Nominees for the 2006-2007 Drama League Awards, which will be held May 11 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, were revealed April 25. Nominees were announced in four categories: Distinguished Production of a Musical, Play, Revival of a Musical and Revival of a Play.
The nominees for the 73rd Annual Drama League Awards follow:
Distinguished Production of a Musical Curtains In the Heights Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway Legally Blonde Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me Mary Poppins Spring Awakening
Distinguished Production of a Play Blackbird Coram Boy Frost/Nixon No Child Radio Golf The Coast of Utopia The Scene The Year of Magical Thinking
Distinguished Revival of a Musical 110 in the Shade A Chorus Line Company Les Misérables The Fantasticks
Distinguished Revival of a Play Inherit the Wind Journey's End Mother Courage and Her Children Seven Guitars Talk Radio The Hairy Ape The Merchant of Venice Translations
(Grey Gardens and The Little Dog Laughed were previously nominated for Drama League Awards during their original Off-Broadway runs and are therefore ineligible this season. Deuce, the new Terrence McNally play, has removed itself from consideration for this year's awards and will be considered next season.)
The Drama League Awards, according to press notes, "pay tribute to the season's best performers by honoring the nominees of The Distinguished Performance Award on a dais. The 73rd Annual Drama League Awards dais will feature approximately 60 performers from the 2006-07 Broadway and Off-Broadway season, including the honorary co-chairs." Co-chairs include Michael Cerveris, Billy Crudup, Ethan Hawke, Audra McDonald, Brian F. O'Byrne and David Hyde Pierce.
This season's 78-member dais follows. One of these performers will be presented with the Distinguished Performance Award at the May 11 event.
F. Murray Abraham — The Jew of Malta, The Merchant of Venice Heidi Armbruster — Tea and Sympathy Christine Baranski — Regrets Only Gary Beach — Les Misérables Daniel Beaty — Emergence-See! Eve Best — A Moon for the Misbegotten Stephanie J. Block — The Pirate Queen Justin Bond — Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway Christian Borle — Legally Blonde Ashley Brown — Mary Poppins Laura Bell Bundy — Legally Blonde Kate Burton — The Water’s Edge Michael Cerveris — King Lear, LoveMusik Kristin Chenoweth — The Apple Tree Anthony Chisholm — Radio Golf Jill Clayburgh — The Clean House, The Busy World Is Hushed Jennifer Cody — Henry and Mudge Billy Crudup — The Coast of Utopia Michael Cumpsty — Richard II Charlotte D'Amboise — A Chorus Line Hugh Dancy — Journey's End Jeff Daniels — Blackbird Brian Dennehy — Inherit the Wind Gregory Derelian — The Hairy Ape *Ensemble — Columbinus *Ensemble — Coram Boy Raúl Esparza — Company Gerald Finnigan — The Hairy Ape John Fugelsang — All the Wrong Reasons Boyd Gaines — Journey's End John Gallagher Jr. — Spring Awakening Alexander Gemignani — Les Misérables Piper Goodeve — Anne of Green Gables Logan Marshall-Green — King Lear, Pig Farm David Greenspan — Some Men George Grizzard — Regrets Only Jonathan Groff — Spring Awakening Ed Harris — Wrecks Ethan Hawke — The Coast of Utopia Phillip Seymour Hoffman — Jack Goes Boating Jayne Houdyshell — The Pain and the Itch Stephen Kunken — A Very Common Procedure, Frost/Nixon Nathan Lane — Butley Gavin Lee — Mary Poppins Harry Lennix — Radio Golf Norm Lewis — Les Misérables Hamish Linklater — The Busy World Is Hushed John Mahoney — Prelude to a Kiss Dylan McDermott — The Treatment Audra McDonald — 110 in the Shade Lin-Manuel Miranda — In the Heights Alfred Molina — Howard Katz Debra Monk — Curtains Kate Mulgrew — Our Leading Lady Donna Murphy — LoveMusik Kristine Nielsen — Our Leading Lady Bill Nighy — The Vertical Hour Brian F. O'Byrne — Shining City, The Coast of Utopia Denis O'Hare — Inherit the Wind, A Spanish Play Sandra Oh — Satellites Thaddeus Phillips — El Conquistador! David Hyde Pierce — Curtains Allison Pill — Blackbird Oliver Platt — Shining City Michelle Ragusa — Adrift in Macao Vanessa Redgrave — The Year of Magical Thinking Liev Schreiber — Macbeth, Talk Radio Pablo Schreiber — Dying City Andrew Scott — The Vertical Hour Michael Sheen — Frost/Nixon Martin Short — Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me Meryl Streep — Mother Courage and Her Children Michael Stuhlbarg — The Voysey Inheritance Nilaja Sun — No Child Alan Tudyk — Prelude to a Kiss Barbara Walsh — Company
(*The ensemble casts of Columbinus and Coram Boy will be honored collectively on the dais. The producers of these shows may appoint one or two cast members to appear on behalf of the show's entire ensemble.)
Five past recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award will also be honored on the dais for their work this past season. They are, however, ineligible for award consideration, as the Distinguished Performance Award is a one-time honor. The past honorees include Zoe Caldwell (A Spanish Play), Kathleen Chalfant (Great Expectations, Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell), Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) and Christopher Plummer (Inherit the Wind).
As previously announced, the upcoming event in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel will also honor Michael Mayer, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and John Kander and the late Fred Ebb with special awards.
Kander and Ebb, the composing duo currently represented on Broadway with the new musical Curtains (as well as the long-running Chicago revival), will be honored with The Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award. Mayer, director of the acclaimed new musical Spring Awakening, will receive the Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing. And, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the nation's largest industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization, will be presented with the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award.
Gary Beach, currently on Broadway in the revival of Les Misérables, will host the annual luncheon, which will begin at noon. Those scheduled to present awards include Tony Award winners Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Christine Ebersole, Tony Kushner, Liev Schreiber and Audra McDonald as well as Mary Poppins' Ashley Brown and Spring Awakening's Jonathan Groff.
Tickets for the 73rd Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, priced $150-$450 (tables of ten range from $1,500-$4,500), are now available by calling (212) 244-9494 ext. 5 or by visiting www.dramaleague.org.
*
Founded in 1916, the Drama League is an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to "encouraging the finest in professional theatre and has since then developed into the theatre’s premiere service organization."
Last season, Drama League Awards were presented to Christine Ebersole (Distinguished Performance), History Boys (Distinguished Production of a Play), Jersey Boys (Distinguished Production of a Musical), Awake and Sing! (Distinguished Revival of a Play), Sweeney Todd (Distinguished Revival of a Musical), Patti LuPone (Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre), Marian Seldes (Unique Contribution to the Theatre) and Des McAnuff (The Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing).
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"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
Laura Bell Bundy — Legally Blonde *Ensemble — Coram Boy Raúl Esparza — Company Audra McDonald — 110 in the Shade Brian F. O'Byrne — Shining City, The Coast of Utopia Allison Pill — Blackbird Vanessa Redgrave — The Year of Magical Thinking Liev Schreiber — Macbeth, Talk Radio Pablo Schreiber — Dying City Meryl Streep — Mother Courage and Her Children
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy."-Charlie Manson
Considering they usually give it to someone who has both given an extraordinary performance this season and also has quite some experience under their belt, I am going to have to guess Vanessa Redgrave from Munk's list. Maybe Streep if they are feeling generous.
Heres a question ( I'll try to get this to make sense):
Are they nominating a performer (say: Cerveris) in which case they put all the major productions they were in that season, or are the performances nominated, and they just happend to think that both performances were worthy of being nominated?
"I wouldn't let Esparza's Bobby take my kids to the zoo...I'd be afraid he'd steal their ice cream and laugh."- YankeeFan
"People who like Sondheim enjoy cruelty."-LuvtheEmcee
Oh wow! Vanessa Redgrave, Eve Best, Andrew Scott, Nilaja Sun and Bill Nighy?!?!?!?!?
Ok...Bill was good, but his performance never changed. So I'd put him at the bottom of my list.
Andrew was superb and kept growing in the role the whole way through the play (trust me...I saw it 10 times between the 3rd preview and the final performance). but he doesn't have a lot of experience yet.
Nilaja is amazing and wonderful, but the same experience issue.
Eve Best is simply amazing, but again, experience ~ at least in the US.
So... I'm going with Vanessa Redgrave. Though I'd be thrilled for any of the ones I listed.
Experience live theater. Experience paintings. Experience books. Live, look and listen like artists! ~ imaginethis
LIVE THAT LESSON!!!!!!
Redgrave got mediocre reviews for this performance. Yes, many critics did say "She's one of the most amazing living actresses, blah blah" but about this performance in particular, nobody was particularly falling over themselves.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
Did I mention that the fabulous Jen Cody got a Drama League nomination for her adorable performance in HENRY & MUDGE?
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
Bwayfan3 - there is a dais on the stage area and all 78 are invited to attend. I went a couple years ago and most if not all attended. There are three levels of tickets this year. From their website, If you are interested call 212) 244-9494, extension 5 http://www.dramaleague.org/events/aal/index.htm
Wanna Be: The critics also didn't get that the play is NOT a rereading of the book. They're two different art forms. Having seen it a couple of times, she is amazing.
Experience live theater. Experience paintings. Experience books. Live, look and listen like artists! ~ imaginethis
LIVE THAT LESSON!!!!!!
Did I mention that the fabulous Jen Cody got a Drama League nomination for her adorable performance in HENRY & MUDGE?
Wannabe - I have to say that that totally made my day! and I probably wouldn't have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out. I LOVED her in Henry and Mudge! She is just amazing all around!
Yeah i'm not. But I guess it's still possible that people on this board still could know more than the Drama League people. I'm leaving room for that possibility.
I'm so happy that Jen Cody got nominated, as well Stephanie J. Block (probably her only nomination of this season but we'll find out when the Drama Desks get announced tomorrow). I was also excited to see Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me got nominated for musical and pleasantly suprised to see Ashley Brown and Christian Borle's name! What shocked me was the absence of Orfeh from the list.