Drama League nominations: Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth to announce


The Drama League has announced that "Cheers" and "Frasier" stars Kelsey Grammer (La Cage aux Folles) and Bebe Neuwirth (The Addams Family) will reunite to announce the nominations for The 76th Annual Drama League Awards on 20 Apr 2010 at an 11am press conference at Sardi's Restaurant in midtown Manhattan.

This spring, Kelsey Grammer returns to Broadway as 'Georges' in the revival of 'La Cage aux Folles,' opening 18 Apr 2010 at the Longacre Theatre on West 48th Street. Two blocks south, Bebe Neuwirth stars as 'Morticia Addams' in the new musical 'The Addams Family,' now in previews in advance of an 8 Apr 2010 opening at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

As previously announced, The 76th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon is set for 21 May, 2010 in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square (1535 Broadway at 46th St.). The event begins at noon. As previously announced Vanessa Williams (Sondheim on Sondheim) and her "Ugly Betty" co-star Michael Urie (The Temperamentals) will serve as co-hosts.

In addition to The Distinguished Performance Award, The Drama League's 3,000 members vote on four other annual competitive awards: Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play and Distinguished Revival of a Musical.

Last season, Drama League Awards were presented to Geoffrey Rush (Distinguished Pe/rformance), God of Carnage (Distinguished Production of a Play), Billy Elliot (Distinguished Production of .[a Musical), Blithe Spirit (Distinguished Revival of a Play) and Hair (Distinguished Revival of a Musical).

The first Drama League Award was presented to actress Katharine Cornell in 1935, making it the oldest national theatre honor, predating the Tony Awards by twelve years, as well as the first audience-selected award for distinguished performance in a theatrical production.

Throughout the past 75 years, the Distinguished Performance Award has been accorded to a roster of theatre legends such as Rosemary Harris, Christopher Plummer, Sir Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones, John Lithgow, Stockard Channing, Glenn Close, Bebe Neuwirth, Cherry Jones, Mary-Louise Parker, Liam Neeson, Harvey Fierstein, Norbert Leo Butz, Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone, among others.

The Drama League was founded in 1916 as an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to encouraging the finest in professional theatre and has since then developed into the theatre's premiere service organization.

Kelsey GrammerBebe Neuwirth

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