DRAMA DESK WINNERS

at La Guardia Concert Hall (Lincoln Center)

WALKING ON AIR By DAVID LEFKOWITZ Published May 20 2008 With five wins, including best musical revival and best actor in a musical, South Pacific was the biggest victor of the night at the 53rd annual Drama Desk Awards, though Gypsy and August: Osage County also had strong showings. Executive produced by Robert R. Blume and held May 18 at F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall in Lincoln Center, the Deskies (as the title of show cast, which emceed the event, dubbed them), scattered its prizes among several shows, including two for Boeing-Boeing (best play revival and actor - Mark Rylance) and three for Passing Strange (musical, music and lyrics). Three was also a lucky number for Best Play, Best Actress and Best Play Director winner August: Osage County and for Gypsy, whose trio of stars - Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines - all took home statuettes. Although the Drama Desk emphasizes that it makes no distinction between Broadway, Off and Off-Off-Broadway productions, especially for nominations, only two off-Broadway productions won competitive awards: Forbidden Broadway, for revue, and The New Century's featured actress, Linda Lavin. The Keane Company's revival of A.R Gurney's The Dining Room shared with The Homecoming a special Ensemble Performance award. The most memorable moments of the ceremony included a pre-planned sight gag in which nominee Kelli O'Hara was tased by the title of show crew for making an overlong introduction. (It served as a warning to other presenters and a promise to the audience that the show would come in at under three hours. In fact, the intermissionless event lasted only slightly longer than two.) In accepting a special career award, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof star James Earl Jones noted that he continues to learn something every time he walks onstage, often from the youngest person in the cast. Later on, Thurgood solo winner Laurence Fishburne would single out Jones as his major acting influence. Nominees for the 2007-08 Drama Desk Awards were announced April 28 at the New York Friars Club. Organization President William Wolf said at the awards ceremony that the Drama Desk nominating committee evaluated more than 450 productions to come up with its slate this season. Founded in 1955 to complement the Broadway-only Tonys, the Drama Desk strove to cover All New York theater productions...celebrating creative stage achievements wherever they were presented." Originally called The Vernon Rice Awards (for the New York Post theater critic), the organization changed its moniker to Drama Desk in 1964. Winners of the Deskies are below, in bold: Outstanding Play: *Tracy Letts, August: Osage County Alan Ayckbourn, Intimate Exchanges Rinde Eckert, Horizon Liz Flahive, From Up Here Horton Foote, Dividing the Estate Tom Stoppard, Rock 'n' Roll Outstanding Musical: *Passing Strange A Catered Affair Adding Machine The Glorious Ones The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island Xanadu Outstanding Revival of a Play: *Boeing-Boeing Happy Days Macbeth The Country Girl The Dining Room The Return of the Prodigal Outstanding Revival of a Musical: *South Pacific Black Nativity Gypsy Sunday in the Park with George Take Me Along Outstanding Revue: *Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening Fugitive Songs Make Me a Song Outstanding Actor in a Play: *Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing Bill Champion, Intimate Exchanges Kevin Kline, Cyrano de Bergerac Bill Pullman, Peter and Jerry Tobias Segal, From Up Here Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll Outstanding Actress in a Play: *Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll Frances McDormand, The Country Girl Amy Morton, August: Osage County Fiona Shaw, Happy Days Julie White, From Up Here Outstanding Actor in a Musical: *Paulo Szot, South Pacific Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange André De Shields, Black Nativity Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George Cheyenne Jackson, Xanadu Matthew Morrison, 10 Million Miles Outstanding Actress in a Musical: *Patti LuPone, Gypsy Sierra Boggess, The Little Mermaid Kelli O'Hara, South Pacific Faith Prince, A Catered Affair Alice Ripley, Next to Normal Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: *Conleth Hill, The Seafarer John Cullum, The Conscientious Objector Francis Jue, Yellow Face Arian Moayed, Masked Jeff Perry, August: Osage County Michael T. Weiss, Scarcity Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play: *Linda Lavin, The New Century Elizabeth Ashley, Dividing the Estate Johanna Day, Peter and Jerry Zoe Kazan, 100 Saints You Should Know Rondi Reed, August: Osage County Marisa Tomei, Top Girls Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: *Boyd Gaines, Gypsy Danny Burstein, South Pacific Christopher Fitzgerald, Young Frankenstein Shuler Hensley, Young Frankenstein Bobby Steggert, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: *Laura Benanti, Gypsy Leslie Kritzer, A Catered Affair Andrea Martin, Young Frankenstein Mary Testa, Xanadu Amy Warren, Adding Machine Mare Winningham, 10 Million Miles Outstanding Director of a Play: *Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County David Schweizer, Horizon Leigh Silverman, From Up Here Jonathan Silverstein, The Dining Room Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing Deborah Warner, Happy Days Outstanding Director of a Musical: *Bartlett Sher, South Pacific Christopher Ashley, Xanadu Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George David Cromer, Adding Machine John Doyle, A Catered Affair Bob McGrath, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island Outstanding Choreography: *Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby The Musical Karole Armitage, Passing Strange Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider, Traces Dan Knechtges, Xanadu Peter Pucci, Queens Boulevard (the musical) Susan Stroman, Young Frankenstein Outstanding Music: *Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange John Bucchino, A Catered Affair Stephen Flaherty, The Glorious Ones Tom Kitt, Next to Normal Mark Mulcahy, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island Joshua Schmidt, Adding Machine Outstanding Lyrics: *Stew, Passing Strange Lynn Ahrens, The Glorious Ones Mel Brooks, Young Frankenstein John Bucchino, A Catered Affair Ben Katchor, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt, Adding Machine Outstanding Book of a Musical: *Douglas Carter Beane, Xanadu Harvey Fierstein, A Catered Affair Ben Katchor, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt, Adding Machine Stew, Passing Strange Eric H. Weinberger, Wanda's World Outstanding Orchestrations: *Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George Doug Besterman, Young Frankenstein Michael Starobin, The Glorious Ones Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair Tim Weil, 10 Million Miles Outstanding Set Design of a Play: *Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses Beowulf Boritt, Spain Scott Bradley, Eurydice David Korins, Hunting and Gathering Santo Loquasto, Trumpery Clint Ramos, The Return of the Prodigal Outstanding Set Design of a Musical: *Michael Yeargan, South Pacific David Gallo, A Catered Affair Takeshi Kata, Adding Machine Derek McLane, 10 Million Miles George Tsypin, The Little Mermaid Robin Wagner, Young Frankenstein Outstanding Costume Design: *Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses Mara Blumenfeld, The Glorious Ones Michael Bottari and Ronald Case, Jessica Jahn, Die Mommie Die! Ann Hould-Ward, A Catered Affair Ana Kuzmanic, August: Osage County William Ivey Long, Young Frankenstein Outstanding Lighting Design: *Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George Maruti Evans, Slaughterhouse-Five Donald Holder, South Pacific Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid Keith Parham, Adding Machine Outstanding Sound Design: *Scott Lehrer, South Pacific Adam Cork, Macbeth Jorge Cousineau, Opus Joseph Fosco, The Conversation Mic Pool, The 39 Steps Tony Smolenski IV, Adding Machine Outstanding Solo Performance: *Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood Kris Andersson, Dixie's Tupperware Party Stephen Lang, Beyond Glory April Yvette Thompson, Liberty City Outstanding Projection and Video Design: *Timothy Bird and The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George Paul Barritt, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Zachary Borovay, A Catered Affair Jim Findlay and Jeff Sugg, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island Lorna Heavey, Macbeth Tal Yarden, The Misanthrope Unique Theatrical Experience: *The 39 Steps Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Cut to the Chase Fabrik Traces Outstanding Ensemble Performances The Dining Room The Homecoming Special Awards Edward Albee &ampampquotwhose provocative plays, including this season's Peter and Jerry, enrich the American theater." James Earl Jones, a &ampampquotcommanding force on the stage for nearly half a century." 59E59 Theaters, whose &ampampquotimaginative curatorial vision has created a stimulating environment to nurture a diverse range of artists." Playwrights Horizons for &ampampquotongoing support to generations of theater artists and undiminished commitment to producing new work."