Broadway

The Drama Desk has announced the winners of the 67th annual Drama Desk Awards, recognizing excellence in Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-offBroadway productions during the 2022-23 season. The Drama Desk Awards ceremony, co-hosted by Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody, will take place on June 6 at Sardi’s Restaurant in New York City. 

This year, all performance categories are gender-free and award two winners. A group of journalists, editors, and publishers covering theatre vote on the nominations put forth by a nominating committee. Top winners include *[Some Like It Hot](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets)* with eight wins and *[Life of Pi](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26712-life-of-pi-tickets)* with four. 

In addition to the competitive awards, the Drama Desk bestowed the Harold Prince Lifetime Achievement Award to Stephen McKinley Henderson, the Ensemble Award to the cast of Soho Rep’s Public Obscenities, and the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award to Ryan J. Haddad, for his writing and performing in *Dark Disabled Stories* and *american (tele)visions.*

Read the full list of 2023 Drama Desk Award winners and nominees below. The winners are denoted with an asterisk.

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__Outstanding Play__
- *A Case for the Existence of God*, by Samuel D. Hunter
- *[Fat Ham](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets)*, by James Ijames
- *[Leopoldstadt](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26003-leopoldstadt-tickets)* by Tom Stoppard *
- *Love* by Alexander Zeldin
- *[Prima Facie](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25983-prima-facie-tickets)* by Suzie Miller
- *Wish You Were Here* by Sanaz Toossi

__Outstanding Musical__
- *[& Juliet](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets)*
- *Between the Lines*
- *F*ck7thGrade*
- *[Shucked](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets)*
- *Some Like It Hot* *
- *White Girl in Danger*

__Outstanding Revival of a Play__
- *A Raisin in the Sun*
- *Death of a Salesman*
- *Endgame*
- *The Piano Lesson* *
- *Ohio State Murders*
- *Wedding Band*

__Outstanding Revival of a Musical__
- *A Man of No Importance*
- *Into the Woods*
- *Merrily We Roll Along*
- *[Parade](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26500-parade)*
- *[Sweeney Todd](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets)*

__Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play__
- Hiran Abeysekera: *Life of Pi*
- Kyle Beltran: *A Case for the Existence of God*
- Will Brill: *A Case for the Existence of God*
- Brittany Bradford: *Wedding Band*
- Jessica Chastain: *[A Doll’s House](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26989-a-dolls-house-tickets)* *
- Sharon D. Clarke: *Death of a Salesman*
- Sean Hayes: *Good Night, Oscar* *
- Denise Manning: *Amani*
- Audra McDonald: *Ohio State Murders*
- Wendell Pierce: *Death of a Salesman*
- John Douglas Thompson: *Endgame*
- Kara Young: *Twelfth Night*

__Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical__
- Annaleigh Ashford: *Sweeney Todd* *
- Nicholas Barasch: *The Butcher Boy*
- Sara Bareilles: *Into the Woods*
- Andrew Burnap: *Camelot*
- Micaela Diamond: *Parade*
- Andrew Durand: *Shucked*
- Callum Francis: *Kinky Boots*
- J. Harrison Ghee: *Some Like It Hot* *
- Jonathan Groff: *Merrily We Roll Along*
- Somi Kakoma: *Dreaming Zenzile*
- Lindsay Mendez: *Merrily We Roll Along*
- Anna Uzele: *New York, New York*

__Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play__
- Emily Bergl: *Good Night, Oscar*
- Danielle Brooks: *The Piano Lesson*
- Amelda Brown: *Love* 
- Ray Fisher: *The Piano Lesson*
- K. Todd Freeman: *Downstate* 
- Francis Guinan: *Downstate* 
- Nick Holder: *Love* 
- Arian Moayed: *A Doll’s House*
- Brian Quijada: *Wolf Play* 
- Miriam Silverman: *The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window* *
- Brandon Uranowitz: *Leopoldstadt* *
- Kara Young: *Cost of Living*

__Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical__
- Kevin Cahoon: *Shucked*
- Kevin Del Aguila: *Some Like It Hot* *
- Robyn Hurder: *[A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24254-a-beautiful-noise-tickets)*
- Mark Jacoby: *A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical*
- Tarra Conner Jones: *White Girl in Danger* 
- [Julia Lester](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/julia-lester-on-growing-up-with-into-the-woods): *Into the Woods*
- Alex Newell: *Shucked* *
- Daniel Radcliffe: *Merrily We Roll Along* 
- Phillipa Soo: *Into the Woods*
- Mare Winningham: *A Man of No Importance* 

__Outstanding Direction of a Play__
- Zi Alikhan: *On That Day in Amsterdam* 
- Shayok Misha Chowdhury: *Public Obscenities* 
- Miranda Cromwell: *Death of a Salesman*
- Adam Meggido: *[Peter Pan Goes Wrong](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27336-peter-pan-goes-wrong-tickets)*
- Max Webster: *Life of Pi* *
- Alexander Zeldin: *Love* 

__Outstanding Direction of a Musical__
- Jeff Calhoun: *Between the Lines*
- John Doyle: *A Man of No Importance* 
- Maria Friedman: *Merrily We Roll Along* 
- Thomas Kail: *Sweeney Todd* *
- Jack O’Brien: *Shucked*

__Outstanding Choreography__
- Andy Blankenbuehler: *Only Gold* 
- Tislarm Bouie: *the bandaged place*
- Edgar Godineaux: *The Harder They Come* 
- Casey Nicholaw: *Some Like It Hot* *
- Susan Stroman: *[New York, New York](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets)*
- [Jennifer Weber](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/choreographer-jennifer-weber-proves-her-versatility-on-broadway): *KPOP*

__Outstanding Music__
- Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally: *Shucked* *
- Michael R. Jackson: *White Girl in Danger*
- Tom Kitt and AnnMarie Milazzo (vocal designer): *Almost Famous*
- Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson: *Between the Lines*
- The Kilbanes: *Weightless*

__Outstanding Lyrics__
- Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally: *Shucked*
- Jonathan Hogue: *Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical*
- Michael R. Jackson: *White Girl in Danger*
- Adam Schlesinger and Sarah Silverman: *The Bedwetter*
- Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman: *Some Like It Hot* *

__Outstanding Book of a Musical__
- Jonathan Hogue: *Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical*
- Robert Horn: *Shucked*
- Matthew López and Amber Ruffin: *Some Like It Hot* *
- Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli, and Tye Blue: *Titanique*
- David West Read: *& Juliet*

__Outstanding Orchestrations__
- Bruce Coughlin: *A Man of No Importance* 
- Jason Howland: *Shucked*
- Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter: *Some Like It Hot* *
- Kenny Seymour: *The Harder They Come*
- Daryl Waters and Sam Davis: *New York, New York*

__Outstanding Music in a Play__
- Ben Edelman, Zane Pais, and Sinan Refik Zafar: *Letters from Max, a ritual*
- Mauricio Escamilla: *the bandaged place*
- Suzan-Lori Parks: *Plays for the Plague Year* *
- Ian Ross: *Wuthering Heights* 
- Daniel Schlosberg: *Montag*

__Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play__
- Jason Ardizzone-West: *Wedding Band*
- Beowulf Boritt: *Ohio State Murders*
- dots: *Public Obscenities*
- Tim Hatley: *Life of Pi* *
- Natasha Jenkins: *Love*
- John McDermott: *Chains*

__Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical__
- Beowulf Boritt: *New York, New York* *
- David Korins: *Only Gold*
- Scott Pask: *Shucked*
- Walt Spangler and Brendan McCann (production props): *Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical*
- Michael Yeargan: *[Camelot](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25210-camelot-tickets)*

__Outstanding Costume Design of a Play__
- Kara Branch: *According to the Chorus*
- Enver Chakartash: *Public Obscenities*
- Qween Jean: *Wedding Band*
- Sarah Laux: *Wish You Were Here*
- Emilio Sosa: *Ain’t No Mo’* *
- Roberto Surace: *Peter Pan Goes Wrong*

__Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical__
- [Gregg Barnes](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/costume-designer-gregg-barnes-on-fashioning-the-1930s-in-some-like-it-hot): *Some Like It Hot* *
- Tilly Grimes: *Shucked*
- Jennifer Moeller: *Camelot*
- Clint Ramos and Sophia Choi: *KPOP*
- Anita Yavich: *Only Gold*
- Donna Zakowska: *New York, New York*

__Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play__
- Isabella Byrd: *Epiphany*
- Jiyoun Chang: *The Far Country*
- Natasha Chivers and Willie Williams (video): *Prima Facie* *
- Allen Lee Hughes: *Ohio State Murders*
- Cha See: *On That Day in Amsterdam*
- Japhy Weideman: *The Piano Lesson*

__Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical__
- Ken Billington: *New York, New York*
- Jeff Croiter: *Only Gold*
- Heather Gilbert: *Parade*
- David Grill: *Bob Fosse’s Dancin’*
- Natasha Katz: *Sweeney Todd* *

__Outstanding Projection and Video Design__
- Simon Baker: *Wuthering Heights*
- Andrzej Goulding: *Life of Pi* *
- Caite Hevner: *Between the Lines*
- Josh Higgason: *White Girl in Danger*
- Nicholas Hussong: *On That Day in Amsterdam*
- Johnny Moreno: *Public Obscenities*

__Outstanding Sound Design of a Play__
- Justin Ellington: *Ohio State Murders*
- Tom Gibbons: *Hamlet*
- Josh Anio Grigg: *Love*
- Lee Kinney and Daniel Kluger: *You Will Get Sick*
- Ben & Max Ringham: *A Doll’s House* *
- Mikaal Sulaiman: *Fat Ham* 

__Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical__
- Peter Hylenski: *Almost Famous*
- Scott Lehrer and Alex Neumann: *Into the Woods* *
- John Shiver: *Shucked* *
- Joanna Lynne Staub: *Weightless*
- Jon Weston: *Parade* 

__Outstanding Wig and Hair__
- Campbell Young Associates: *Almost Famous*
- Cookie Jordan: *The Piano Lesson*
- Mia M. Neal: *Ain’t No Mo’* *
- Earon Nealey: *Twelfth Night*
- Mitsuteru Okuyama: *Chushingura 47 Ronin*
- Luc Verschueren: *A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical*

__Outstanding Solo Performance__
- Jodie Comer: *Prima Facie* *
- David Greenspan: *Four Saints in Three Acts*
- Jessica Hendy: *Walking With Bubbles*
- Anthony Rapp: *Without You*
- Tracy Thorne: *Jack Was Kind*

__Unique Theatrical Experience__
- *Asi Wind’s Inner Circle*
- *Peter Pan Goes Wrong* *
- *Plays for the Plague Year*
- *Zephyr*

__Outstanding Fight Choreography__
- B.H. Barry: *Camelot* *
- Rocio Mendez: *Día Y Noche*
- Rocio Mendez: *How to Defend Yourself*
- Unkledave’s Fight-House: *soft*

__Outstanding Adaptation__
- *A Doll’s House* by Amy Herzog *
- *Arden of Faversham* by Jeffrey Hatcher and Kathryn Walat
- *black odyssey* by Marcus Gardley
- *Oresteia* by Robert Icke
- *Wuthering Heights* by Emma Rice

__Outstanding Puppetry__
- John Leader: *Wuthering Heights*
- James Ortiz (design), Kennedy Kanagawa (as Milky White): *Into the Woods*
- Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell: *Life of Pi* *
- Kirjan Waage: *The Immortal Jellyfish Girl*


2023 Drama Desk Award Winners announced

Life of Pi - 1

LIFE OF PI - Hiran Abeysekera, Richard Parker (Fred Davis, Scarlet Wildeernik, Andrew Wilson) - by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made

*Some Like It Hot* and *Life of Pi* are the top winners of the 67th annual Drama Desk Awards.

Don’t just brush up on your Shakespeare – shake it up! 

Two writers earned Tony Award nominations this season for tapping into the Bard’s classic plays in innovative ways. Though their works are worlds apart, there’s a common thread: Both consider the impact of choosing life over death. 

Emmy-winning *Schitt's Creek* writer David West Read, who’s now up for Best Book of a Musical for [*& Juliet*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets), began with *Romeo & Juliet* and a “what if.” He imagined a story in which the lovestruck heroine doesn’t kill herself, weaving the narrative together with hits from the pop catalog of songwriter Max Martin. 

The show is accessible to Shakespeare nerds, pop music aficionados, and everyone in between, he said. “The different generations seem to be coming together.”

James Ijames, a playwright, director, and professor whose 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner [*Fat Ham*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets) is up for Best Play, put his stamp on *Hamlet*. “My starting point was always *Hamlet*,” said Ijames. “I always had a really beautiful relationship with *Hamlet*. I did an abbreviated, student-directed version of it in college.”

He played the title character. “I don’t think I was very good, but I had a good time,” Ijames said. “I learned a lot, and I just really was taken by the play. It just has always stayed with me.” 

*Fat Ham* is set at a Black family's Southern backyard barbecue where a young man, Juicy, questions his life along with his father’s death and his mother’s hasty remarriage. That may sound familiar. But along with ghosts, notions rise about race, queerness, and identity. The riff on the classic play coaxes out fresh contemporary food for thought – and that’s the point. 

“As a writer, I’m really interested in how we can disrupt the idea of the canon,” Ijames said, adding that he’s keen to offer “a wider group of people access to these stories that we consider the stories of our culture.” Now that he's served up *Hamlet*, his next project is a loose adaptation of *Othello*.

![2 & juliet-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4uRxS4JCAwq28qRsfLQYse/a3e7a49d37437ce5ce8b0c37b59d75ed/2___juliet-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

Read was likewise interested in mining fresh insights. When he started writing the book for *& Juliet*seven years ago, he received a list of Martin's songs, like “Oops … I Did It Again” and “Since U Been Gone.” 

“I needed some sort of brand to unite all of these songs from so many different artists,” he said. “So much of Max’s music is about young love and heartache that *Romeo & Juliet*, the ultimate symbol of heartbreak, came to me. If we were going to reinvent Max’s music, it also felt like an opportunity to reinvent that story for the modern context.”

In a nutshell, Juliet puts down the dagger and lives. “When Juliet didn’t kill herself and instead went looking for love again, the story expanded,” said Read. “I thought of it as an opportunity to explore second chances. There are these different love stories within the story.” That includes one between Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, whose story evolves as Juliet’s. 

“There have been so many adaptations and reimaginings of the play before *& Juliet*,” Read said. “It’s a challenge to try and find a fresh way in and something that feels personal and allows you to find yourself in that story.”

![fat ham broadway-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4ZhzLE1qhWKeFBZZ7t9Zqz/8f9e84ed08ca74fc9b67eb731d1738fd/fat_ham_broadway-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

Ijames is interested in works that simultaneously speak specifically and broadly. “I want everybody to feel like they have access to what I’m talking about,” he added. “At the same time, I don't want to feel like I have to explain Black culture or queer culture to people who are not inside it. When I sit down to watch ‘The Scottish Play’ [*Macbeth*], I’m not Scottish. But the assumption is that I’ll catch up and understand and be okay. And that’s true.” 

Read pointed out that the structure of *& Juliet* “is very Shakespearean, including the asides and the misunderstandings and the multiple weddings at the end," he said. “There’s dialogue that I’ve stolen, repurposed, and flipped, and a lot of puns.”

When it comes to the source material, Ijames “was always game to change it all up,” he said. Suffice it to say that *Hamlet*'s “everyone dies” ending just doesn’t apply. 

“I read and watched the play for about a year before I even started working on it,” Ijames said. “The stuff that kept flowing back up to the surface, that’s the stuff that stayed.” That includes the complicated relationship between Hamlet and his mother, Gertrude – in this case, Juicy and Tedra.

“When it came to the madness of Ophelia and the hotheadedness of Laertes, I wanted that to stay,” said Ijames, “but I didn’t want the surrogates of those characters [Opal and Larry] to have those attributes. So I flipped them. That’s how I approached this – how do I make this feel vital and specific and exciting?” 

But Ijames also did his share of direct borrowing. Of course, someone says, “Ah, there’s the rub.” The play’s setting is a barbecue, after all.

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*Photo credit: & Juliet and Fat Ham on Broadway. (Photos by Matthew Murphy and Marc J. Franklin)*

How the authors of '& Juliet' and 'Fat Ham' shook up Shakespeare classics

shakespeare shows-1200x600-NYTG

*& Juliet* bookwriter David West Read and *Fat Ham* playwright James Ijames are both 2023 Tony Award nominees for their fresh adaptations of classic stories.

They're finally a part of it — the ranks of Tony Award nominees, that is. The world-premiere musical [*New York, New York*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets) burst onto Broadway in March with [Kander and Ebb and Lin-Manuel Miranda songs](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/all-the-songs-in-new-york-new-york-on-broadway), explosive energy, and a whole lot of NYC love, much of which comes from new talent, new talent. Or at least newly recognized.

Nominees Colton Ryan (Best Actor in a Musical), Sharon Washington (Best Book of a Musical) and Donna Zakowska (Best Costume Design of a Musical) have all been in the entertainment industry for years, but this is their first time in the Tonys race. They account for three of the show's nine total nominations, which also include Best Musical.

Washington's story, co-written with three-time nominee David Thompson, is [set in 1946 New York](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/how-the-new-york-new-york-designers-recreated-the-city-on-stage), where jazz musician Jimmy Doyle (Ryan) and Francine Evans (Anna Uzele) brought together by the "major chord," as Jimmy describes it, of music, money, and love. The struggles of lots of young artists to make it in the post-World War II city are also interwoven into this bustling world.

"We wanted to truly capture the tapestry that makes the city what it is," Washingston said. "You may only experience snippets of other stories, but that's very New York. Snatches of conversations overheard on a subway, or in the park, or through an open window, or on a fire escape. Pieces of lives that sometimes connect and sometimes don't. And of course the city itself is a character."

Tony nominations may be new to Ryan, Washington, and Zakowska, but the city's unmatched energy is something the trio, being longtime New Yorkers, know well.

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## Celebrating home

It's safe to say all three first-time nominees see themselves in the characters of *New York, New York*. They, too, were once aspiring artists with big dreams. Zakowska grew up in Brooklyn, and she said her current motto is the same as her younger self's back then: "Ultimately work as hard as you can, when you can, and relentlessly pursue your goal."

Washington's roots are in Manhattan — "a member of my family has lived on the island of Manhattan since 1835," she said. "Most every character has some aspect of myself - a story I'd either heard or experienced growing up in the city. Parts of my personality as a born and bred New York City native - the tenacity, the drive, the sarcasm, the vulnerability, the openness to possibility."

She infused not just herself, but her whole community into the characters she wrote, too. "Being able to tell some of the stories I heard and showcase characters I knew growing up: my father, my mother, uncles and aunts, friends and neighbors; the unseen and unheralded workers that help make New York the greatest city in the world was important to me."

That's precisely what sets *New York, New York* apart: Some touristy landmarks make appearances, but the most affecting moments happen in less showy settings. Construction workers tap on a sky-high beam; restaurant workers share their ambitions in the kitchen; a grieving teacher connects with her student on her apartment stoop. Washington was glad to be recognized for shedding light on the thriving, diverse New York that exists beyond postcard pictures.

"It's the New York I know and love," she said. Of her own NYC community, she said. "They were here. They're still here. It's personal to me. And I hope therefore, universal."

Ryan, in contrast, grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, but he's been in New York since 2016, when he had his break as an understudy in *Dear Evan Hansen*. Like his character, he's learned a thing or two from experience in that time about the difficulty of "making it there" — and how rewarding the payoff is.

"[*New York, New York*] shares the same philosophy that I have about why I would ever choose to do something as outlandish as live in New York City and pursue this lifestyle," Ryan said. "It’s just like a Kander and Ebb song: it’s downtrodden and melancholic, but it chugs along anyway. And to me, my god, if that ain’t show business.

"I love this place, this life," he continued. "It is where I’ve achieved my wildest dreams and yet has broken my heart ten ways to Sunday. But I couldn’t fathom living anywhere else or living any other way. This city has been the culmination of so much love in my life. And I’m thankful I can scream my love for this place eight times a week."

![ny ny review-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1hwx1JWG0p3kWX5aZCkem0/1f6dd4a817a987b412391ff26052c12a/ny_ny_review-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## Learning new tricks

Living in New York requires its own set of skills: reading a subway map, navigating the non-numbered streets, confidently rattling off your deli order. Similarly, being in *New York, New York* required its first-time nominees to pick up new tricks.

Ryan, for one, had to learn multiple instruments to play Jimmy, who breaks out half a dozen during the song "I Love Music" alone. "I had to learn so many new skills for this (how to tap, to play the sax, the piano), and I didn’t think it in my nature to be so brazen about it all: that I would willingly do all these firsts on the biggest stage for a very discerning crowd," Ryan confessed. "But I’m thankful I taught my hands how to make [Jimmy] come alive."

Washington called her process a "learning mountain" as opposed to a mere "learning curve." She began her career more than 30 years ago as an actor and has since written a few plays, but *New York, New York* is her first Broadway book. The lessons she learned from this experience aren't tangible  like sax playing, but they're no less valuable.

"What I've learned is tenacity and problem solving. I've learned to be open and flexible and not to second-guess myself. I've learned to work quickly. I've learned you have to do your homework and then be prepared to let it go," she said. "I've learned there is no ownership of ideas in a collaboration. Don't be precious. There are multiple ways to solve a problem.

"I've learned the absolute necessity of making a safe space for all involved to be free to bring their best selves and ideas. I've learned that you've got to laugh. I've learned, to quote John Kander, 'There's nothing better than making art with your friends.'"

![ny ny 2-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/76uUS8WipVTT9QVHVh4amf/1bea349f9046dbe852c66037faa9e88d/ny_ny_2-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## Reaching milestones

A first Tony Award nomination is a milestone no matter what, but Zakowska and Washington share the joy of finally being recognized after decades of hard work.

"I have designed over 25 theatre pieces, often with extremely small budgets," Zakowska said. "I have always believed in the importance of theatre and considered my participation in it a very meaningful. This nomination is a culmination of the many moments I have spent passionately supporting its existence."

Zakowska has worked more extensively in TV than Broadway, though, so she already has other awards to her name — her costume designs for *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel* earned her an Emmy. But this nomination is a first for any major award for Washington.

"I've been a working actor for 35 years but only became a produced playwright seven years ago," she said. "Longevity in this business is difficult. Particularly for women 'of a certain age' and women of color. It's getting better as more and more of us are behind the scenes writing, producing and directing. We are in rooms where we can make sure that our stories and our voices are heard and centered."

Ryan's nomination is a different kind of special, and the 27-year-old actor is "so glad it happened now and not a moment sooner."

"It’s so much sweeter because you are the person you always wanted to be, outside of all this," he said. "My life will be inevitably filled with more art because of it, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted."

Plus, like Washington, the support of his family and community in part led him to his nomination. "The thing that has lingered with me the most was my mother’s face [when I got nominated]... As many parents know, it’s very costly to have your children surrounded in art. But no matter what, it was never a question in my mother’s mind: She was going to make it all work. And if this nomination is any sort of validation, I hope it is for her. It was worth it, Mom."

![ny ny new-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4QFC3qu9AzpJFmA6AwiaxB/90aa96b8277f804c4b8e77ed17bd0b83/ny_ny_new-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## Sharing the love

In "difficult, divisive times," Washington said, she sees her show as a way to unite everyone on stage and off. No matter what one's background is, *New York, New York* professes, everyone's connected simply because they're here. 

"The New York I grew up in was a city of neighborhoods - separate yet somehow intertwined and codependent," Washington said. "There's a line in the show that's a direct quote from John Kander about New York being the "greatest social experiment ever." My hope is that our show celebrates not what separates us, but what brings us together."

That's best exemplified at the show's very end, when the company sings the iconic title song. After the bows, the audience gets to join in.

"We finally turn the mic around and let them sing the song that lives in their bones, that lets them know the wedding’s over, that celebrates the ballgame win or loss," Ryan said. "I can see how much unbridled pride it brings them. This city means so much to so many, way beyond just its inhabitants. And after a few years of being told that this city would never be again what it once was, it’s so brilliant to turn that mic around and hear 1,700 people sing its anthem in defiant harmony."

Get [*New York, New York* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: New York, New York on Broadway. (Photos by Paul Kolnik)*

'New York, New York' first-time Tony nominees on celebrating the city they love

ny ny 1200x600-NYTG

New York, New York on Broadway - NYC

New York, New York on Broadway

Actor Colton Ryan, bookwriter Sharon Washington, and costume designer Donna Zakowska share their connections to the city and the joy of sharing them with audiences.

The new musical [*Kimberly Akimbo*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25458-kimberly-akimbo-tickets) has been decades in the making — well, sort of. David Lindsay-Abaire’s same-named play *Kimberly Akimbo* premiered with Manhattan Theatre Club in 2003, and his musicalized version premiered with Atlantic Theater Company in 2021 before quickly transferring to Broadway the following year.

Now a contender for the Tony Award for Best New Musical, *Kimberly Akimbo* follows Kimberly Levaco, a 16-year-old teen in New Jersey with a rare disease that causes her to age four times the average rate. Kimberly looks like she’s 70something, and she’s got resentful parents, a scheming aunt, and an expected short lifespan.

Despite it all, she has a verve for life, brimming with the hopes and dreams of teenhood while ice skating and chasing friendships and crushes. As it made its way uptown, the quirky tuner, with a book and lyrics by Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, found its sound and its heart. (And [seven more Tony nominations](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/2023-tony-award-nominees-announced).)

At a live recording for SiriusXM in New York City, the cast of *Kimberly Akimbo* shared their journeys with the lauded show. Victoria Clark, a Tony nominee for playing the title Kimberly, first learned of the musical project before the pandemic.

“*Kimberly Akimbo* has been in my life for more than three years,” said Clark. “I've been living with [Kimberly] and trying to get to know her all this time… I've been living with the script and the music for a long time.”

Justin Cooley, who stars as the big-hearted, tuba-playing Seth, joined the musical project fresh out of high school after being a fan of Tesori’s for years. “I didn't feel super prepared, and I didn't know if I could make it happen, but I knew I had to take the chance,” said Cooley, who also earned a Tony nomination for his performance.

Olivia Elease Hardy and Nina White, who portray members of the high school show choir, were classmates at Michigan State University. When Hardy got a callback for *Kimberly Akimbo*, she reached out to her fellow graduates in New York City to see if anyone had an open couch.

White, who had been a New York resident all but two days, offered up her futon. Hardy was tight-lipped about the project, but little did she know, White was also called back, and the two performed sides together at the audition. “It’s been so nice to have one of my closest friends beside me for this ride,” said Hardy.

When Lindsay-Abaire’s play premiered at MTC, Clark was in *The Light in the Piazza* and missed the production. “It starred the iconic Marylouise Burke, who is about as different a Kimberly as you can find on planet Earth from moi — she’s brilliant,” said Clark with a laugh.

However, being part of its second go-around has been a real gift. “David and Jeanine talk about how they feel adapting this from a play to a musical has made the whole piece deeper and more beautiful in some ways,” Clark added.

Bonnie Milligan, who stars as Kimberly’s jailbird Aunt Deb, shared that the process of transferring the show uptown honed it further. “One of the things that the team really focused on in moving from off Broadway to Broadway was deepening the work,” said Milligan, who is nominated for her performance. “They made it more intimate and beautiful.”

Character-wise, the adults got a revamp. “This round really deepened the adults in her life because we're a little bit dysfunctional,” said Milligan with a laugh. The creative team aimed to make the adult characters as real as possible, despite the show’s absurd situations. The dichotomy leaves “audiences laughing and also feeling all the feelings,” said Milligan.

The heartfelt music really drives the musical’s emotional narrative. Tesori worked closely with the cast to develop musical throughlines and hone in on the storytelling. At Atlantic Theater Company, one run-through focused solely on transitions, so Tesori could identify which characters to highlight musically from scene to scene. “She is, I think, one of our greatest living composers. She's a genius,” effused Milligan.

Cooley added, “She really helps not only build the world but also our characters.” An electric guitar riff in Cooley’s solo number “Good Kid” unlocks an edgier side to his goody-two-shoes character. “It shows a different side, and she gives you so many different things to think about as you're building your own character… She composes in the style of the character; she's the heartbeat of the person.” Indeed, the score ranges from bouncy ukulele tunes to rollicking belts.

The process of building up the characters and the songs for the Broadway run was incredibly collaborative. Milligan workshopped her show-stopping number “Better” with Tesori in the basement of Atlantic Theater Company. Together, the pair zeroed in on the character’s tactics in the song. “That was one of the best times in my entire life — having Jeanine Tesori say, ‘Can I build something on you?’ Absolutely, ma'am!”

Even after its yearslong journey to the [Booth Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/booth-theatre), the close-knit cast still lines up in the wings to watch certain scenes night after night, a testament to the musical’s magic and staying power. For his part, Cooley enjoys watching the show choir’s singing entrance. “It’s complex and dynamic every night — they all have something different going on, and it is so awesome,” said Cooley.

Get [*Kimberly Akimbo*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25458-kimberly-akimbo-tickets) tickets now.

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*Photo credit: The cast of Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)*

The cast of 'Kimberly Akimbo' on how the story got better with age

kimberly akimbo-1200x600-NYTG 5

Children under 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway - NYC

Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway

The cast of *Kimberly Akimbo* shared their journeys with the show and how the play-turned-musical transformed from its Off-Broadway premiere to Broadway.

A Broadway designer's challenge is to immerse audiences in another place and time, conjuring it well enough that they feel a part of it even if they've never been. For the team behind [*Leopoldstadt*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26003-leopoldstadt-tickets), a 2023 Best Play nominee by Tom Stoppard, that's a loaded task.

On the one hand, *Leopoldstadt* is a lively drama about an extended Jewish family in 20th-century Austria, and its success comes from the fact that "we're invited into the Merz-Jacobowitzes' commonplace gatherings, debates, trysts, squabbles, and playtimes as though we, too, are kin," as [New York Theatre Guide's critic observed](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/leopoldstadt-broadway-review-tom-stoppard). Tony-nominated designers Richard Hudson (set), Brigitte Reiffenstuel (costumes), and Neil Austin (lighting) are integral to achieving that effect, sparing no detail on the well-to-do family's warmly lit, inviting manor with clothing to match.

On the other hand, the play quickly darkens as it inches ever closer to World War II, and Jewish Austria soon becomes the last place any audience member would want to be. But that feeling is also key to *Leopoldstadt*'s emotional heft. The design follows suit, with the house gradually deteriorating, the clothing getting simpler, and the warm lighting subtly becoming starkly cool.

The designers first undertook this task in 2020 when they mounted the world premiere of *Leopoldstadt* in London. "The production for Broadway was created from scratch, based on the London design," said Reiffenstuel. "We had the opportunity to sharpen the design and heighten some design ideas."

They made some of these changes out of necessity — the lighting equipment Austin used in London, for example, was no longer available by the time of the 2022 Broadway transfer. But the shift to new technology ended up deepening the storytelling. "The final act of the play is really enhanced by the ability of the [new] LED rig to produce strong cold blues," Austin noted, as the chilling light sets a melancholy, empty mood.

"Hopefully, [my lighting] supports the actors and Tom's story invisibly — subtly steering the audience’s focus and emotions to create a seamless whole of storytelling narrative," he continued.

![2 leopoldstadt-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/xRyCjmpDUeiKnh86mS1fh/21f4fd224d860b73f7d242e94e3dcbb5/2_leopoldstadt-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

Other tweaks were made with the audience in mind — Hudson amended his sets to better "facilitate quick, seamless scene changes," as *Leopoldstadt* has no intermission. On the costuming end, Reiffenstuel recognized that the play's dozens of characters are difficult to keep straight. That's partly intentional on Stoppard's part — a major theme of the play is how people and memories fade away in history — but the Broadway transfer allowed her to clarify things.

"[Director] Patrick Marber and I decided to color-code some of the characters’ clothing to make it easier for the audience to follow the character through the ages," she said. Rosa is in blue in 1899, in 1924, and in 1955. Sally is in brown in 1899, 1924, and 1938, and so on. We enhanced this idea in New York."

Their efforts have clearly succeeded. *Leopoldstadt* extended on Broadway multiple times (now through July 2) and has six total Tony nominations.

"I think the play has landed with so much more resonance on Broadway," said Austin. "That’s partly because we’ve had time to adapt and tweak the production, but it’s also undoubtedly the understanding and innate affinity the New York audience[s] have to the story."

It's unfortunate, of course, that this understanding is due to the wide-reaching effects of the Holocaust. But though the play is tragic, its reception in both the U.K. and the U.S. has made working on it a positive experience, reminding the designers — and audiences — of the unifying power of theatre. As Reiffenstuel said, "Art is a global language that communicates and connects us."

"Broadway and West End audiences for a Stoppard play are by and large the same," Hudson observed. "The intense concentration, the appreciation of the profundity of the ideas and words, the humour and the essential importance of the shared experience are the same on both sides of the pond.

"Different cities and collaborators, different cultures and traditions, all linked by one common objective – to make theatre that speaks to everyone."

Get [*Leopoldstadt* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26003-leopoldstadt-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: The cast of Leopoldstadt on Broadway. (Photo by Joan Marcus)*

'Leopoldstadt' designers on how the play resonates across time and space

leopoldstadt-1200x600-NYTG

Recommended for 10 +. Children under the age of 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

Leopoldstadt on Broadway - NYC

Leopoldstadt on Broadway

The set, costume, and lighting designers of Tom Stoppard's family epic, all 2023 Tony nominees, spoke about how the show evolved from London to Broadway.

Think you haven't heard of Max Martin? Think again. You're more familiar with the Swedish music executive than you know if you've heard Britney Spears's "...Baby One More Time," Bon Jovi's "It's My Life," The Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," or dozens of other chart-toppers the five-time Grammy Award winner wrote and/or produced over the past three decades.

He is, to be fair, a famously private person. And unless they also perform their tunes, songwriters don't often get public attention for their work. Or, for that matter, dedicated Broadway musicals a la Carole King, ABBA, or [Neil Diamond](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24254-a-beautiful-noise-tickets).

But Martin, with an extensive catalog of 250-plus songs, has made just as seismic an impact on popular music as any performer. He had the idea to fashion his songs into a musical years ago — and in 2019, that thought became a reality with the world premiere of [*& Juliet*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets) in London. The pop musical has now earned nine Tony nominations, including Best Musical, for its 2022 Broadway transfer.

The *& Juliet* team has called him the "Shakespeare of pop," so it's fitting that 30 of his songs score a show inspired by a Shakespeare play: *Romeo & Juliet*. The musical picks up just before that play's end, when Juliet suddenly decides not to die and instead ditches Verona in search of new life, new friends, and new loves.

Shakespeare's play has been around centuries longer than Martin's songs, but those were the true genesis of *& Juliet*. He remained closely and enthusiastically involved every subsequent step of the way — Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe, who plays Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway, described him as "a kid in a candy store during this whole process."

The cast and creatives' excitement to work with Martin, in turn, was mutual, and they shared how Martin's influence lives in everything the audience hears. The journey begins in fair Canada, where we lay our scene...

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![& juliet shakespeare-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/53RTUI6GyKgRnImtcjcY3E/bb30b4fbd06964fe678c5d7549bd4a73/__juliet_shakespeare-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## Two writers, alike in dignity

Technically, it begins in the Martin family home, where Jenny Petersson, Martin's wife, said, "We should make a musical," Martin recalled. "And a long journey ahead started."

But Martin is an expert songwriter, not a scriptwriter. "I was insecure about how this is going to [be]," Martin admitted. "I really wanted it to be a great story, not just a bunch of songs — to have a purpose, so to speak."

One would expect someone with as prolific a career as Martin to take on the job. But it was Canadian writer David West Read — a relatively unknown name who hadn't won his Emmy Award for *Schitt's Creek* yet — who came up with the winning idea at the unlikeliest of times.

"I suffered a concussion, which worked out well because I couldn't look at screens or anything, so I was lying in a dark room listening to the playlist [of Martin's songs]," Read said. "There's so many songs about heartbreak and young love, and I thought, 'How do you put a brand to this?' Because Max Martin wasn't really known by anyone, even though he's the most successful songwriter [after] the Beatles." (That's statistically true — only Paul McCartney and John Lennon notched more Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.)

"So I came up with the idea of Juliet from *Romeo & Juliet*," Read continued. "We're going to repurpose and reinvent these pop songs and it'll be great, but also reinvent a classic love story."

His idea won over the production team and Martin. "When he created this story and gave me an example of how the songs could actually work to tell this story, that's really when it started to come to life," Martin said.

![1 & juliet-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/49EUJ9kZqURbfXB5E6ptGQ/d797e6c8d37da845daafe20015083944/1___juliet-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## Arise, fair sound

In *& Juliet*, Juliet first enlists her nurse, Angelique, to hit the road with her, but it takes a crew of friends old and new to enliven her adventure. Similarly, West and Martin couldn't refashion pop songs for the stage alone. Their crew included sound designer Gareth Owen, music director/orchestrator Dominic Fallacaro, and orchestrator/arranger Bill Sherman. (All three are Tony-nominated.)

When asked what convinced them to work on *& Juliet*, they all had the same answer: Martin. "The possibility of collaborating with the greatest songwriter of the last 25 years on songs that define your life is impossible to pass up," Sherman said. Fallacaro similarly called the opportunity a "no-brainer."

"I’d never met the guy [before *& Juliet*], but everyone behind the scenes in the music industry knows he’s a genius," Owen said. "Then I met him and realised he was nice as well as talented - frankly, between Max, Bill Sherman, and I? Well, it was a bit of a bromance!"

Sherman recalled a different kind of nervousness — not the bromantic kind — defining his and Martin's first meeting. "Max said two things: 'If a song is going to be a departure from the original version, go all the way. Don't half-ass it,'" Sherman remembered.

"The second thing that Max said was, "If it's not perfect, it goes in the trash." You can imagine me eight years ago, having no idea what the hell is going on in the world, and the greatest songwriter of our time looks at you dead in the eye in a very humbly Swedish way and goes, 'If it's not perfect, it goes in the trash.' I can safely say that was one of the most terrifying days of my life."

Having Martin on hand during London and Broadway rehearsals, though, helped ensure the sound of *& Juliet* was to his liking. "One of the coolest parts about getting this was getting access to the vault of Max," Fallacaro said. "We're not approximating what the synth sounds like. We're running it past someone who knows exactly what it's supposed to sound like."

"It's been so fun and rewarding reimagining and bringing some of the greatest songs of our generation onto a theatre stage, and to put a narrative force behind them," he added in a separate interview. "The challenge of fusing the traditional orchestral and band components of Broadway with the studio 'pixie dust' of synthesizers and drum machines was a tremendously rewarding experience."

"It might not be perfect," Sherman said of the final result, "but it's pretty damn close."

![2 & juliet-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4uRxS4JCAwq28qRsfLQYse/a3e7a49d37437ce5ce8b0c37b59d75ed/2___juliet-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## What's in a cast?

The final piece of Martin's songs' journey from studio to stage is the Broadway cast that sings them live every night. He worked directly with them in rehearsals, too, even scheduling one-on-one sessions to coach them on their singing performances. It didn't take long for him to become a familiar, friendly face — Wolfe said the cast's reactions to seeing him shifted from awe to "Oh yeah, it's Max."

"It was so scary, but at the same time, he's become a proud papa," said Lorna Courtney, a Best Actress Tony nominee for playing Juliet. "He wants us to succeed and do well, and the notes that he would give — it's all expertise, and it's all to better ourselves and the overall longevity of what we're doing."

"It's both exciting and not exciting, because he's there the whole time. You can't get rid of him!" joked Melanie La Barrie, who originated the role of Angelique in London and New York. "He's in the fabric of this musical. Because when we were making it in London, and again when we were making it here, he is here. He's giving us all of his energy and all of his insight and everything that he knows about his world, and now this world, because he knows this musical like his own skin."

Get [*& Juliet* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets) now.

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How Max Martin shaped '& Juliet' on its road to Broadway

& juliet review-1200x600-NYTG

Contains some strong language. Recommended for ages 6+. Children age 4 and under will not be admitted into the theatre. Everyone must have a ticket, regardless of age.

& Juliet on Broadway - NYC 

& Juliet on Broadway

The Grammy-winning songwriter/music producer is behind the biggest pop hits of the '90s onward, and 30 of his songs fuel this Tony-nominated Broadway musical.

For the past 105 years, the Pulitzer Prizes have highlighted achievements in the arts, journalism, and literature. Many notable and impactful plays have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but that’s not the be-all-end-all of their recognition. Six Pulitzer-winning plays, classic and new, went up this Broadway season alone. What’s more, they all earned Tony nominations: [*Fat Ham*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets), [*Topdog/Underdog*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25558-topdog-underdog-tickets), [*Between Riverside and Crazy*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26311-between-riverside-and-crazy-tickets), [*Cost of Living*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25892-cost-of-living-tickets), [*The Piano Lesson*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24256-the-piano-lesson-tickets), and [*Death of a Salesman*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25459-death-of-a-salesman-tickets). 

Whether a recent Pulitzer winner or a Pulitzer winner of decades past, each play explores the truths, struggles, and joys of being human. They examine queerness, race, sexuality, disability, legacy, and other deeply resonant themes. Each performance allowed audiences to see themselves represented, opened their eyes to aspects of the world they may not have considered before, or a little bit of both. New York Theatre Guide spoke with actors, writers, and producers from the six Pulitzer-winning plays up for Tony honors this year. 

![fat ham bway-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/zOOvFoV23sUWGl2zDgTZt/f1b5e13cb6f10404cf37736c43087393/fat_ham_bway-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## *Fat Ham*

Throughout the years, many variations of Shakespeare's world-renowned Hamlet have premiered on stage, on screen, and even in books. [James Ijames](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/james-ijames-shares-the-ingredients-from-his-life-that-make-up-fat-ham)'s play *Fat Ham*, which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is the most recent Hamlet adaptation to take theatre by storm. In fact, *Fat Ham* earned an impressive five nominations this award season, including one for Best Play. 

The comedic drama is a Black, queer, contemporary retelling of *Hamlet*, taking place at a modern backyard barbecue. Ijames first read *Hamlet* in college for a student production and fell in love with the play; he started to work on what would become *Fat Ham* about eight years ago with the goal of making a variation of *Hamlet* set in the South. 

"There are a lot of queer people that live in the South; there are a lot of people that are surviving. And if I can give them a mirror of what their life is, that means a lot to me because I didn't have any mirrors," Ijames said. 

Over the pandemic, producer Mandy Hackett read the play and immediately knew it was something special. "I can remember exactly where I was, and when I read it for the first time, and still right now, I can just picture myself holding that script in my hands, and it was like James's words were just popping off the page to me," Hackett said.

The cookout is going on at the American Airlines Theatre through June 25. 

Get [*Fat Ham* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets) now.

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![between riverside review-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/48qHFrUfO8m51en6GiCEov/d182b89d40cf7f6919ab5d314350e6ff/between_riverside_review-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

## *Between Riverside and Crazy*

Stephen Adly Guirgis’s *Between Riverside and Crazy* debuted off Broadway in 2014, and it won the Pulitzer the following year. In 2022, the show’s Broadway debut earned two Tony nominations: one for Best Play and one for Stephen McKinley Henderson for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play. 

McKinley Henderson was in a hotel room in Toronto when he found out he was nominated for his role as gruff patriarch Walter “Pops” Washington. “Sitting alone just makes you think of all the people who believed in you for so long,” he said. 

One of those people is Guirgis, Henderson’s longtime friend who wrote *Riverside*’s leading role specifically for him. The drama tells the story of how Pops, a retired New York City policeman, battles to keep his rent-controlled apartment on Riverside Drive, where he lives with his son and has unofficially taken in other down-and-outs that come to represent home as much as the apartment does. The play explores family and relationship dynamics, race, addiction, and more. 

This play is personal for Guirgis, and his choice to make the apartment its own character was reflective of his experiences. “When I was growing up, my parents didn't have a lot of money,” he said. “When my father died, I had, like, $2,500 in the bank, but he had that apartment. And it meant the world."

![topdog-1200x600-NYTG 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4DnW7uRSz8LTWuu2VuIE7H/a6c7db1e1781c46c45da66ba0e39c2b3/topdog-1200x600-NYTG_2.jpg)

## *Topdog/Underdog*

In 2002, the dark comedy *Topdog/Underdog* debuted on Broadway to rave reviews, and playwright [Suzan-Lori Parks](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/suzan-lori-parks-reflects-on-20-years-of-topdog-underdog) won the drama Pulitzer for the play that same year. Parks wrote the play in 1999 and said of the writing process, "It was as if someone was pouring silver liquid down the back of my head. I've never had that experience in writing before; it just flowed through me." 

The show, which closed in January, is set in a rundown room at a boarding house and tells the story of two brothers, comically and infamously named Lincoln and Booth, and their struggle to make enough money to survive. 

After 20 years, the show's highly anticipated return to Broadway was a hit once more. It has been nominated for three Tony awards for Best Revival of a Play and both actors in the production, onstage brothers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Corey Hawkins, were nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play. 

Parks explained that the audience was incredibly receptive to the play, saying, "When we embrace those two men in their broken, troubled, loving, striving state, we embrace that part of ourselves that is the same. People get it now in a way that they wanted to get it, maybe, 20 years ago." 

![piano lesson-1200x600-NYTG 5](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3HhYMMBUjaVNj6R0LbAlZF/8180b3a904e1aee149d9838eace3111d/piano_lesson-1200x600-NYTG_5.jpg)

## *The Piano Lesson*

Playwright August Wilson had a storied career writing numerous heart-touching and award-winning plays, and his work continues to make an impact. Wilson’s *The Piano Lesson*, which initially premiered in 1987 and won the 1990 Pulitzer, came back to Broadway in the fall and was nominated for Best Play Revival. 

“We're very lucky that August Wilson's words are timeless, very lucky *The Piano Lesson* is this type of show that really speaks to a brand-new audience of people,” producer Brian Moreland said. 

*The Piano Lesson* is set in 1936 Pittsburgh, focusing on the Charles family as they decide what to do with their family heirloom piano, which has carvings from an enslaved ancestor. The show takes place in the home of elder Uncle Doaker Charles, the unofficial family historian played by Samuel L. Jackson, who received a Tony nomination for the role. 

Moreland explained two main reasons for reviving this show on Broadway, and the two are married — literally. One was getting to work with director LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and the other was Samuel L. Jackson. “This character of Doaker Charles is the heartbeat of the play, and it's such a quiet, graceful, layered performance,” Moreland said.

![doas 3-750](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3sUfbyCyOo8XhGxt42OCWR/ee9acd2032526b851d92fb92e20f1f70/doas_3-750.jpg)

## *Death of a Salesman*

*Death of a Salesman* is a timeless classic tragedy by Arthur Miller, which first debuted on Broadway in 1949 and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama that year. Broadway revivals took the stage in 1975, 1984, 1999, 2012, and 2022. Each revival has received award nominations and wins, and this revival is no different. Its two Tony Award nominations are Best Lighting and Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Play by Wendell Pierce. 

“I was having feelings of considering whether my best days were behind me as an artist and questioning myself,” Pierce admitted. “Then I was presented this opportunity to play Willy Loman, which is one of the great challenges in the American canon of the theatre, and I leaped at the opportunity.”

The play, set in 1949 in the Loman home in Brooklyn, New York, looks back on failed salesman Willy Loman’s life through a montage of dreams, memories, and arguments on the cusp of his death. The play explores the idea of the American dream of success — also Loman’s dream — and how that differed so strongly from how his life turned out. Pierce, who previously played Willy in London, became the first Black man to play him on Broadway.

“I knew that I had a unique experience to connect with the play as an African American," Pierce said. “Who better to depict and explore how the American dream can be denied and turned into the American nightmare?”

![cost of living-1200x600 1-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4sx5ql7dATb87hJnXSnBFl/bec3162b5864b0ddb49bfe69345e6efa/cost_of_living-1200x600_1-NYTG.jpg)

## *Cost of Living*

The 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, *Cost of Living*, had its Broadway debut in the fall of 2022 after its Lucille Lortel Award-winning Off-Broadway run at New York City Center in 2017. The Broadway performance, with the original director and two original cast members, was also a hit. *Cost of Living* has been nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Direction for Jo Bonney. Three actors, including original cast member Katy Sullivan, were nominated for their roles. 

Martyna Majok’s one-act drama examines two relationships, one between a graduate student with cerebral palsy, John, and his caregiver, Jess. The other relationship is between Ani, who became a quadriplegic following an accident, and her ex-husband, Eddie. This show explores the overlap between caregiving and being cared for and the intersections of oppression due to financial status, gender, and race.

Something of utmost importance to Majok is having disabled characters played by disabled actors. Sullivan, a quadriplegic, is nominated for her role as Ani. “My hope is, by the love that this piece is getting, it will hopefully make other producers and decision-makers understand the impact that authentic casting can make,” said Sullivan.

"I hope that this means that there's going to be more disabled playwrights and disabled actors on Broadway,” Majok added. “These shows belong on Broadway. These stories, these performances belong on Broadway.”

*In-article photo credits: Fat Ham, Between Riverside and Crazy, Topdog/Underdog, The Piano Lesson, Death of a Salesman, and Cost of Living. (Photos by Joan Marcus, Joan Marcus, Marc J. Franklin, Julieta Cervantes,Joan Marcus, and Jeremy Daniel.)*

Six Pulitzer-Prize winning plays are nominated for Tony Awards this season

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Fat Ham on Broadway - NYC

Fat Ham on Broadway

This season, six classic and contemporary Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, including new premieres and revivals, have earned at least one Tony Award nomination.

Start spreading the news! [*New York, New York*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets) has released a new ticket block, with Broadway performances now on sale through January 14, 2024. Get *New York, New York* tickets now.

*New York, New York* centers on the against-all-odds love story between Jimmy and Francine, two young musicians in 1946 Manhattan. The show also follows various other young artists as they seek success, or just survival, in the city.

The show is loosely based on the 1977 Martin Scorsese film, which features songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb. All those songs, including the iconic title theme, are in the show, alongside cut songs from Kander and Ebb's other shows and new songs by Kander and Lin-Manuel Miranda. [Learn more about all the songs in *New York, New York*.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/all-the-songs-in-new-york-new-york-on-broadway)

*New York, New York* is currently nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and multiple design awards. [Discover how the designers recreated 1946 New York.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/how-the-new-york-new-york-designers-recreated-the-city-on-stage)

Get [*New York, New York* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26043-new-york-new-york-tickets) now.

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*Photo credit: New York, New York on Broadway. (Photo by Paul Solnik)*

'New York, New York' tickets on sale through January 2024

ny ny 2-1200x600-NYTG

The new Broadway musical, set in 1946 Manhattan, is nominated for nine 2023 Tony Awards and features a score by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The old adage says lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, but this year, some [Tony Award nominees](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/2023-tony-award-nominees-announced) are defying that logic.

“Anything is possible!” said Natasha Katz, who is nominated for her lighting designs for both [*Sweeney Todd*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets) and [*Some Like It Hot*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets). While the recognition is undoubtedly nice, per Katz, “It’s the community that I cherish so much. To be embraced like this feels incredible.”

Katz has long been a Broadway mainstay, first earning a Tony nod for *Beauty and the Beast* in 1994 before winning seven across her illustrious career. “I try to design every show with an open mind, starting with a blank slate. Every show is different,” she said. 

This season, she’s working on tonal opposites. “In *Sweeney*, I hope the lighting helps tell the tale of the light and dark of humanity through the visual of shadow and light. And the glorious Sondheim music! The lighting varies in tone with the score, from spooky and eerie, to light and airy,” she said. 

![5 some like it hot-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4xXLSOfbiq73wS9e3skTJH/db46491d33d6e9170c91cff7be6a26a0/5_some_like_it_hot-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

“On the other hand, *Some Like It Hot* has bright, colorful lighting that constantly changes with every musical key change, accentuating the choreography, the music, and the story," she continued. "I’m proud that I was able to dig deep into two shows that required such different skills as a lighting designer.”

Katz isn’t the only designer pulling double duty this awards season: Scott Pask is up for the Best Scenic Design of a Musical award for both [*Shucked*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26987-shucked-tickets) and *Some Like It Hot*. And while Pask is technically competing with himself in the same category, that’s not how the esteemed designer sees it. 

“I don't have that inner competition anymore; I’m more wanting each project to be bettering itself, and that's why I'm so lucky and blessed to be working with this incredible director and these teams,” he said. “[Their] collaborations and conversations allow me to do the best work and to be recognized for these two shows.”

![1 shucked-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1sRWPx9CnFY77Dc8QPcpPy/ba2c5cb94d87f7d89935cec82c38a3f9/1_shucked-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

[Jennifer Weber](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/interviews/choreographer-jennifer-weber-proves-her-versatility-on-broadway) is also doubly nominated in the same category: Best Choreography. Her dance moves for [*KPOP*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24236-kpop-tickets) and [*& Juliet*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets)
were informed by separate sources — *KPOP* by the world of Korean pop and her collaborator MJ Choi, and *& Juliet* by her own recollection of the '90s American pop scene — with the goal being to “just make each show authentic to itself,” she shared. 

Unlike Pask and Katz, Weber is a first-time nominee — and the two nominations made for a double surprise. “I was so nervous, and I woke up early, and I had coffee with my girlfriend — we were watching the livestream, and my heart was beating out of my chest,” she recalled. “And then they’re going through the names listing people like Steven Hoggett, Casey Nicholaw, and Susan Stroman, and these are my idols. To hear those three names and then hear my name, I literally jumped up out of my chair. And then I heard my name a second time, and I fell back down.”

![& juliet review-1200x600-NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4KooXN8L2Xz1gBBX1wixi4/53e5d190aa813cdfed2be4ac783ceb49/__juliet_review-1200x600-NYTG.jpg)

One of her role models joins her as a double nominee. Nicholaw, who's been double-nominated in four previous seasons, is now representing *Some Like It Hot* in the Best Direction and Choreographer categories. “I love doing both jobs because I’m able to create the whole show as one piece and blend the numbers and scenes seamlessly with one voice,” he said. 

Rounding out the count of this year's dual nominees are David Lindsay-Abaire (book and lyrics for *Kimberly Akimbo*) Emilio Sosa (costume design for [*Ain't No Mo'*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25907-aint-no-mo-tickets) and [*Good Night, Oscar*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26390-good-night-oscar-tickets)), Jordan E. Cooper (for writing and starring in *Ain't No Mo'*), and Ben and Max Ringham (sound design for [*A Doll's House*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26989-a-dolls-house-tickets) and [*Prima Facie*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25983-prima-facie-tickets)). As with all the other nominees, Nicholaw sees the recognition as an engine “to just keep doing what you love to do and keep striving to get better at it,” he said.

The audience’s warm response doesn’t hurt, either. “The sheer number of people who have been writing me about how much they enjoyed and admired the show is what is really moving to me,” he said. “That makes me feel extremely proud.”

Get *[Sweeney Todd](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26216-sweeney-todd-on-broadway-tickets)* tickets now.

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Get *[Some Like It Hot](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/24262-some-like-it-hot-tickets)* tickets now.

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Get *[& Juliet](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25598-and-juliet-tickets)* tickets now.

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*Top image credit: Sweeney Todd on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)*
*In-article images credit: Some Like It Hot, Shucked, and & Juliet on Broadway. (Photos by Marc J. Franklin, Matthew Murphy, and Evan Zimmerman)*

Tonys times two: Meet the Broadway artists nominated for two Tonys this season

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2 sweeney-1200x600-NYTG

This season, several Tony Award nominees earned two acknowledgments across categories and productions for their exceptional work on multiple shows.

The official start of summer isn't until later in June, but you can get in the summer mood all month by planning an escape — at the theatre, that is! Theatre is a great way to travel to new worlds and escape the routine of daily life without jet lag or carsickness. And if you've already traveled just to get to New York, then make sure a show or two is a must-see item on your itinerary.

Broadway and Off-Broadway shows in June will whisk you away to places near and far, real and fantastical. Discover theatre shows opening in June below, and read our roundup of [top May theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/new-york-theatre-to-see-in-may) to discover shows from last month that you can still see in June. You can also check out more fan-favorite [Off-Broadway and Broadway shows that will be around all summer](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/top-theatre-to-see-in-new-york-this-summer).

Plus, don't forget that the Tony Awards take place in June! Get [theatre tickets to the hottest Tony-nominated shows](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/whats-on/tony-award-nominees) now before they win. 

Get tickets to a New York show on New York Theatre Guide.

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## *Prima Facie*

Don't miss [Jodie Comer](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jodie-comer)'s Broadway debut in this tour-de-force one-woman show through June 18. Comer commands the stage as Tessa, a brilliant defense attorney who reevaluates her entire profession after suffering an assault. She won an Olivier and an Evening Standard Award for her performance in London, and the show remains just as urgent and unmissable in New York.

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## *Fat Ham*

Join the cookout before it fizzles out on June 25! James Ijames Pulitzer-winning play *Fat Ham* takes Shakespeare's *Hamlet* and flips it on its head. Juicy, a queer, Black college student, is tasked with revenge, Hamlet-style — but he's not up for murder, so what's the alternative? The show serves up a healthy dose of comedy with sides of karaoke, charades, and healing. 

Get [*Fat Ham* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27141-fat-ham-tickets) now.

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## *Summer, 1976*

Summer doesn't start until June 21, but *Summer, 1976* is over on June 18. Don't miss your chance to see Tony nominees [Laura Linney](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/laura-linney) and [Jessica Hecht](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/jessica-hecht) on stage together, starring as two mothers who strike up an unlikely and life-changing friendship one summer.

Get [*Summer, 1976* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/25993-summer-1976-tickets) now.

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## *Here Lies Love*

Love finally lies on Broadway — 10 years after its critically acclaimed premiere at The Public Theater, [David Byrne](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/david-byrne) and Fatboy Slim's musical *Here Lies Love* takes the Broadway stage from June 17. In an immersive disco setting with music to match, the show tells the true story of how Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos's regime rose in the Philippines and fell just as quickly at the hands of the People Power Revolution.

Get [*Here Lies Love* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/27415-here-lies-love-on-broadway) now.

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## *Alex Edelman: Just For Us*

He's returning to New York just for us. Comedian Alex Edelman brings his hilarious stand-up show to Broadway after having three sold-out Off-Broadway runs last year. From June 22 to August 19 only, you can hear how he, a Jewish man, infiltrated a local neo-Nazi meeting after getting hate from the group online. A [five-star New York Theatre Guide review](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/alex-edelman-just-for-us-review-cherry-lane-theatre) called Edelman and the show "top-notch."

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## *The Doctor*

Juliet Stevenson reprises her acclaimed title role from London in Robert Icke's show. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's 1912 play *Professor Bernhardi*, *The Doctor* follows a Viennese doctor who refuses last rites for a girl who does not know she is dying, sparking a national public debate on ethics. See Stevenson's tour-de-force performance at the [Park Avenue Armory](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/park-avenue-armory) from June 3 to August 19.

Get [*The Doctor* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28148-the-doctor-tickets) now.

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## *A Simulacrum*

What happens when a playwright/director and a magician team up to create a show together? Find out at *A Simulacrum*, playing through June 24. Tony-nominated playwright Lucas Hnath directs this show he created with sleight-of-hand artist Steve Cuiffo, who Hnath once asked to show him a few tricks. Cuiffo performs what happened next, and the result is sure to be magical.

Get [*A Simulacrum* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26024-a-simulacrum-tickets) now.

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## *One Woman Show*

Fans of *Fleabag* will love this performance by Liz Kingsman, off Broadway from June 14 after a lauded London run. Kingsman adopts a Fleabag-esque alter ego to lovingly spoof not only that series, but the slew of "messy woman" media that followed it. Moreso, though, she provides witty and hilarious commentary on why these types of "one woman shows" seem to be the only way funny women can succeed.

Get [*One Woman Show* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28502-one-woman-show) now.

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## *Rock & Roll Man*

You may not know the name Alan Freed, but you definitely know the rock and roll songs he popularized on his radio stations: "Tutti Frutti," "Great Balls of Fire," "I Put a Spell on You," and many more. In this musical set to these classic hits and more, discover the contentious but undeniably impactful legacy of the man who pioneered, and integrated, rock and roll as we know it. The show plays at [New World Stages](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/new-world-stages) through September 3.

Get [*Rock & Roll Man* tickets](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/28348-rock-and-roll-man-tickets) now.

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## *Hamlet*

The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park program returns this summer with *Hamlet*, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon and starring Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role. See the classic story of the title prince, tasked with avenging his father by killing his uncle, under the stars at Central Park's Delacorte Theater. All tickets to *Hamlet* are free and are distributed across a variety of in-person and digital channels.

Top theatre to see in New York in June

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Discover our top picks for Broadway shows and Off-Broadway shows to see this month, including new shows premiering and last-chance shows closing this month.

Top theatre to see in New York in June | New York Theatre Guide

Discover our top picks of New York theatre to check out in June 2023, including new, exciting Broadway and Off-Broadway shows to see all across the city.

Do you have a healthy appetite for the theatre? LVSTER, LLC proudly presents to Passion Nation, an immersive dining experience set to play Lightbox (248 West 37th Street) in New York City for a strictly limited engagement this fall. Performances will run from&nbsp;November 15 through to December 9, 2018.Synopsis: "Passion Nation&nbsp;is a first of its kind "5-dimension" 4-course storied dining experience which&nbsp;harnesses a combination of live actors, breathtaking light projection technology and sound design, and uniquely integrated food and drink, to tell an inspiring tale of American optimism and accomplishment."Passion Nation&nbsp;is written and directed by&nbsp;Bill Castellino, who commented:&nbsp;"We wanted to harness the essence of our rich American history to beautifully create an 'out of the box' experience that employs state of art technology, imagery, media, music&nbsp;and live performers.&nbsp;It's a perfect way for Broadway ticketholders to dine before a matinee or evening performance, and it also works just as well as a standalone event."Whether enjoyed as a pre-theatre lunch or dinner or a unique standalone experience,&nbsp;Passion Nation promises 80 minutes of&nbsp;some of the most iconic moments in America's history, even serving as a prequel to Broadway's smash hit musical <a href="/show/hamilton">Hamilton</a>.Check out the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.passionnationbroadway.com" target="_blank">Passion Nation</a>&nbsp;website for more information.&nbsp;

Immersive Dining Experience Passion Nation serves up a prequel to Hamilton

Do you have a healthy appetite for the theatre? LVSTER, LLC proudly presents to Passion Nation, an immersive dining experience set to play Lightbox (248 West 37th Street) in New York City for a strictly limited engagement this fall. Performances will...

New York Theater Guide News | NewYorkTheatreGuide.com

Passion Nation will play a limited 5-week engagement at Lightbox in New York City from November 15, 2018.

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