My Drama Desk Picks

I like the Drama Desk Awards because they mix up the "Big Guys" with the "Little Guys." Perhaps its a little unfair to the "Little Guy," but the recognition must feel great. So here are the...

Nominations for the 52nd Annual Drama Desk Awards Plus My Personal Picks

Outstanding Play
David Harrower, Blackbird
Terrence McNally, Some Men
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Tom Stoppard, The Coast of Utopia
Bernard Weinraub, The Accomplices
August Wilson, Radio Golf

Is there any doubt? The Coast of Utopia has been the theatre event of the season. I, regrettably, couldn't afford to see it. Radio Golf might have sentimental value because of the passing of August Wilson, but I don't think it is the best play in his canon. I loved Frost/Nixon, however, and I hear Blackbird is quite good.

Outstanding Musical
Curtains
In the Heights
Legally Blonde
LoveMusik
Mary Poppins
Spring Awakening

Let me just say now that I believe Spring Awakening should win A LOT of awards and especially this one. Hands down the best musical I have seen in years. I don't know much about LoveMusik (besides it being about the composer Kurt Weill, played by the estimable Michael Cerveris), but I believe it has the most nominations of any production. I turned down the opportunity to see Legally Blonde, also In the Heights, also Mary Poppins (no regrets). Curtains was simply "cute" without being terribly clever.

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Hairy Ape
Hedda Gabler
Journey's End
Talk Radio
The Taming of the Shrew
Woyzeck

I bet this one will go to Journey's End, which I thought was quite effective (though hard to see because of the dim lighting), that is until the end when the director decided to bludgeon the audience on the head with an endless and deafening barrage of bombs. The Hairy Ape could be a "dark horse," however; I didn't see the production, but I love O'Neill and the buzz on it was great. If this is the Hedda Gabler with Cate Blanchett I enjoyed it very much (especially Hugo Weaving as an oily Judge Brack), but New York has seen a seemingly endless run of Heddas over the years.

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
110 in the Shade
The Apple Tree
Company
Di Yam Gazlonim!
H.M.S. Pinafore
Les Misérables

Umm...I dunno...Company, I suppose. Les Miz felt bland overall, and I don't even like The Rainmaker so why should I care to see 110 in the Shade.

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Goes Boating
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Brían F. O'Byrne, The Coast of Utopia
Christopher Plummer, Inherit the Wind
Liev Schreiber, Talk Radio
Kevin Spacey, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Paul Sparks, Essential Self-Defense

This seems like the hardest category because it is jam-packed with juggernauts. See my post about some of my favorite performances this season. I have to give it to Frank Langella though, who is simply amazing. Liev is also phenomenal, but hey, he just won last year for Glengarry Glenn Ross.

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Orlagh Cassidy, The Field
Blythe Danner, Suddenly Last Summer
Jennifer Mudge, Dutchman
Sandra Oh, Satellites
Annie Parisse, The Internationalists
Meryl Streep, Mother Courage and Her Children

Eve Best is the engine that makes this revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten run.

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, LoveMusik
Raul Esparza, Company
John Gallagher, Jr. Spring Awakening
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
David Hyde Pierce, Curtains
Martin Short, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

Hmmm...I loved both of the boys/men in Spring Awakening but I bet this one will go to Raul Esparza. Michael Cerveris might be chomping at his heels, however.

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Ashley Brown, Mary Poppins
Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde
Kristin Chenoweth, The Apple Tree
Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade
Lea Michele, Spring Awakening
Donna Murphy, LoveMusik

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Donna Murphy because I am just a gambler at heart. Though critics do love Kristen Chenoweth and Audra McDonald, typically.

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Chisholm, Radio Golf
Billy Crudup, The Coast of Utopia
Boyd Gaines, Journey's End
John Ortiz, Jack Goes Boating
Andrew Polk, The Accomplices
Frederick Weller, Some Men

Toss a coin for Anthony Chisholm (one of the best things about Radio Golf), Boyd Gaines (quietly affecting), and Billy Crudup (always awesome). I say heads up for Crudup.

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Myriam Acharki, Woyzeck
Xanthe Elbrick, Coram Boy
Sarah Nina Hayon, Rearviewmirror
Jan Maxwell, Coram Boy
Martha Plimpton, The Coast of Utopia
Rita Wolf, The American Pilot

The real standout performance from Coram Boy comes from Xanthe Elbrick. She plays a 15 year old would-be boy musician with dignity and fortitude in one act, then a rambunctious 8 year old boy in the second act and makes you believe and care for both.

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Christian Borle, Legally Blonde
Aaron Lazar, Les Miserables
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
Orville Mendoza, Adrift in Macao
David Pittu, LoveMusik

I don't even feel qualified enough to guess on this one. Anyone? David Pittu?

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Linda Balgord, The Pirate Queen
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Les Miserables
Debra Monk, Curtains
Orfeh, Legally Blonde
Barbara Walsh, Company
Karen Ziemba, Curtains

Why wasn't The Pirate Queen nominated for Best Musical?! Just joshin'. Ouch. Barbara Walsh for Company; I didn't see it, but that's what I'm going with.

Outstanding Director of a Play
Declan Donnellan, Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage, Frost/Nixon
Doug Hughes, Inherit the Wind
Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia
Ciarán O'Reilly, The Hairy Ape
Tom Ridgely, Marco Millions (based on lies)

Again, is their any doubt? Jack O'Brien navigated the epic waters of The Coast of Utopia, and the critics loved him for it. I really love how fluidly Michael Grandage keeps Frost/Nixon moving, however.

Outstanding Director of a Musical
John Doyle, Company
Thomas Kail, In the Heights
Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde
Harold Prince, LoveMusik
Alex Timbers, Gutenberg! The Musical!

Michael Mayer enthralled me with the whole young, angsty rocker motif he presents and stages so effortlessly in Spring Awakening. Also, a special shout out to Gutenberg!'s Timbers, for making me laugh my ass off.

Outstanding Choreography
Patricia Birch, LoveMusik
Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Matthew Bourne, Edward Scissorhands
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins
Bill T. Jones, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde

Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear for Mary Poopins. Yes, its a typo but I keeping it anyway. I do love how Jerry Mitchell has those Spring Awakening kids headbanging in that "Totally F*cked" number though!

Outstanding Music
John Kander, Curtains
Paul Leschen, Twist: Please, Sir, May I Have Some More?
Peter Melnick, Adrift in Macao
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening

Duncan Sheik, you da man! I like you even more now then when you were on the pop charts. So haunting, so beautiful.

Outstanding Lyrics
Fred Ebb, with additional lyrics by Rupert Holmes and John Kander, Curtains
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde
Steven Sater, Spring Awakening
Bill Strauss, Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton, Capitol Steps
Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

Steven Sater you are a poet, m'man. I love how the lyrics in Spring Awakening are not strictly narrative, instead they delve into the subconcious and the gut.

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Scott Brown and Anthony King, Gutenberg! The Musical!
Julian Fellowes, Mary Poppins
Heather Hach, Legally Blonde
Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone, Curtains
Steven Sater, Spring Awakening
Alfred Uhry, LoveMusik

I want Gutenberg! to win this one, but Alfred Uhry could steal it. Scott Brown and Anthony King are comic geniuses though! A little Anti-Semitic girl? An "Old Black Narrator"? I mean, c'mon, that's hysterical!

Outstanding Music for a Play
Mark Bennett, The Coast of Utopia
Adam Cork, Frost/Nixon
Gerard McBurney, Oliver Twist
The Propeller Company, The Taming of the Shrew
Ray Rizzo, Adam Rapp and Lucas Papaelias, Essential Self-Defense
David Van Tieghem, Inherit the Wind

(Shrug.)

Outstanding Orchestrations
William David Brohn, Curtains
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Company
Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman, In the Heights
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening
Jonathan Tunick, The Apple Tree
Jonathan Tunick, LoveMusik

I love how Duncan Sheik seems to select his instrumentation with so much care for maximum variety and effectiveness.

Outstanding Set Design of a Play
Bob Crowley and Scott Pask, The Coast of Utopia
David Gallo, Radio Golf
David Korins, Essential Self-Defense
David Korins, Jack Goes Boating
Garin Marschall, Hell House
Scott Pask, Blackbird

I loved David Korins's Essential Self-Defense set; it made me want to throw down on the wrestling mat! However, he could be splitting his own vote with a double nomination (the price for being brilliant). David Gallo's Radio Golf set was beautiful as well, but the most interesting part, the dilapadated house surrounding the Pittsburgh campaign headquarters, went unused.

Outstanding Set Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, LoveMusik
Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins
Anna Louizos, Curtains
Anna Louizos, In the Heights
David Rockwell, Legally Blonde
Kris Stone, Brundibar/But the Giraffe

I will always love Beowulf Boritt for his name, and I'm sure his set is spectacular even though I don't know what it looks like. One of the best things Curtains has going for it is its set by Anna Louizos, however.

Outstanding Costume Design
Mara Blumenfeld, Lookingglass
AliceJudith Dolan, LoveMusik
William Ivey Long, Curtains
Santo Loquasto, Suddenly Last Summer
Robert Morgan, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Catherine Zuber, The Coast of Utopia

Hmm...Robert Morgan. He had to costume the Grinch, man! How cool is that?! Catherine Zuber might get it though for having her work cut out for her, coming up with designs for the massive cast of characters in Coast of Utopia.

Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley, LoveMusik
Maruti Evans, Blindness
Paul Gallo, Blackbird
Mark Jonathan, Prometheus Bound
Kenneth Posner, Brian MacDevitt, Natasha Katz, The Coast of Utopia
Japhy Weideman, Jack Goes Boating

I'm going to bet on the 3-headed monster known as KennethPosnerBrianMacDevittNatashaKatx for Coast of Utopia.

Outstanding Sound Design
Acme Sound Partners, In the Heights
Mark Bennett, The Coast of Utopia
Gregory Clarke, Journey's End
Duncan Robert Edwards, LoveMusik
Frank Gaeta, Dai (enough)
Richard Woodbury, Talk Radio

Hello? Talk Radio...? If it doesn't win, there is something terribly wrong in this industry.

Outstanding Solo Performance
Iris Bahr, Dai (enough)
Ed Harris, Wrecks
Capathia Jenkins, (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story
Anna Manahan, Sisters
Vanessa Redgrave, The Year of Magical Thinking
Nilaja Sun, No Child…

I have heard nothing but good things about Nilaja Sun in No Child...
The Year of Magical Thinking is a popular book though, and Vanessa Redgrave seems like a real up-and-comer! (insert irony here)

Unique Theatrical Experience
AbsintheAmajuba: Like Doves We Rise
BeBrundibar/But the Giraffe
Edward Scissorhands
Hell House

Hell House sounds unique and theatrical. I hope they bring it back for Halloween!

What are your picks? Lets start a pool!