MEMPHIS WINS FOUR DRAMA DESK AWARDS

The 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards for excellence in New York theater were bestowed last night at a gala awards ceremony at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center, hosted by Patti LuPone, and the results reflected the diversity and competitive nature of the past season’s theater season. Memphis, the new musical set in the 1950’s Memphis dance clubs, won four Drama Desk Awards to head the list of multiple winners, followed by Fences,
La Cage Aux Folles and Red, with three each, and A View from the Bridge with two. There were also two deadlocks: Catherine Zeta Jones (A Little Night Music) and Montego Glover (in photo, Memphis) tied for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and A View From The Bridge and Fences tied in the Outstanding Revival of a Play category.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To the cast, creative team and producers of Horton Foote’s epic The Orphan’s Home Cycle: We salute the breadth of vision, which inspired the exceptional direction, performances, sets, lighting, costumes, music and sound that made it the theatrical event for this season.

To Jerry Herman for enchanting and dazzling audiences with his exuberant music for more than half a century.

To Godlight Theatre Company for consistent originality and excellence in dramatizing modern literature, and especially for the vibrant theatricality of its innovative productions.

To Ma-Yi Theater Company for more than two decades of excellence and for nurturing Asian-American voices in stylistically varied and engaging theater.

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

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

2009/2010 DRAMA DESK AWARD WINNERS

Outstanding Play: Red by John Logan

Outstanding Musical: Memphis

Outstanding Revival of a Play (A Tie): A View from the Bridge and Fences

Outstanding Revival of a Musical: La Cage Aux Folles

Outstanding Actor in a Play: Liev Schreiber (A View from the Bridge)

Outstanding Actress in a Play: Jan Maxwell (The Royal Family)

Outstanding Actor in a Musical: Douglas Hodge (La Cage Aux Folles)

Outstanding Actress in a Musical: (A Tie) Catherine Zeta Jones (A Little Night Music)
Montego Glover (Memphis)

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: Santino Fontana (Brighton Beach Memoirs)

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play: Viola Davis (Fences)

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: Christopher Fitzgerald (Finian’s Rainbow)

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Katie Finneran (Promises, Promises)

Outstanding Director of a Play: Michael Grandage (Red)

Outstanding Director of a Musical: Michael Mayer (American Idiot)

Outstanding Choreography: Twyla Tharp (Come Fly Away)

Outstanding Music: David Bryan (Memphis)

Outstanding Lyrics: John Kander & Fred Ebb (The Scottsboro Boys)

Outstanding Book of a Musical Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson)

Outstanding Orchestrations: Daryl Waters & David Bryan (Memphis)

Outstanding Musical Revue: Sondheim on Sondheim

Outstanding Music in a Play: Branford Marsalis (Fences)

Outstanding Set Design: Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch & Basil Twist
(The Addams Family)

Outstanding Costume Design: Matthew Wright (La Cage Aux Folles)

Outstanding Lighting Design: Neil Austin (Red)

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical: Acme Sound Partners (Ragtime)

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play: Fitz Patton (When The Rain Stops Falling)

Outstanding Solo Performance: Jim Brochu (Zero Hour)

Unique Theatrical Experience: Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Outstanding Ensemble Awards The Orphan’s Home Cycle and
The Temperamentals


For a list of the nominees click here.