The 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards



The 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards winners were announced on Sun 19 May 2013 at an award ceremony hosted by Jan Maxwell and John Lloyd Young at The Town Hall in Manhattan.

The musical Matilda, currently playing an open run at the Shubert Theatre, was the most honored production of the evening, winning a total of five awards, including Outstanding Musical.

Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, playing at Broadway's John Golden Theatre through to 30 Jun 2013, was named Outstanding Play - its only win of the evening.

Pippin, currently playing an open run at the Music Box Theatre, was named Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and won a total of four awards.

The Outstanding Revival of a Play Award was presented to Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (now closed), the show won in one further categorie.

The show that had the biggest disappointment of the evening was Sybille Pearson and Michael John LaChiusa's musical Giant. The musical had been nominated in nine categories, but walked away from the Award ceremony empty handed.


The 2013 Drama Desk Award winnersby category:
Winners are indicated in bold font.

Outstanding Play:

  • Annie Baker: The Flick
  • Christopher Durang: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
  • Joe Gilford: Finks
  • Richard Greenberg: The Assembled Parties
  • Amy Herzog: Belleville
  • Deanna Jent: Falling
  • Richard Nelson: Sorry

Outstanding Musical:

  • A Christmas Story: The Musical
  • Giant
  • Hands on a Hardbody
  • Here Lies Love
  • Matilda
  • Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
  • The Other Josh Cohen

Outstanding Revival of a Play:

  • Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • Golden Boy
  • Good Person of Szechwan
  • The Piano Lesson
  • The Trip to Bountiful
  • Uncle Vanya

Outstanding Revival of a Musical:

  • Passion
  • Pippin
  • Cinderella
  • The Golden Land
  • The Mystery of Edwin Drood
  • Working: A Musical

Outstanding Actor in a Play:

  • Reed Birney: Uncle Vanya
  • Daniel Everidge: Falling
  • Tom Hanks: Lucky Guy
  • Shuler Hensley: The Whale
  • Nathan Lane: The Nance
  • Tracy Letts: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Outstanding Actress in a Play:

  • Maria Dizzia: Belleville
  • Amy Morton: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • Julia Murney: Falling
  • Vanessa Redgrave: The Revisionist
  • Miriam Silverman: Finks
  • Cicely Tyson: The Trip to Bountiful

Outstanding Actor in a Musical:

  • Eric Anderson: Soul Doctor
  • Brian d'Arcy James: Giant
  • Jim Norton: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
  • Billy Porter: Kinky Boots
  • Steve Rosen: The Other Josh Cohen
  • Ryan Silverman: Passion
  • Anthony Warlow: Annie

Outstanding Actress in a Musical:

  • Kate Baldwin: Giant
  • Stephanie J. Block: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
  • Carolee Carmello: Scandalous
  • Lindsay Mendez: Dogfight
  • Donna Murphy: Into the Woods
  • Laura Osnes: Cinderella
  • Jenny Powers: Donnybrook!

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play:

  • Chuck Cooper: The Piano Lesson
  • Peter Friedman: The Great God Pan
  • Richard Kind: The Big Knife
  • Aaron Clifton Moten: The Flick
  • Brían F. O'Byrne: If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet
  • Tony Shalhoub: Golden Boy

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play:

  • Tasha Lawrence: The Whale
  • Judith Light: The Assembled Parties
  • Kellie Overbey: Sleeping Rough
  • Maryann Plunkett: Sorry
  • Condola Rashad: The Trip to Bountiful
  • Laila Robins: Sorry

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical:

  • Stephen Bogardus: Passion
  • John Bolton: A Christmas Story: The Musical
  • Keith Carradine: Hands on a Hardbody
  • Bertie Carvel: Matilda
  • John Dossett: Giant
  • Andy Karl: The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical:

  • Annaleigh Ashford: Kinky Boots
  • Melissa Errico: Passion
  • Andrea Martin: Pippin
  • Jessie Mueller: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
  • Christiane Noll: Chaplin: The Musical
  • Keala Settle: Hands on a Hardbody
  • Kate Wetherhead: The Other Josh Cohen

Outstanding Director of a Play:

  • Lear Debessonet: Good Person of Szechwan
  • Sam Gold: Uncle Vanya
  • Ed Sylvanus Iskandar: Restoration Comedy
  • Pam MacKinnon: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • Lynne Meadow: The Assembled Parties
  • Ruben Santiago-Hudson: The Piano Lesson

Outstanding Director of a Musical:

  • Andy Blankenbuehler: Bring It On: The Musical
  • Rachel Chavkin: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
  • John Doyle: Passion
  • Diane Paulus: Pippin
  • Emma Rice: The Wild Bride
  • Alex Timbers: Here Lies Love
  • Matthew Warchus: Matilda

Outstanding Choreography:

  • Andy Blankenbuehler: Bring It On: The Musical
  • Warren Carlyle: A Christmas Story: The Musical
  • Peter Darling: Matilda
  • Josh Rhodes: Cinderella
  • Sergio Trujillo: Hands on a Hardbody
  • Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider: Pippin

Outstanding Music:

  • Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green: Hands on a Hardbody
  • David Byrne and Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love
  • Michael John LaChiusa: Giant
  • Dave Malloy: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
  • Benj Pasek and Justin Paul: A Christmas Story: The Musical
  • David Rossmer and Steve Rosen: The Other Josh Cohen

Outstanding Lyrics:

  • Amanda Green: Hands on a Hardbody
  • Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda: Bring It On: The Musical
  • Michael John LaChiusa: Giant
  • Dave Malloy: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
  • Tim Minchin: Matilda
  • David Rossmer and Steve Rosen: The Other Josh Cohen

Outstanding Book of a Musical:

  • Dennis Kelly: Matilda
  • Sybille Pearson: Giant
  • Joseph Robinette: A Christmas Story: The Musical
  • David Rossmer and Steve Rosen: The Other Josh Cohen
  • Jeff Whitty: Bring It On: The Musical
  • Doug Wright: Hands on a Hardbody

Outstanding Orchestrations:

  • Trey Anastasio and Don Hart: Hands on a Hardbody
  • Larry Blank: A Christmas Story: The Musical
  • Bruce Coughlin: Giant
  • Larry Hochman: Chaplin: The Musical
  • Steve Margoshes: Soul Doctor
  • Danny Troob: Cinderella

Outstanding Music in a Play

  • César Alvarez with The Lisps: Good Person of Szechwan
  • Jirí Kaderábek, Mahir Cetiz, and Ana Milosavljevic: Act Before You Speak: The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
  • Glen Kelly: The Nance
  • Eugene Ma: The Man Who Laughs
  • Steve Martin: As You Like It
  • Jane Wang: Strange Tales of Liaozhai

Outstanding Revue

  • Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking!
  • Old Hats
  • Old Jews Telling Jokes

Outstanding Set Design:

  • Rob Howell: Matilda
  • Mimi Lien: The Whale
  • Santo Loquasto: The Assembled Parties
  • Anna Louizos: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
  • Michael Yeargan: Golden Boy
  • David Zinn: The Flick

Outstanding Costume Design:

  • Amy Clark and Martin Pakledinaz: Chaplin: The Musical
  • Dominique Lemieux: Pippin
  • William Ivey Long: Cinderella
  • Chris March: The Butt-Cracker Suite! A Trailer Park Ballet
  • Loren Shaw: Restoration Comedy
  • Paloma Young: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Outstanding Lighting Design:

  • Ken Billington: Chaplin: The Musical
  • Jane Cox: Passion
  • Kenneth Posner: Pippin
  • Justin Townsend: Here Lies Love
  • Daniel Winters: The Man Who Laughs
  • Scott Zielinski: A Civil War Christmas

Outstanding Projection Design:

  • Jon Driscoll: Chaplin: The Musical
  • Wendall K. Harrington: Old Hats
  • Peter Nigrini: Here Lies Love
  • Darrel Maloney: Checkers
  • Pedro Pires: Cirque du Soleil: Totem
  • Aaron Rhyne: Wild With Happy

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical:

  • Steve Canyon Kennedy: Hands on a Hardbody
  • Scott Lehrer and Drew Levy: Chaplin: The Musical
  • Tony Meola: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
  • Brian Ronan: Bring It On: The Musical
  • Brian Ronan: Giant
  • Dan Moses Schreier: Passion

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play:

  • Ien DeNio: The Pilo Family Circus
  • Steve Fontaine: Last Man Club
  • Christian Frederickson: Through the Yellow Hour
  • Lindsay Jones: Wild With Happy
  • Mel Mercier: The Testament of Mary
  • Fergus O'Hare: Macbeth

Outstanding Solo Performnce:

  • Joel de la Fuente: Hold These Truths
  • Kathryn Hunter: Kafka's Monkey
  • Bette Midler: I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers
  • Julian Sands: A Celebration of Harold Pinter
  • Holland Taylor: Ann
  • Michael Urie: Buyer & Cellar

Unique Theatrical Experience:

  • Bello Mania
  • Chris March's The Butt-Cracker Suite! A Trailer Park Ballet
  • Cirque Du Soleil: Totem
  • That Play: A Solo Macbeth
  • The Fazzino Ride
  • The Man Who Laughs

The following awards were voted by the nominating committee and will be presented by the Drama Desk at its awards ceremony: Outstanding Ensemble Performances:
Note: Individual cast members for this show were not eligible for acting awards in the competitive categories.

  • Working: A Musical
Special Awards:
Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. For 2012/2013, these awards are presented to:

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF): For a decade of creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form.
Wakka Wakka: For sophisticated puppet theater, as represented by this season's SAGA, that explores with wit, imagination, and insight serious issues of our times.
Jayne HoudyshellM: For her artistry as an exceptionally versatile and distinctive Broadway and Off-Broadway performer.
Samuel D. Hunter: His empathic and indelible The Whale affirms his arrival as a distinguished dramatist who depicts the human condition.
Maruti Evans: The Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award - For his ingenious lighting designs, reflecting an exquisite and bold theatrical aesthetic. This season's The Pilo Family Circus and Tiny Dynamite confirm his incandescent creativity." (Recipient of the Sam Norkin Award receives a $1,000 honorarium, a gift from Mrs. Francie Norkin.)


Awards by show:

Matilda
(5 wins)
OOutstanding Musical
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Outstanding Lyrics
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Outstanding Set Design
 
Pippin
(4 wins)
Outstanding Revival of a Musical or Revue
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Outstanding Choreography
 
Here Lies Love
(3 wins)
Outstanding Music
Outstanding Lighting Design
Outstanding Projection Design
 
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
(2 wins)
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Outstanding Actor in a Play
 
The Assembled Parties
(1 win)
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
 
The Big Knife
(1 win)
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
 
Buyer & Cellar
(1 win)
Outstanding Solo Performance
 
Chaplin: The Musical
(1 win)
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (a three-way tie)
 
Cirque Du Soleil: Totem
(1 win)
Unique Theatrical Experience
 
Hands on a Hardbody
(1 win)
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (a three-way tie)
 
Kinky Boots
(1 win)
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
 
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
(1 win)
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (a three-way tie)
 
The Nance
(1 win)
Outstanding Music in a Play
 
Old Hats
(1 win)
Outstanding Revue
 
The Testament of Mary
(1 win)
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
 
The Trip to Bountiful
(1 win)
Outstanding Actress in a Play
 
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
(1 win)
Outstanding Play
Outstanding MusicalOutstanding PlayOutstanding Revival of a MusicalOutstanding Revival of a PlayMatilda (5 wins)OOutstanding Musical Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Outstanding Lyrics Outstanding Book of a Musical Outstanding Set Design Pippin (4 wins)Outstanding Revival of a Musical or Revue Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Outstanding Director of a Musical Outstanding Choreography Here Lies Love (3 wins)Outstanding Music Outstanding Lighting Design Outstanding Projection Design Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2 wins)Outstanding Revival of a Play Outstanding Actor in a Play The Assembled Parties (1 win)Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play The Big Knife (1 win)Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Buyer & Cellar (1 win)Outstanding Solo Performance Chaplin: The Musical (1 win)Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (a three-way tie) Cirque Du Soleil: Totem (1 win)Unique Theatrical Experience Hands on a Hardbody (1 win)Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (a three-way tie) Kinky Boots (1 win)Outstanding Actor in a Musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1 win)Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (a three-way tie) The Nance (1 win)Outstanding Music in a Play Old Hats (1 win)Outstanding Revue The Testament of Mary (1 win)Outstanding Sound Design in a Play The Trip to Bountiful (1 win)Outstanding Actress in a Play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (1 win)Outstanding Play

Originally published on

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