Theatre News

Matilda on Broadway wins five Drama Desk Awards

| London's West End |

20 May 2013

The Broadway transfer of Matilda The Musical has won five gongs at the 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards, which were announced last night at New York’s Town Hall.

Matilda picked up Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (for Bertie Carvel), Outstanding Book of a Musical (Dennis Kelly), Outstanding Lyrics (Tim Minchin) and Outstanding Set Design (Rob Howell).

Produced by Whatsonstage.com’s new owners TheatreMania, the Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York
theatre honours for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and
Off-Off Broadway compete against each other in the same category.

Other winners this year included Diane Paulus’ acclaimed revival of Pippin, which picked up four awards, as well as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, which both won three.

The full list of winners and nominees is below (winners denoted in bold):

	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 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 Revival of a Musical or Revue Passion Pippin Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella The Golden Land The Mystery of Edwin Drood Working: A Musical
	Outstanding Revival of a Play Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Golden Boy Good Person of Szechwan The Piano Lesson The Trip to Bountiful Uncle Vanya
	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, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella Jenny Powers, Donnybrook!
	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 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, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
	Outstanding Actress in a Play Maria Dizzia, Belleville Amy Morton, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Julia Murney, Falling Vanessa Redgrave, The Revisionist Miriam Silverman, Finks Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful
	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 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 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 Music in a Play César Alvarez with The Lisps, Good Person of Szechwan Jiří Kadeřábek, 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 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 Director of a Play Lear Debessonet, Good Person of Szechwan Sam Gold, Uncle Vanya Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, Restoration Comedy Pam MacKinnon, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Lynne Meadow, The Assembled Parties Ruben Santiago-Hudson, The Piano Lesson
	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, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
	Outstanding Choreography Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical Warren Carlyle, A Christmas Story: The Musical Peter Darling, Matilda Josh Rhodes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella Sergio Trujillo, Hands on a Hardbody Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider, Pippin
	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
	Outstanding Revue Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking! Old Hats Old Jews Telling Jokes
	Outstanding Solo Performance 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
	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 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, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella Chris March, Chris March’s The Butt-Cracker Suite! A Trailer Park Ballet Loren Shaw, Restoration Comedy Paloma Young, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
	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 Ensemble Performance This year the nominators chose to bestow a special ensemble award to the cast of Working: A Musical. “Marie-France Arcilla, Joe Cassidy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Nehal Joshi, and Kenita R. Miller created a memorable ensemble of marvelously gifted singer-actors working together in pure artistic harmony.” Individual cast members receiving this award are ineligible for acting awards in the competitive categories.

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:

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Executive Director and Producer: for a decade of creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form.

Wakka Wakka (Gabrielle Brechner, Kirjan Waage, and Gwendolyn Warnock): for sophisticated puppet theater, as represented by this season’s SAGA, that explores with wit, imagination, and insight serious issues of our times.

Jayne Houdyshell: 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.