Winners include Leopoldstadt, Annaleigh Ashford, Some Like It Hot, Into the Woods, A Doll’s House
The Drama League has announced the winners of its 89th annual Drama League Awards 2023.
The ceremony was held on 19 May 2023 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York, hosted by Frank DiLella. The nominations were announced last month.
Annaleigh Ashford won the Distinguished Performance Award for her performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – an award that can only be won once during the career of an actor.
West End to Broadway transfer Leopoldstadt took home the Award for Outstanding Production of a Play, and British director Jamie Lloyd’s acclaimed revival of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain won Outstanding Revival of a Play.
Some Like It Hot won Outstanding Production of a Musical, and Sondheim’s Into the Woods won Outstanding Revival of a Musical.
The Outstanding Direction of a Play award went to Anne Kauffman for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window; and Lear deBessonet scooped the award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for Into the Woods, adding to her Founders Award for Excellence in Directing which she also picked up during the awards ceremony.
Awards were presented by Audra McDonald (Ohio State Murders), Ben Platt (Parade), Bebe Neuwirth (The Bedwetter), Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown), Sara Bareilles (Into the Woods), Sheryl Kaller, and Charles Flateman, Executive Vice President of the Shubert Organization.
First awarded in 1922 and formalised in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honours in America. They are the only major theatre awards chosen by a cross-section of the theatre community – specifically, by the industry professionals, producers, artists, audiences, and critics who are Drama League Members nationwide.
Drama League Awards 2023 – Full list of winners
Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play
Leopoldstadt ***WINNER
Longacre Theatre
Written by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Patrick Marber
Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Roy Furman, Lorne Michaels, Stephanie P. McClelland, Gavin Kalin, Delman Sloan, Eilene Davidson, Brad Edgerton, Patrick Gracey, Hunter Arnold, Burnt Umber Productions, Cue to Cue Productions, The Factor Gavin Partnership, Harris Rubin Productions, Robert Nederlander, Jr., No Guarantees, Sandy Robertson, Iris Smith, Jamie deRoy/Catherine Adler, Dodge Hall Productions / Waverly Productions, Ricardo Hornos / Robert Tichio, Heni Koenigsberg & Wendy Federman, Thomas S. Perakos / Stephanie Kramer, Brian Spector / Judith Seinfeld and Richard Winkler & Alan Shorr
Other nominees:
The Bandaged Place
Cost of Living
Dark Disabled Stories
Downstate
Elyria
Fat Ham
Good Night, Oscar
Life of Pi
Peter Pan Goes Wrong
Prima Facie
Public Obscenities
Summer, 1976
Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play
A Doll’s House ***WINNER
Hudson Theatre
Written by Henrik Ibsen; In a new version by Amy Herzog
Directed by Jamie Lloyd
Produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Wessex Grove, Julie Boardman, Kate Cannova, Bob Boyett, Hunter Arnold, Creative Partners Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions, GGRS, Kater Gordon, Louise L. Gund, Los Angeles Media Fund, Stephanie P. McClelland, Tilted, Jessica Chastain, Caitlin Clements/Francesca Moody Productions, Caiola Productions/Amanda Lee, Ted & Richard Liebowitz/Joeyen-Waldorf Squeri, Richard & Cecilia Attias/Thomas S. Barnes and OHenry Theatre Nerd Productions/Runyonland MMP; Presenting the production by The Jamie Lloyd Company
Other nominees:
Ohio State Murders
Hamlet/Oresteia
The Piano Lesson
A Raisin in the Sun
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
The Thanksgiving Play
Topdog/Underdog
Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Blackand White
Wolf Play
Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
Some Like It Hot ***WINNER
Shubert Theatre
Book by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin; Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman; Based on the screenplay “Some Like it Hot” by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond
Directed by Casey Nicholaw
Produced by The Shubert Organization (Robert E. Wankel: Chairman and CEO; Elliot Greene: Chief Operating Officer; Charles Flateman: Executive Vice President) and Neil Meron; Co-produced by MGM On Stage, Roy Furman, Robert Greenblatt, James L. Nederlander, Kenny Leon, Hunter Arnold, The John Gore Organization, The Dalgleish Library Company Group, Sheboygan Conservatory Partners, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Bob Boyett, Cue to Cue Productions, Janet and Marvin Rosen, The Araca Group, Concord Theatricals, Marc Howard, Independent Presenters Network, Juanita Jordan, Jujamcyn Theaters, Henry R. Muñoz III, Ostar and Mariah Carey
Other nominees:
& Juliet
A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical
Dreaming Zenzile
New York, New York
Shucked
Titanique
White Girl in Danger
Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights
Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
Into the Woods ***WINNER
St. James Theatre
Music by Stephen Sondheim; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by James Lapine
Directed by Lear deBessonet
Produced by Jujamcyn Theaters (Jordan Roth: President; Rocco Landesman: President Emeritus; Paul Libin: Executive Vice President Emeritus; Jack Viertel: Senior Vice President Emeritus), Jordan Roth, New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO),Daryl Roth, Hunter Arnold, Concord Theatricals, Nicole Eisenberg, Jessica R. Jenen, Michael Cassel Group, Kevin Ryan, Show Town Productions and Armstrong, Gold & Ross; Presenting the production by New York City Center Encores! (Lear deBessonet: Artistic Director; Rob Berman: Music Director; Clint Ramos: Producing Creative Director; Jenny Gersten: Producer of Musical Theater)
Other nominees:
Bob Fosse’s Dancin’
Camelot
A Man of No Importance
Parade
1776
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Anne Kauffman, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window ***WINNER
Jo Bonney, Cost of Living
Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Public Obscenities
Kenny Leon, Topdog/Underdog
Jamie Lloyd, A Doll’s House
David Mendizábal, the bandaged place
Awoye Timpo, Elyria and Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White
Dustin Wills, Wolf Play
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods ***WINNER
Lileana Blain-Cruz, Dreaming Zenzile and White Girl In Danger
Thomas Kail, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Jack O’Brien, Shucked
Bartlett Sher, Camelot
Susan Stroman, New York, New York
Nominees for the Distinguished Performance Award
Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ***WINNER
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Topdog/Underdog
Hiran Abeysekera, Life of Pi
Sara Bareilles, Into the Woods
Stephanie Berry, the bandaged place
Brittany Bradford, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story In Black And White
Danielle Brooks, The Piano Lesson
Rachel Brosnahan, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Marylouise Burke, Epiphany
D’Arcy Carden, The Thanksgiving Play
Jessica Chastain, A Doll’s House
Sharon D Clarke, Death of a Salesman
Jodie Comer, Prima Facie
Jordan E. Cooper, Ain’t No Mo’
Lorna Courtney, &Juliet
Micaela Diamond, Parade
K. Todd Freeman, Downstate
J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like It Hot
Josh Groban, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan J. Haddad, Dark Disabled Stories
Corey Hawkins, Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes, Good Night, Oscar
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Oscar Isaac, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Tarra Conner Jones, White Girl in Danger
Esco Jouléy, Wolf Play
Somi Kakoma, Dreaming Zenzile
David Krumholtz, Leopoldstadt
Linda Lavin, You Will Get Sick
Laura Linney, Summer, 1976
Jefferson Mays, A Christmas Carol
Patina Miller, Into the Woods
Marla Mindelle, Titanique
Arian Moayed, A Doll’s House
Gargi Mukherjee, Public Obscenities
Alex Newell, Shucked
Jeremy Pope, The Collaboration
Colton Ryan, New York, New York
Phillipa Soo, Camelot
Marcel Spears, Fat Ham
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
Will Swenson, A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical
John Douglas Thompson, Endgame
Anna Uzele, New York, New York
John David Washington, The Piano Lesson
Betsy Wolfe, &Juliet
David Zayas, Cost of Living
The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in Broadway or Off-Broadway productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer’s lifetime, they are ineligible to be nominated; however, their exemplary work is recognized and applauded.
Danny Burstein, Pictures From Home
Norbert Leo Butz, Cornelia Street
Kathleen Chalfant, The Year of Magical Thinking
Neil Patrick Harris, Peter Pan Goes Wrong
Nathan Lane, Pictures From Home
Audra McDonald, Ohio State Murders
Bebe Neuwirth, The Bedwetter
Ben Platt, Parade
Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award
Hadestown and Death of a Salesman star André De Shields
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing
Into the Woods director and Encores! Artistic Director Lear deBessonet
Contribution to the Theater Award
The Drama Book Shop (Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeffrey Seller and James L. Nederlander)
The Gratitude Award
J.P Morgan Asset and Wealth Management CCO Darin Oduyoye
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