcase nominated actors Brian d'Arcy James and Brad Oscar, with the act one showstopper "A Musical". Expect a standing ovation.

The snubbed Finding Neverland will perform the act one finale "Stronger". The number will feature stars Matthew Morrison and Kelsey Grammer.

[UPDATE]: It Shoulda Been You will trot out powerhouse Lisa Howard to sing "Jenny's Blues" from the wedding themed musical. It is unknown if the previously announced Tyne Daly will make any appearance.

Announcements from An American in Paris, Gigi, and It Shoulda Been You will be coming shortly. (Gigi and It Shoulda Been You have previously reported their numbers will feature stars Vanessa Hudgens and Tyne Daly, respectively).

VOTE!

Who do you think should take home the gold on Tony night? Let your voice be heard in this short survey below. I will share the readers' Tony winners before the real ceremony on June 7th.
http://surveynuts.com/surveys/take?id=28813&c=209412901PFJR

Outer Critics Circle Awards 2015: Winners Announced!

The Outer Critics Circle announced the winners of their 65th annual kudos today. The winners will be celebrated at a special ceremony at Sardi's on May 21st.

The Outer Critic's Circle honors productions both on and off Broadway. Several of this year's leading Tony contenders were feted at these awards. But, it is important to note that some of the biggest Tony competition (Fun Home, Hand to God, Disgraced) were not eligible for these awards, having already competed for their Off-Broadway runs. The OCC is also not bound to Tony eligibility rulings so some performers compete in other categories at these kudos (ie: Christian Borle in Lead instead of Featured).

The big winners were The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, An American in Paris, and Off-Broadway sensation Hamilton. Without Fun Home standing in it's path, An American in Paris took four awards including the Best Broadway Musical Prize (and double wins for Christopher Wheeldon).

The King and I picked up three wins including Best Revival of a Musical, but leading lady Kelli O'Hara lost to her fiery competitor Kristin Chenoweth. Will the same outcome repeat itself at the Tonys?

The Featured Acting (Play) races are particularly tough to predict for the Tonys. The OCC lineup includes many of the front-runners. Featured Actress went to Annaleigh Ashford, who prevailed over Tony competition Patricia Clarkson and Lydia Leonard. With the men: Richard McCabe won featured actor over Nathaniel Parker and Alessandro Nivola. Can these two featured performers continue their winning streaks and clear up these confusing categories?  While there is zero overlap between voting bodies, any amount of buzz can help in races this tight.

Complete list of winners below:

BEST BROADWAY MUSICAL
*An American in Paris
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

BEST BROADWAY PLAY
The Audience
*Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wolf Hall

BEST OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
A Christmas Memory
Disenchanted
Fortress of Solitude
*Hamilton
Lonesome Traveler

BEST OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
*Between Riverside and Crazy
The City of Conversation
The Nether
Rasheeda Speaking
The Village Bike

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Into the Woods
*The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
The Heidi Chronicles
Skylight
*You Can't Take it With You

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
*Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

BEST SCORE
*Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

BEST ACTOR (PLAY)
Reed Birney, I'm Gonna Pray for You so Hard
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall
*Alex Sharp, Curious Incident...

BEST ACTRESS (PLAY)
Greta Gerwig, The Village Bike
Jan Maxwell, The city of Conversation
*Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elizabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Tonya Pinkins, Rasheeda Speaking

BEST ACTOR (MUSICAL)
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Brian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
*Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Peter Gallagher, On the Twentieth Century
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

BEST ACTRESS (MUSICAL)
*Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit

BEST FEATURED ACTOR (PLAY)
Paul Jesson, Wolf Hall
*Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall
Bryce Pinkham, The Heidi Chronicles

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS (PLAY)
*Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take it With You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Francessca Faridany, Curious Incident...
Julie Halston, you Can't Take it With You
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS (MUSICAL)
Heidi Blickenstaff, Something Rotten!
Victoria Clark, Gigi
Megan Fairchild, On the Town
*Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Mary Louise Wilson, On the Twentieth Century

BEST FEATURED ACTOR (MUSICAL)
John Cariani, Something Rotten!
Josh Grisetti, It Shoulda Been You
*Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Paul Alexander Nolan, Doctor Zhivago
Max Von Essen, An American in Paris

BEST DIRECTOR (MUSICAL)
Scott Ellis, On the Twentieth Century
Thomas Kail, Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
David Hyde Pierce, It Shoulda Been You
*Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

BEST DIRECTOR (PLAY)
Stephen Daldry, The Audience
*Marianne Elliott, Curious Incident...
Scott Ellis, The Elephant Man
Scott Ellis, You Can't Take it With You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall

BEST CHOREOGRAPHER
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton
Warren Carlyle, On the Twentieth Century
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
*Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

BEST SET DESIGN
*Bunny Christie, Curious Incident
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
Scott Pask, Something Rotten!
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, The Audience
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall
*Catherine Zuber, The King and I

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
*Paule Constable, Curious Incident...
Jeff Croiter, Something Rotten!
Rick Fisher, The Audience
Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Japhy Weidemen, The Visit

BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE
Joe Assadourian, The Bullpen
*Jim Dale, Just Jim Dale
Tom Dugan, Wiesenthal
Cush Jumbo, Josephine and I
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

JOHN GASSNER AWARD (for an American play)
*Ayad Akhtar, The Invisible Hand
Halley Feiffer, I'm Gonna Pray for You so Hard
Elizabeth Irwin, My Manana Comes
Markus Potter, Stalking the Bogeyman
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

Musical Revivals Vie for Tony Votes

It has been widely assumed for some time that the race for Best Musical Revival is a done deal. The King and I features director Bartlett Sher re-teaming with star Kelli O'Hara for another lush Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. Tony voters loved South Pacific in 2008, so Lincoln Center has another Tony winner on their hands. Right?

Well not so fast. On nominations morning, The King and I did well, as expected, with nine nominations. But it was the musical's two competitors for Best Revival that performed outside of expectations. On the Twentieth Century netted acting notices for superstar Kristin Chenoweth and featured player Andy Karl as well as two design awards. But director Scott Ellis was kicked out of the Best Director category.

Who should take Mr. Ellis' place was non other than On the Town director John Rando. On the Town's choreographer Joshua Bergasse claimed his expected nomination for Best Choreography. But On the Twentieth Century stumbled in that category as well when last year's champ Warren Carlyle lost his spot to a straight play: The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time.

If you're keeping score, The King and I and On the Town are both represented across three key disciplines: directing, acting, and choreography. On the Twentieth Century is only seen in acting.

Seizing the moment, the struggling On the Town announces a national tour for 2016! And to top it off, their Tony nominated leading man, Tony Yazbeck, will headline the tour. Tours can be a significant factor in Tony voting. A sizable block of voters are "road voters". They prefer to vote for shows that play well in their regional markets. This is why shows like An American in Paris and Something Rotten! quickly announced their own national tours. Essentially they're signalling: "Hey we're commercial! And we're already committed to going on the road! Pick me!".

Well not to be outdone, just a day later Lincoln Center has swooped in to steal their thunder. As announced earlier today: The King and I will launch a national tour as well. They have also done one better by announcing that the Broadway production has been extended indefinitely. Now Tony voters can vote for the perpetually sold out open run, or the "probably-will-close-in-September-even-if-it-wins" show.

The King and I seems like it is still in the best position to win. But, I'm thrilled to see the true fight the producers of On the Town are putting up. The race needed a little suspense (and frankly all three nominated revivals are too good for it to be a one horse race). We will have to wait and see if any of these plays turn into Tony wins for On the Town.

The industry affection for the show is also quite heartening. On the Town is a expertly crafted, charming revival. It was unfortunately cursed with a theatre too large for...well, any show really. Rumors suggest that Cirque du Soleil wants to take over the Lyric Theatre whenever it becomes available. Should that happen I'd like to suggest yet another name change for the space: The Broadway Airplane Hanger. Let's just call a spade a spade and let the acrobats deal with it.