The Inheritance has won five categories at the Drama Desk Awards in New York, including outstanding play.
Matthew Lopez’s ‘extraordinary and epic’ (Sunday Times) two-part play was nominated across six categories, picking up wins for outstanding featured actor – won by Paul Hilton – and featured actress, which was won by Lois Smith.
Stephen Daldry won outstanding director and Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid won the sound design accolade for The Inheritance.
Spanning generations and many interlinking lives, The Inheritance is ‘an exquisitely truthful and funny modern classic’ (Telegraph) that brilliantly transposes EM Forster’s novel ‘Howards End’ to 21st century New York. The piece received its world premiere at London’s Young Vic theatre in 2018.
The 65th Drama Desk Awards, which celebrate theatre in New York, were announced in a virtual ceremony on June 13.
Moulin Rouge! and A Strange Loop also won five awards each, with Moulin Rouge! winning choreography, scenic design, costume design, lighting & sound; and, A Strange Loop winning outstanding musical, actor in a musical, director of a musical, book and lyrics.
Other winners included Adrienne Warren, who won outstanding actress in a musical for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Christian Borle for outstanding featured actor in a musical for Little Shop of Horrors and Laura Linney for outstanding solo performance in My Name is Lucy Barton, which previously ran in London.
Jack Thorne won the outstanding adaptation award for A Christmas Carol.
The winners in full were:
Outstanding play
The Inheritance, by Matthew Lopez
Outstanding musical
A Strange Loop, Playwrights Horizons/Page 73 Productions
Outstanding revival of a play
A Soldier’s Play, Roundabout Theatre Company
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Little Shop of Horrors
Outstanding actor in a play
Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements
Outstanding actress in a play
Liza Colón-Zayas, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Outstanding actor in a musical
Larry Owens, A Strange Loop
Outstanding actress in a musical
Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Outstanding featured actor in a play
Paul Hilton, The Inheritance
Outstanding featured actress in a play
Lois Smith, The Inheritance
Outstanding featured actor in a musical
Christian Borle, Little Shop of Horrors
Outstanding featured actress in a musical
Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill
Outstanding director of a play
Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance
Outstanding director of a musical
Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop
Outstanding choreography
Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge!
Outstanding music
Dave Malloy, Octet
Outstanding lyrics
Michael R Jackson, A Strange Loop
Outstanding book of a musical
Michael R Jackson, A Strange Loop
Outstanding orchestrations
Tom Kitt, Jagged Little Pill
Outstanding music in a play
Martha Redbone, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Outstanding scenic design for a play
Clint Ramos, Grand Horizons
Outstanding scenic design for a musical
Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge!
Outstanding costume design for a play
Rachel Townsend and Jessica Jahn, The Confession of Lily Dare
Outstanding costume design for a musical
Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge!
Outstanding lighting design for a play
Heather Gilbert, The Sound Inside
Outstanding lighting design for a musical
Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge!
Outstanding projection design
Luke Halls, West Side Story
Outstanding sound design for a play
Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid, The Inheritance
Outstanding sound design for a musical
Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge!
Outstanding wig and hair design
Campbell Young Associates, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Outstanding solo performance
Laura Linney, My Name is Lucy Barton
Unique theatrical experience
Is This A Room, Vineyard Theatre
Outstanding fight choreography
Thomas Schall, A Soldier’s Play
Outstanding adaptation
A Christmas Carol, by Jack Thorne