The 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards

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The 55^th Annual Drama Desk Awards for excellence in New York theater were bestowed tonight at a gala awards ceremony at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center, hosted by Patti LuPone, and the results reflected the diversity and competitive nature of the past season’s theater season.

In addition to Ms. Glover’s award, Memphis also captured Drama Desk trophies for Outstanding New Musical, Outstanding Music (David Bryan) and Outstanding Orchestrations (Daryl Waters and David Bryan),  Red, the Broadway drama about tortured artist Mark Rothko, won for Outstanding Play (John Logan), Outstanding Director (Michael Grandage) and Outstanding Lighting Design (Neil Austin). In addition to sharing the Outstanding Revival of a Play award, Fences also garnered the Outstanding Actress in a Play award for Viola Davis and Outstanding Music in a Play award for Branford Marsalis. La Cage Aux Folles won for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Douglas Hodge) and for Outstanding Costume Design (Matthew Wright).

The Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actress in a Musical is shared by Montego Glover (Memphis) and Catherine Zeta Jones (A Little Night Music) and Jan Maxwell (The Royal Family) was voted Outstanding Actress in a Play. The Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical award went to Katie Finneran (revival of Promises, Promises) and the Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical trophy was presented to Christopher Fitzgerald (the revival of Finian’s Rainbow). Santino Fontana (Brighton Beach Memoirs) won the Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play award

Michael Mayer (American Idiot) garnered the Drama Desk trophy as Outstanding Director of a Musical and Twyla Tharp (Come Fly Away) was voted Outstanding Choreographer. Sondheim on Sondheim won the Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Musical Revue and John Kander and Fred Ebb (The Scottsboro Boys) were voted Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Lyrics. The Outstanding Book of a Musical went to Alex Timbers (Off Broadway’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

The Outstanding Set Design Drama Desk was won by Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch & Basil Twist for The Addams Family. The Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical went to Acme Sound Partners (Ragtime), and Fitz Patton (When The Rain Stops Falling) captured the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design in a Play.

Jim Brochu won the Outstanding Solo Performance Drama Desk Award for his portrayal of Zero Mostel in Zero Hour. The Unique Theatrical Experience Drama Desk award was voted to Love, Loss and What I Wore, the Nora and Delia Ephron scripted Off Broadway show about matters of the heart and matters of the closet.

Matthew Wright (La Cage Aux Folles) won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costumes and Neil Austin (Red) took home the award for Outstanding Lighting Design, Acme Sound Partners (Ragtime) was voted the award for Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical and Fitz Patton (When The Rain Stops Falling) won for Outstanding Sound Design in a Play.

The following awards were voted by the nominating committee and were presented at the awards ceremony this evening:

Outstanding Ensemble Awards for acting were presented to the cast members of two shows -- The Temperamentals and The Orphan’s Home Cycle. Therefore, individual cast members for these shows were not eligible for acting awards in the competitive categories.

Each year the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. These awards were presented this evening to:

Presenters at the 55^th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony included (in alphabetical order): Edward Albee, Corbin Bleu, Michael Cerveris, Boyd Gaines, Ana Gasteyer, Mitzi Gaynor, Cheyenne Jackson, Leslie Jordan, Jesse L. Martin, Matthew Modine, Martha Plimpton and Brooke Shields.

55^th Annual Drama Desk Award Winners

The 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards was webcast with live streaming video from 9:00 PM to its conclusion by TheaterMania.com.

The Drama Desk presented scholarships to Brandon Reilly and Zora Howard, graduating seniors in the Theater Department of the FH LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. These scholarships, as well as donations to the school, are made possible by The Smart Family Foundation, ForTalent.com, Ted Snowdon, Jamie deRoy & friends and Robert R. Blume.

The Drama Desk Awards enlisted personal sketches from this year’s nominated performers and creative talent for its Art*Kive program created 10 years ago by Sarah Galvin. Many of this year’s sketches were displayed in the concert hall lobby at the awards ceremony.

The Drama Desk was founded in 1949 to explore key issues in the theater and to bring together critics and writers in an organization to support the ongoing development of theater in New York. The organization began presenting its awards in 1955, and it is the only critics organization to honor achievement in the theater with competition between Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions in the same categories.

The 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards is presented by Executive Producer Robert R. Blume with TheaterMania.com in association with Stone & Magnanini and Merlin Productions. Lauren Class Schneider is producer, and Jeff Kalpak, director. Associate Producers are (in alphabetical order) Joseph Callari, Corine Dana Cohen, Ellis Nassour and Les Schecter. Felicia M. Lopes is General Manager. Stuart F. Margulies (SFM Management Ltd.) is the Drama Desk Awards accountant

For the Drama Desk organization, Randie Levine-Miller is Special Events Director and Producer of the Drama Desk nominations at the NY Friars Club. Ellis Nassour is Media Liaison.

For TheaterMania.com: Brian Scott Lipton is the Editor in Chief and Edward Highfield and Jordan Neuren were video technicians for the live webcast. David Stanke is Chief Technology Officer. Gretchen Shugart is Chief Executive Office. Darren Sussman is President and Co-Founder.

David S. Stone and The Smart Family Foundation, Mary Smart, Richard I. Kandel, Marya Coburn, Ted Snowdon, The Piacentile Family Foundation and TheaterMania.com are Major Benefactors.  Contributors include Joan Pollack, Ira Pittelman Productions, Randall Stempler and Janet Rogers.

In-kind sponsors include The New York Times, Variety, Alpha Graphics, Mind The Art Entertainment, Sound Associates, Inc., Federico Salon, Software Pronto, Coach USA, VideoActive Productions, ForTalent.com and Lush & Lively/Dan Fortune. Food and Beverage Sponsors include Churrascaria Plataforma, 48 Lounge, Tony’s Di Napoli, Bice, Lubov Galleries, Inc., NY Friars Club, Double Cross Vodka, Hi Ball, Pinq, Illy and Sugar Hill Golden Ale. Software Pronto/DeepArctic, Inc. is the Manager/Host of the official Drama Desk website (www.dramadesk.org).                  -more-

55^th Annual Drama Desk Award Winners

The 2009/2010 Nominating Committee for the Drama Desk Awards is composed of: Barbara Siegel (TalkinBroadway.com and TheaterMania.com), Chairperson; Christopher Byrne (Gay City News); Patrick Christiano (TheaterLife.com and Dan’s Papers); David Kaufman (Freelance and Author); Gerard Raymond (Back Stage and The Advocate), Richard Ridge (Broadway Beat TV) and Paulanne Simmons (CurtainUp.com, NY Theatre-wire.com)

The Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of: William Wolf (wolfentertainmentguide.com), President; Leslie (Hoban) Blake (Contributing Writer, TheaterMania.com), Vice President; Charles Wright (A&E TV Networks), Treasurer and 2nd Vice President; Richard Ridge (Broadway Beat TV), Secretary; Randy Gener, Senior Editor, American Theatre and Founding Critic, New York Theatre Wire); Isa Goldberg,(Greater Philadelphia Newspaper Group, Middletown (NY) Times Herald Record and Stamford Advocate/Greenwich Times); David Kaufman (Freelance and Author); John Istel (Freelance Arts Editor and Writer); Ellis Nassour (BroadwayStars.com and Playbill); and Sam Norkin Theater Artist and Past President).