70th Drama Desks Spread the Wealth

Nygel D. Robinson and Brian
Quijada of Mexodus, won 
for Outstanding Book and Music
at the Drama Desk Awards.

Two Broadway shows, The Balusters and Schmigadoon, won the top awards of Outstanding Play and Musical at the 70th annual Drama Desk Awards, presented on May 17 at Town Hall in a three-hour ceremony. The remainder of the 36 awards and seven special awards were distributed among 18 other productions both on and Off-Broadway. Unlike the Broadway-only Tonys, the DDs include on, Off and Off-Off-Broadway in each of its multiple categories. The revival of Ragtime took home the most awards with five including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Director (Lear de Bessonet), two for Lead Musical Performance (Joshua Henry and Caissie Levy) and Featured Musical Performance (Ben Levi Ross). Death of a Salesman won four including Outstanding Revival of a Play, Director of a Play (Joe Mantello, winning his fourth DD), Lighting and Set Design for a Play. This places Balusters, Schmigadoon, Salesman and Ragtime in the frontrunner positions of the upcoming Tony Awards on June 7.

The show was hosted by Marla Mindelle, star and co-author of Titanique now on Broadway which received DD nominations for its Off-Broadway run. Mindelle joked that the awards were named for Andromeda Desk, an obscure actress, and performed a brief musical number with two dancers from Death Becomes Her. She also performed an introductory comedy monologue, quipping that We'll I Let You Go was what her agent said after a bad audition for In Transit.

Presenters included Beth Leavel, Bryce Pinkham, Constance Wu, Norbert Leo Butz, Christopher Fitzgerald, Donna McKechnie, BD Wong, Doug Wright, Bess Wohl, Jenn Colella, Ethan Slater, Javier Muñoz, Nikiya Mathis, Daniel Breaker, Helen J Shen, Whitney White, Alex Brightman, Ann Harada, Hunter Foster, Lea DeLaria, Zhailon Levingston, John Ortiz, Whitney Leavitt, Jasmine Cephas-Hones, Ali Louis Bourzgui, Liisi LaFontaine, Solea Pfeiffer, David Zayas, Liza Colon Zayas, Jon Cryer, Paul Tazewell, Rafael Espinal of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Qween Jean, Mark Strong, and Zhailon Levingston. 

The presenter banter by Kevin Zak was brief and witty. Lea DeLaria did ad-lib brilliantly as John Lithgow, winner of Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play for Giant, made his way to the stage by improvising a song "Take your time, John Lithgow." Lithgow hugged co-presenter BD Wong and revealed he had lost a Drama Desk Award when he co-starred with Wong in M. Butterfly in 1988. Lithgow said he did some research and found out this was his fifth Drama Desk Award. He also revealed his co-winner in the category, Lesley Manville for Oedipus, also won with him last year when they both were victorious at the Olivier Awards when both shows were in London. They might repeat theirs wins at the Tonys. Four years ago, the DDs made all performance categories non-gendered, doubled the number of nominees, and changed the rules so the top two voter-getters both win. Sometimes, two men win, sometimes two women, sometimes one of each gender. In the case of ties, there have been three winners. The only tie this year was for choreography which was shared by Schmigadoon and Cats: The Jellicle Ball.

The most memorable acceptance gesture was provided by Christopher Lowell of the Marjorie Prime outstanding ensemble who set offer a series of confetti canons on his way to the stage.

Cynthia Nixon, Christopher Lowell,
and Danny Burstein
accept Outstanding Ensemble for
Marjorie Prime.

Entertainment was provided by Liz Callaway singing "The Story Goes On" from Baby by David Shire and Richard Maltby Jr, honorees for the William Wolf Award. The songwriting team whose About Time was named Outstanding Revue earlier in the evening, gave their acceptance speeches from the audience. There was also a medley of songs from Disney musicals performed by Rodney Ingram, Kissy Simmons, Sierra Boggess, Ainsley Melham, and Zachary Noah Piser in tribute to Thomas Schumacher, former president of Disney Theatrical Productions who was receiving the Harold S. Prince Award. 

A video presentation hosted by Drama Desk Historian Leslie Hoban Blake documented the history of the Drama Desks and featured interviews with six Drama Desk icons--Gretchen Cryer, Andre De Shields, Richard Maltby Jr., Austin Pendleton, Jennifer Tipton, and Maury Yeston. The icons then come on stage to receive bouquets of flowers and a standing ovation. There was also an announcement that the following year's ceremony with take place at the Shed.

This year’s awards were produced by Drama Desk Awards Productions, a venture of Scene Partners in partnership with the Season. Chaired by the Martha Wade Steketee (UrbanExcavations.com), the 2026 nominating committee which saw and considered 270 productions this season includes Linda Armstrong (Amsterdam News), Daniel Dinero (Theater Is Easy), Peter Filichia (Broadway Radio), Kenji Fujishima (freelance, Theatermania), Margaret Hall (Playbill.com) and Raven Snook (TDF).  Charles Wright and David Barbour are co-presidents. The Drama Desk considers Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway in each of its multiple categories. 

Here is a list of the 2025-26 Drama Desk nominees and winners:

Outstanding Play
Caroline, by Preston Max Allen
Cold War Choir Practice, by Ro Reddick
Meet the Cartozians, by Talene Monahon
Prince Faggot, by Jordan Tannahill
WINNER - The Balusters, by David Lindsay-Abaire
The Porch on Windy Hill, by Sherry Stregack Lutken, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Morgan Morse, and David M. Lutken
Well, I’ll Let You Go, by Bubba Weiler

Outstanding Musical
Beau the Musical
Mexodus
WINNER - Schmigadoon!
The Seat of Our Pants
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Off-B'way Review: Kenrex; Masquerade

Jack Holden in Kenrex.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

It’s hard to believe that Jack Holden is British since the solo star and co-writer of Kenrex, the one-man thriller at the Lortel Theater after an Olivier-winning run in London, so convincingly recreates an entire American Midwestern town in the midst of a crisis. Based on an actual case, this true-crime narrative focuses on the tiny municipality of Skidmore, Missouri where the title character bullied and dominated everyone around him until the law-abiding citizens could take no more. Kenneth Rex McElroy stole cattle, committed arson and rape, and even attempted murder, but got away with each of his numerous offenses thanks to a slick attorney. Feeling betrayed by the legal system, the Skidmoreans finally took the law into their own hands. Holden and co-author Ed Stambollouian, who also directs with imagination, tells this grim story through the eyes of a disillusioned prosecutor. It’s a chilling cautionary tale leaving this viewer severely shaken and unsure of what he would have done had he been there in Skidmore that day in 1981 when Kenrex met his fate.

Augmented by the symphonic, immersive sound design by Giles Thomas and John Patrick Elliott’s pulsating score combining rock and country idioms, the tale unfolds with hypnotic intensity, starting with the frantic 911 call by Kenrex’s hysterical teenage bride and then progressing through interviews with the prosecutor and the FBI to flashbacks of Kenrex’s decades-long reign of terror. 

Drama League Awards to Josh Henry, Mexodus, Liberation

Joshua Henry of Ragtime won
the Drama League Award for 
Outstanding Performance.

The 92nd Drama League Awards were presented on May 15 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom to Joshua Henry (Outstanding Performance) of Ragtime (which was named Outstanding Revival of a Musical), Mexodus (Outstanding Production of a Musical), and Liberation (Outstanding Production of a Play). Additional winners included Death of a Salesman (Revival of a Play) and its director Joe Mantello (Director of a Play). Lear de Besonnet was voted Outstanding Director of a Musical for Ragtime. Frank DiLella of NY-1 hosted the ceremony. Presenters included Bryan Cranston, Bebe Neuwirth, Nathan Lane, Brian Stokes Mitchell, John Lithgow, Christopher Ashley and Whitney White. Even though Liberation was presented Off-Broadway last season, Drama League rules permit for transfers from Off-Broadway to on to be considered in both years. Joshua Henry has already won the Outer Critics Circle Award and is nominated for the Drama Desk and Tony.

The previously announced Special Honorees were presented as follows: Tony Award-winning producer David Stone presented the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater award to the Olivier and Grammy-nominated actress Caissie Levy; Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning actor and playwright Tracy Letts presented the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing to Tony Award-winning director David Cromer; Tony Award winning actor and director Ruben Santiago-Hudson presented the Contribution to the Theater Award to Executive Producer of the Apollo Theater Kamilah Forbes; and Tony Award-winning scenic designer David Rockwell presented the Gratitude Award to Tony nominee and Olivier Award winner Scott Ellis.

A complete list of winners follows:

Book Review: Too Much Money

(Bought at the Center for Fiction bookstore in Brooklyn for $5): After having read the memoirs of Dominick Dunne and his son Griffin, I picked up this last novel of Dunne's on a cart of discounts in Brooklyn. It's like eating an entire box of chocolates. You know it's not good for you, but the treats are so sweet and yummy, you keep munching on them. At barely over 260 pages, the story flies by. Dunne's stand-in Gus Bailey, an intrepid high-society journalist faces twin crises--a slander lawsuit and the wraith of a wealthy widow who may or may not have engineered her husband's death in a fire. Meanwhile, a disgraced financier and his ambitious wife plot to regain a foothold in New York Page Six land after his release from prison. They made numerous philanthropic contributions (Now I know why the NY Public Library was renamed.) 

I suppose part of the fun of Dunne's books is guessing who his ultra-rich, entitled characters are based on. Brooke Astor, Klaus von Bulow, Barbara Walters, Larry King make appearances. I'm not familiar enough with the upper echelons of Gotham grandeur to recognize all of the dramatis personae, but it's great deal of juicy fun to follow their vicious doings. It appears Dunne worked on this final tell-all as he was dying and wanted to get some final licks in. 

I imagine this is what Truman Capote's Answered Prayers would have been like if he ever finished it. I needed a quick light read and this was it. There's too much repetition of events as if we're watching a soap opera and may have forgotten the events of yesterday's episode. But that's a minor quibble. Perhaps I'll try some of Dunne's earlier, longer works.

B'way Update: Paranormal Activity; Celebrity Autobiography; Etc.

Melissa James and Patrick Heusinger in
Paranormal Activity in London.
Credit: Johan Persson

As the 2025-26 theatrical season draws to a close, there's lots of news about the 2026-27 schedule. Two new off-beat productions have been announced, a Shakespeare revival from London finds a home and dates, an Off-Broadway revival with a rotating star-filled cast is coming, and Weird Al Yankovic is working on a show.

Paranormal Activity: A New Story Live on Broadway (in case you think it's a movie), a new play inspired by the popular film franchise, will begin previews at the August Wilson Theater on Aug. 14 prior to a Sept. 15 opening. Written by Levi Holloway (Grey House) and directed by Felix Barrett (Sleep No More), the production will come to Broadway directly from its run in Boston, following stands in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and San Francisco as well as an Oliver-nominated edition in London's West End.

The plot follows James and Lou who have relocated from Chicago to London in hopes of escaping their past, but they discover "place aren't haunted, people are."

Meanwhile, the first show of the 2026-27 season will open soon. Celebrity Autobiography, the revue featuring actors reading from the memoirs of famous people, will return to the New York stage for a summer run. The show which will feature a rotating cast starts previews at the Shubert Theater May 16, opens May 18 and runs througb Aug. 16. Autobiography played the Triad Theater Off-Broadway in 2008-09 and won a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience.

The opening night cast includes Scott Adsit, Mario Cantone, Jeff Hiller, Jackie Hoffman, Gayle King, Andrea Martin, Bobby Moynihan, Ben Mankiewicz (of TCM), Kenan Thompson, Nia Vardalos, and Rita Wilson.

Speaking of rotating all-star casts, Eric Bentley's Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?, about the 1950s House UnAmerican Activities Committee hearings, will also have a limited summer run and feature a revolving company. Tony winner Anna D. Shapiro (August: Osage County) directs. The cast(s) have yet to be announced. Performances at New York City Center Stage I begin June 2. The play which features transcripts from the HUAC testimony of Jerome Robbins, Lillian Hellman, Arthur Miller, Sterling Hayden and many others played Off-Broadway in the 1970s. There was a brief Broadway run in 1979.

Book Review: The Little Friend

(Borrowed from the 40th St. NYPL)  I enjoyed Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch and The Secret History, so I thought I'd give this second novel of hers a try. It was certainly involving and absorbing and kept me interested for over 600 pages. The characters were portrayed with detail and compassion, even the slimy criminals. It reminded me of To Kill a Mocking Bird. Twelve-year-old Harriet spends a summer in the 1970s in her small Mississippi town searching for the killer of her brother who has found strung up on a tree ten years ago. The town of Alexandria comes alive in Tartt's fascinating descriptions. I loved Harriet's no-nonsense grandmother Edie and the put-upon yet determined black housekeeper Ida Rhew. Edie's many sisters and the downtrodden Ratcliffe clan also are vibrantly portrayed.

The exact time period was a little unclear. The many TV, movie and music references ring true, but they are not consistent. Ida and Harriet's sister Allison are obsessed with Dark Shadows, the supernatural TV soap opera, which ended in 1971 yet a child has a Star Wars figure which didn't come to theaters until 1977.  

Without revealing any spoilers, the ending left me confused and unsatisfied, but I relished the entire book. Tartt is a major talent.

Ragtime and Schmigadoon Tie for Most OCC Awards

Ragtime won 5 OCC Awards.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

Ragtime and Schmigadoon have tied for the most awards bestowed by the Outer Critics Circle, receiving five each. Ragtime was voted Outstanding Musical Revival and Schmigadoon won for Outstanding Broadway Musical. The OCC, founded during the 1949-50 Broadway season, is composed of about 85 writers on theater for national, out-of-town, and digital media, and divides between Broadway and Off-Broadway in some categories and combines them in others. The awards will be presented on May 21 at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center. Mexodus was named Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical. David Lindsay-Abaire's The Balusters won for Outstanding Broadway Play and Talene Monahan's Meet the Cartozians was voted Outstanding Off-Broadway Play. The John Gassner Award for a new play preferably by a new playwright will be shared by Ro Reddick's Cold War Choir Practice and Bubba Weiller's Well, I'll Let You Go, since the two plays received an equal number of votes.

Read the full list of nominees and winners below:

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
The Lost Boys
WINNER - Schmigadoon!
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Beau the Musical
Goddess
WINNER - Mexodus
Oratorio for Living Things
Saturday Church

Outstanding New Broadway Play
WINNERS - The Balusters
Giant
Little Bear Ridge Road
Oedipus
Punch

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Angry Alan
WINNER - Meet the Cartozians
The Monsters
Prince Faggot
The Reservoir

John Gassner Award (for a new American play preferably by a new playwright)
Call Me Izzy, Jamie Wax
Caroline, Preston Max Allen
WINNER - Cold War Choir Practice, Ro Reddick (tie)
Data, Matthew Libby
WINNER - Well, I'll Let You Go, Bubba Weiler (tie)

Off-B'way Review: Hamlet at BAM

Hiran Abeysekera in Hamlet.
Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Is Hamlet actually mad? That’s a question that has bedeviled scholars since the first performance of Shakespeare’s greatest play and is rarely addressed in modern productions. Most stagings I have seen (at least 20 on stage, film or TV that I can recall) assume that the Melancholy Dane’s antic disposition is a put-on job to distract from his investigation of his uncle Claudius murdering the king, Hamlet’s father. Robert Hastie’s elegant, somewhat flawed production imported from the National Theater to BAM’s Harvey stage, leaves the question of the hero’s sanity open and thus delivers an intriguing and challenging interpretation of one of the world’s most produced classics. 

Set in an opulent ballroom (Ben Stones designed the majestic sets and smart costumes, creatively lit by Jessica Hung Han Yun) and starring a youthful, frenetic lead (vibrant Hiran Abeysekera), this Hamlet takes a fresh, different approach to a familiar classic and finds new insights. 

Hiran Abeysekera and Matthew Cottle in
Hamlet. Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Take for example the closet scene wherein Hamlet murders the elderly advisor Polonius mistaking him for the treacherous Claudius. Without revealing any spoilers, Hastie’s staging is truly shocking and surprising, causing the audience to doubt Hamlet’s sanity…and perhaps their own. Hastie then has the Dane address empty air rather than the actor playing the ghost of his father (as per usual), further complicating our perceptions. Was the ghost an illusion the whole time, a figment of Hamlet’s fevered imagination? 

Theater World Awards

Elliot Levey, Rachael Stirling and
John Lithgow in Giant.

Theater awards just keep pouring in. The winners and location of the 80th Theater World Awards for outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway debut performances have been announced. The awards will be presented on June 2 at the Longacre Theater, home of Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Theater journalist Peter Filichia will host. Rachael Stirling of Giant will receive the 17th annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in Theater. 

2026 Theatre World Award Honorees
For Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance
during the 2025-2026 theatrical season

Ben Ahlers, Death of a Salesman
LJ Benet, The Lost Boys
Madeline Brewer, Becky Shaw
Adrien Brody, The Fear of 13
Ayo Edebiri, Proof
Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw
Luke Evans, The Rocky Horror Show
Will Harrison, Punch
River Lipe-Smith, Caroline
Lesley Manville, Oedipus
Robert "Silk" Mason, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

The Theatre World Award honorees are chosen by the Theatre World Awards Committee which is comprised of Linda Armstrong (Amsterdam News), David Cote (The Observer), Joe Dziemianowicz (New York Daily News, Emeritus), Peter Filichia (The Newark Star-Ledger, Emeritus), David Finkle (New York Stage Review), Elysa Gardner (USA Today, Emeritus), Cary Wong (Freelance), and Frank Scheck (The Hollywood Reporter).

Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! Lead Tony Noms; Liberation Wins Pulitzer

Schmigadoon! received 10 Tony noms.
Credit: Matthew Murphy and 
Evan Zimmerman.

The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! tied for the most Tony nominations with 12 each including Best Musical. The nominations were announced on May 5 by Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss on CBS Good Morning and then on the Tony Awards's YouTube channel from the Sofitel Hotel. The awards presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing will be presented on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall and broadcast by CBS. CBS and Pluto TV will present The Tony Awards: Act One, a pre-show of live, exclusive content leading into the 79th Annual Tony Awards. Additional details will be available at a future date.

The Tonys are strikingly different this year from the Drama Desks which include Off-Broadway in all their categories. The DDs gave two Off-Broadway musicals Mexodus and Beau: The Musicals the most noms with ten each. The Lost Boys received only five DD noms in design categories and Schmigadoon! got 4. The Outer Critics Circle, on the other hand, were more generous with Lost Boys, nominating the vampire musical for 11 awards, their highest amount.

Bess Wohl's Liberation won the Pulitzer
and is nominated for the Best Play Tony.
Credit: Joan Marcus

The other Tony nominees for Best Musical are Titanique and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). The nominees for Best Play are The Balusters, Giant, Liberation and Little Bear Ridge Road. Liberation won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama the day before and Little Bear Ridge Road was named Best Play of the season by the New York Drama Critics Circle last week. (Runners-up for the Pulitzer were Bowl EP and Meet the Cartozians.) Musical pickings were so slim this year two dramatic plays (Death of a Salesman and Joe Turner's Come and Gone) received nominations for Best Original Score.

There were a number of surprises and omissions. Art, Beaches, Proof, and The Queen of Versailles were totally ignored and The Fear of 13 only garnered two nods in the design categories. Prominent names who received no Tony love include Adrien Brody, Lea Michele, Ayo Edebrini, Jean Smart, Don Cheadle, and Keanu Reeves. Chess was left out of the Best Musical Revival category, though there are only three shows in that slot.

If Schmigadoon! wins Best Musical
we will get Schmicago on Broadway?

The big battle will probably be for the top Tony prize of Best Musical with The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! as the frontrunners. I liked both shows, but Schmigadoon! has a slight edge for me. I'm really hope this parody musical wins so that we can get Schmicago, the second season of the TV series on stage, and then Into the Schmoods, the unfilmed third season either on the air or on stage--or both.

In the acting categories, Joshua Henry of Ragtime is the only sure winner in my view with most of the other slots up for grabs. Best Actor in a Play will go to either Nathan Lane or John Lithgow, both previous winners (Lane three times and Lithgow twice). Lesley Manville should get Best Actress in a Play, even though her show Oedipus has closed and she's back in London. Best Actress in a Musical is a real toss-up with no clear front runner. My favorite is Sara Chase in Schmigadoon!

Legitimate theatrical productions opening in any of the 41 eligible Broadway theatres during the current season may be considered for Tony nominations. The 2025/2026 eligibility season began April 28, 2025 and ended April 26, 2026. The Tony Awards will be voted in 26 competitive categories by 857 designated Tony voters within the theatre community.

B'way Reviews: Joe Turner's Come and Gone; Proof; The Rocky Horror Show

The 2025-26 Broadway season closes out with a trio of strong revivals of diverse shows—Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Proof, and The Rocky Horror Show. Each offers a vastly different theatrical experience, pushing a dissimilar set of sensory buttons, but all share the thrill of connecting audiences to thoughtful examinations of timeless issues. Well, the last one is really about having a good dirty time.

Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji P. Henson
in Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Debbie Allen’s production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone leans a little heavily on broad humor, but still imparts the author’s searing indictment of the traumatic effect of institutional racism on the African-American community. This is Wilson’s third play in his decade-by-decade examination of the black experience in America in the 20th century (premiering on Broadway in 1988 after Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Fences) and the second one chronologically. Set in a 1911 Pittsburgh boarding house, the play follows the residents’ struggles as they deal with the restrictions and devastation wrought by the white majority in the aftermath of slavery. With the exception of Seth and Bertha Holly, the owners of the house (top-billed Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji P. Henson), they all lead a transitory existence, searching for a stable life. Cedric is firmly grounded in Seth’s no-nonsense approach of maintaining order in his house and expanding his metalwork business. At times, Henson relies too much on comic bits of business, but she clearly delineates Bertha’s motherly rule over her boarders. 

Joshua Boone and Ruben Santiago-Hudson
in Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
Credit: Julieta Cervantes

The mysterious Herald Loomis (blazingly intense Joshua Boone), accompanied by his little daughter Zonia (a professional Savannah Commodore at the performance attended), is searching for his wife. They were separated when Loomis was abducted by Joe Turner of the title, a white “man-catcher” who abducted African-American men into enforced labor under the guise of the law. Cocky young Jeremy Furrow (bubbly and fun Tripp Taylor) bounces from job to job and woman to woman while entering blues contests with his guitar. Mattie Campbell (sympathetic Nimene Sierra Wureh) desperately clings to Jeremy after losing a baby and then her man. But flirtatious Molly Cunningham (delightfully seductive Maya Boyd) entrances Jeremy away. Offering solace and curing charms is the sage folk healer Bynum Walker (majestic and subtly commanding Ruben Santiago-Hudson).

Mexodus Tops Lortel Winners

Nygel D. Robinson and Brian Quijada  in Mexodus. 
Credit: Curtis Brown

Mexodus, the two-character musical about African-American migration from the salve states to Mexico, won the most awards at the 2026 Lortel Awards, presented on May 3. The show currently played at the Daryl Roth Theater after an earlier engagement at the Minetta Lane, took four awards including Outstanding Musical, Director, Lead Performance in a Musical (Nygel D. Robinson who also co-wrote the chow with castmate Brian Quijada), and Sound Design. Jordan Tannahill's Prince Faggot was voted Outstanding Play. The Awards presented for excellence in Off- and Off-Off-Broadway theater were distributed in a ceremony at NYU Skirball hosted by Alex Moffat (“SNL,” “Bigfoot!”) and presenters Patrick Ball (“The Pitt,” “Becky Shaw”), Maya Boyd (“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”) Susannah Flood (“Liberation”), Stephanie Hsu (“The Rocky Horror Show,”) Aasif Mandvi (“Fallen Angels,”), and Lea Michele (“Chess”). The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League and Lucille Lortel Theatre, with additional support provided by TDF. 

Special honorees this year include Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Mia Katigbak, performer and founder of the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), whose honor was presented by Francis Jue; and legendary composer and lyricist William Finn, who was posthumously inducted onto the famed Playwrights’ Sidewalk with a tribute performance featuring frequent Finn collaborators Carolee Carmello, Lilli Cooper, Mary Testa, and Chip Zien, and presented by David Stone and James Lapine. In addition, the Off-Broadway League presented George Forbes with the first ever Paul Libin Leadership Award, a new annual honor recognizing a member of the Off-Broadway League who exemplifies extraordinary leadership, whether over the course of a distinguished career or through a singular moment of impact, mentorship, and service to the Off-Broadway community. The In Memoriam segment was accompanied by a performance of Bobby Darin’s “The Curtain Falls” by Isa Briones, currently appearing in “Just in Time” on Broadway.

Off-B'way Update: Public Theater 2026-27 Season

Jacob Ming-Trent in How Shakespare Saved
My Life.
Credit: Kevin Berne

The Public Theater has announced its schedule for the fall and winter of the 2026-27 season. The roster includes a wide variety of solos, new plays, musicals and adaptations of the classics. First up is How Shakespeare Saved My Life, Jacob Ming-Trent's one-man exploration of his lifelong connection with the Bard (opens Sept. 27). This is a production of Red Bull Theater in a co-production with Berkeley Rep and Folger Theater.

Ryan J. Haddad's autobiographical play Good Time Charlie follows (opening Oct. 9).  As a young man, Charlie dreamt of a life on the stage, but his parents thought dentistry sounded better, so he channeled his passion for culture into his nephew Ryan—a fellow theater-loving gay kid with Broadway ambitions. Haddad will star in his play with additional cast to be announced.

The West End production of
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Credit: Marc Brenner

Next up is the musical version of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald story about a man who ages backwards. This musical transplants the story from New Orleans (as depicted in the film version starring Brad Pitt) to a Cornish fishing village on the coast of Great Britain. (opens Oct. 21.) This North American premiere follows a hit run in London's West End.

Richard Nelson's Apple family returns to the Public with We'll See which takes place on the night of the midterm Congressional elections (opens Nov. 3). This is the latest in Nelson's Rhinebeck Panorama about three families in the upstate New York town dealing with local and national issues. Sally Murphy, Maryann Plunkett, Laila Robbins and Jay O. Sanders return to their roles as the Apple siblings. Additional casting to be announced.

Stephen Kunken, Sally Murphy, Maryann Plunkett,
Laila Robbins, Jon DeVries and Jay O. Sanders
as the Apple Family in Regular Singing (2013 at the Public)
Credit: Joan Marcus

B'way Update: Evita to Transfer

Rachel Zeigler and cast in Evita in London.
Credit: Marc Brenner

Rachel Zeigler (West Side Story film, Romeo and Juliet) will recreate her Olivier Award-winning performance in the title role of Evita on Broadway next spring at a Shubert theater to be announced, but without the controversial balcony rendition of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." In Jamie Lloyd's London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's bio-musical featured Zeigler performing the show's most famous song on a balcony facing the street outside the theater while the audience saw it on a giant screen. Safety concerns were sited as the reason for the change. This minimalist version began life in 2019 in London's Regent Park and then transferred to the West End. 

"I was completely overwhelmed by the incredible response to Evita in London," says Lloyd in a statement. "It is an honor to work with Tim and Andrew, and I’m looking forward to revisiting the production with Rachel, whose stellar performance continues to inspire me. When we started discussing a New York production, it became apparent that our Palladium staging of ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ would not be possible. I am really excited to explore a new idea, made especially for Broadway." Lloyd's production of Much Ado About Nothing will also transfer to Broadway this upcoming season.

"Performing Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s brilliant show in London was a dream come true, but being able to partner once again with Jamie to bring Evita to Broadway is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," adds Zegler. "I can’t wait to perform for my home, New York City."

Evita, the story of the popular second wife of Argentina's president Juan Peron, was initially released as a concept album and then became a full production directed by Harold Prince in London in 1978, later transferring to Broadway and starring Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin. Madonna starred in the 1996 film version and there was a Broadway revival in 2012.

Little Bear, Ehrenreich, Salesman Win NYDCC Awards

Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock in
Little Bear Ridge Road.
Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Little Bear Ridge Road, Alden Ehrenreich of Becky Shaw, and the ensemble cast of Death of a Salesman were the winners of the 90th annual New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. The group opted to present no award for Best Musical. Costume designer Qween Jean, the playwright-director team of Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, and Lincoln Center Theater's revival of Ragtime were awarded special citations. The critics met on April 30 at the offices of Time Out New York to vote for their top choices of the 2025-26 NY theatrical season. The awards will be presented in a private ceremony on May 7 at 54 Below. 

Samuel D. Hunter's Little Bear Ridge Road which had a run on Broadway earlier in the season starring Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock, was the critics' choice for Best Play. (Metcalf also currently stars in Death of a Salesman and both shows were directed by Joe Mantello.) The play concerns a lonely gay young man connecting with his alienated aunt after the death of his father. Hunter previously won the Circle's award for Best Play in 2022 for A Case for the Existence of God. On the first ballot, Little Bear received the most votes, but not enough of a majority to be declared a winner by the group's by-laws. Shawn's What We Did Before Our Moth Days and Talene Malone's Meet the Cartozians were the runners-up. After voting to give a Best Play award, the critics went to a third, weighted ballot with each member voting for their top three picks. With this ballot, the leading candidates were (in order) Little Bear Ridge Road, Meet the Cartozians, Robert Icke's adaptation of Oedipus, and Moth Days. There was scattered support for Giant, Prince Faggot, Mother Russia, The Balusters, Cold War Choir Practice, and Well, I'll Let You Go. But there were still not enough votes for a clear majority.

A fourth ballot was held with the group only voting for their top three choices of the four leaders on a weighted ballot. Little Bear emerged victorious. This award is accompanied by a cash prize of $2,500, made possible by a grant from the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

Beau and Mexodus Top DD Noms List

Matt Rodin and Jeb Brown in Beau the Musical.
Credit: Valerie Terranova

Beau the Musical and Mexodus, two Off-Broadway musicals, topped the list of nominees for the 70th annual Drama Desk Awards with 10 nods each. Unlike the Broadway-only Tony Awards, the Drama Desks include on and Off-Broadway productions in all of its multiple categories. The only Broadway work in the Outstanding Play category is David Lindsay-Abaire's The Balusters. The nominees were announced on April 29 by Raul Esparza and Helen J Shen from the Lambs Club and streaming on Broadway.com's YouTube channel. 

The Lost Boys which received the most nominations from the Outer Critics Circle with 11, received only 5 noms from the DD in design categories and choreography (including flight choreography), but not for Outstanding Musical or any of the performances. Beaches, Dog Day Afternoon, Little Bear Ridge Road, Bug, Proof, Punch, Every Brilliant Thing, and Call Me Izzy were totally ignored.

The awards will be presented on May 17 at Town Hall in a ceremony hosted by Marla Mindelle, star and co-creator of Titanique which received nominations for its Off-Broadway run in 2023. This year’s awards will be produced by Drama Desk Awards Productions, a venture of Scene Partners in partnership with the Season. Chaired by the Martha Wade Steketee (UrbanExcavations.com), the 2026 nominating committee includes Linda Armstrong (Amsterdam News), Daniel Dinero (Theater Is Easy), Peter Filichia (Broadway Radio), Kenji Fujishima (freelance, Theatermania), Margaret Hall (Playbill.com) and Raven Snook (TDF).  Charles Wright and David Barbour are co-presidents. The Drama Desk considers Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway in each of its multiple categories. The acting categories are not gender-specific and the top two vote-getters are the winners. Multiple awards may be presented in the case of ties. The awards are voted on by about 100 DD members who are NY-based theater critics, reporters, and editors.

Complete List of the 2025-26 Drama Desk Award nominees:

Outstanding Play
Caroline, Preston Max Allen
Cold War Choir Practice, Ro Reddick
Meet the Cartozians, Talene Monahon
Prince Faggot, Jordan Tannahill
The Balusters, David Lindsay-Abaire
The Porch on Windy Hill, Sherry Stregnack Lutken, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Morgan Morse & David M. Lutken
Well, I’ll Let You Go, Bubba Weiler

Outstanding Musical
Beau the Musical
Mexodus
Schmigadoon!
The Seat of Our Pants
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Becky Shaw
Ceremonies in Dark Old Men
Death of a Salesman
Los Soles Truncos
Titus Andronicus
You Got Older

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Chess
Ragtime
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The Baker’s Wife
The Rocky Horror Show

B'way Update: Montauk at MTC; Tony, DD, NYDCC News

Laura Linney

Tony nominee and Emmy winner Laura Linney (The Little Foxes, The Big C) will return to Broadway in the world premiere of Montauk by Tony nominee and Olivier winner David Hare (Plenty, Skylight, The Vertical Hour), presented by Manhattan Theater Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater in spring 2027. Linney will be joining MTC in the new position of Artist-in-Residence, working on developing projects for upcoming seasons at MTC, as well as participating in MTC’s educational and community outreach programs. Tony winner Daniel Sullivan will direct, having worked with Linney at MTC before on Summer, 1976 and The Little Foxes.

Montauk is a visceral portrait of two artists with violently different approaches to art and life. Jared Speight is a stubborn titan of Long Island abstraction when star writer Roxy Margaux first becomes infatuated with his bravado. But over a decade of romantic and career entanglements, their different reasons for making art become painfully clear. The play was originally announced as a production by Scott Rudin with Laurie Metcalf to star.

“Laura Linney is one of the most versatile actors of our time,” said Artistic Director Nicki Hunter. “Her artistry, intelligence, and generosity make her the ideal partner for this brand-new initiative for MTC. We are thrilled to welcome her in this expanded capacity, cementing a commitment to working together in the future, and to collaborate on David Hare’s Montauk, directed by Daniel Sullivan. We’re proud to be giving this play its world premiere on Broadway.”
 
“I could not be more proud to be Manhattan Theatre Club’s first Artist-in-Residence,” Linney commented. “MTC has been my theatrical home for decades, and I feel very honored indeed to kick off this new position. Thank you, Nicki and Lynne!”

B'way/Off-B'way Reviews: The Lost Boys, Beaches, Fallen Angels, The Adding Machine

Two musicals based on films from the late 1980s are among the plethora of openings as the 2025-26 New York theater season comes to a close—one is a surprise hit (The Lost Boys), the other a disappointment (Beaches). In addition, there are two plays from the 1920s (Fallen Angels and The Adding Machine) representing very different dramatic sensibilities, but both with their merits.

LJ Benet and Ali Louis Bourzgui in
The Lost Boys.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

The Lost Boys had a lot going against before it premiered at the Palace. Broadway has had three previous vampire-themed tuners in recent memory—Dance of the Vampires, Lestat and Dracula. Each one deserved a stake through the heart and vanished into their graves after brief runs. But this latest venture into the horror genre is a genuinely scary, popcorn-crunching, Broadway equivalent of a hit summer movie. I was prepared to despise the show based on past bad bloodsucker experiences (I saw all three of the aforementioned bombs) and an overload of alienated-teen movies and TV shows, but I wound up loving The Lost Boys.

David Hornsby and Chris Hoch’s solid book adheres closely to Joel Schumacher’s cult 1987 film which spawned two direct-to-DVD sequels. One supporting character has been changed from a boy to a girl, a kindly grandpa is now deceased and resides in an urn of ashes, and another character’s possibly being gay is more explicitly addressed. But the main thrust of horror remains. Divorced mom Lucy Emerson (beautifully belting Shoshana Bean) and her two teen sons (properly sullen LJ Benet and spunky and funny Benjamin Pajak) relocate to her California beachside hometown to escape an abusive husband. Searching for community and attention, rebellious older offspring Michael falls in with with a punk rock band who just happen to be card-carrying members of the undead (led by charismatic, sexy Ali Louis Bourgui). 

LJ Benet, Ali Louis Bourzgui and cast in
The Lost Boys.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

The librettists find room for character development and nuance while maintaining a humorous edge. The family and the vampires are not just sources for jokes or screams, but credible people—within the fantasy context. Even the vampires have motivations for their bloodcurdling actions. The powerful rock score by The Rescues (Kyler England, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez and Gabriel Mann) delineates and expresses emotions without descending to cliche. The group is also responsible for the gorgeous harmonies in their vocal arrangements and effective orchestrations along with Ethan Popp. Kudos to Adam Fisher whose sound design allows this to be one of the rare rock scores where the lyrics are intelligible throughout. 

Michael Arden’s impressive direction makes full use of Dane Laffrey’s massive set, incorporating the full depth and height of the Palace stage. Two-story houses, creepy lairs, beachside boardwalks, treacherous train trestles fly in, out, up and down as do the demonic rockers thanks to the aerial design by Gwyneth Larsen and Billy Mulholland and aerial choreography by Lauren Yatango-Grant and Christopher Cree-Grant. Arden also stages several ingenious fantasy sequences with chorus members dressed as movie stereotypes of vampires and superheroes (the amusing costumes are by Ryan Park) zooming in and out of the background. There’s also an exciting, realistic motorcycle race. Arden is a magician, pulling impressive rabbit after rabbit out of his directorial hat, along with special effects designer Markus Maurette.

B'way Update: Cat and Yankees, etc.

Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in
Cat of a Hot Tin Roof.

A new production of Tennessee Williams' Cat of a Hot Tin Roof is headed for Broadway, scheduled to open sometime in the spring of 2027. Tony winner Sam Gold (Fun Home, A Doll's House, Part 2) will direct and Seaview will produce. Cat first opened on Broadway in 1955, winning the Pulitzer Prize. Barbara Bel Geddes, Ben Gazzara and Burl Ives starred as Maggie the Cat, her closeted husband Brick and Big Daddy. Ives repeated his performance in the 1958 movie version with Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. Subsequent Broadway productions have starred Elizabeth Ashley and Keir Dullea (1974), Kathleen Turner and Daniel Hugh Kelly (1990), Ashley Judd and Jason Patric (2003), Anika Noni Rose and Terrence Howard (2008), and Scarlett Johanssen and Benjamin Walker (2013). TV versions have been headlined by Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner, and Jessica Lange and Tommy Lee Jones. I saw Sandy Dennis and David Selby play the leads in summer stock. Cast and creative staff will be announced at a later date.

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is the pinnacle of what the theatre can do," says Gold in a statement. "Two of the greatest roles for actors in the cannon, delivered to us by the world’s most original playwright, at the very height of his poetic powers, exploring themes that feel as shockingly honest and blood boiling today as they did 70 years ago. I couldn't be more excited to bring this masterpiece back to New York next season."

"It's been such a gift to be making work with Sam Gold over the last four years,” adds Seaview co-founder and CEO Greg Nobile. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will mark our fifth production together, and I am certain Sam's vision to bring Tennessee's extraordinary and timeless characters to life next season will once again thrill and delight audiences."

 

B'way Review: The Balusters

Richard Thomas and Anika Noni Rose in
The Balusters.
Credit: Jeremy Daniel

In The Balusters, David Lindsay-Abaire’s scorching and stinging new comedy from Manhattan Theater Club at the Samuel J. Friedman, the titular “vertical molded shafts or posts used to support a handrail on staircases, balconies or railings” are the seemingly inconsequential catalyst in an outrageous war of cultures, values, and identity. The central focus is on a homeowners association’s meetings where nine diverse individuals clash over traffic signs, renovations, and aforementioned balusters. (The tenth character is the housekeeper of one of the board members and she’s vitally important to the story.) But their subtextual squabbles are over defending what each character regards as their way of life and what community means. Kenny Leon stages the action with a precise sense of timing and pace, letting the barely-buried resentments simmer just long enough and then boil over at the right moment.

Lindsay-Abaire, whose previous insightful and moving works include Kimberly Akimbo (both play and musical), Good People and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit Hole, builds a solid template with small details planted like time bombs ready to go off for maximum impact. The observations on cultural norms and political correctness are sharp and painfully true. They elicit riotous laughter and leave a painful ache as you realize their Swiftian conclusions on the pettiness of humans attempting to live together.

(Back row) Ricardo Chavira, Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Richard Thomas, (seated) Anika Noni Rose,
Kayli Carter, Jeena Yi and Marylouise Burke
in The Balusters.
Credit: Jeremy Daniel

The meetings are held in the well-appointed home of Kyra Marshall (assured Anika Noni Rose), an African-American professional (Derek McLane designed the handsome set).  She has just moved in and wants to make a good impression, having allowed her passions to get the better of her in her previous neighborhood. Her principal antagonist is older white real estate agent Elliot Emerson (Richard Thomas using smiles and joviality to hide the character’s deviousness.) Elliot who serves as the association’s long-time president and appears to be open to new ideas and people (“I’m a lifelong Democrat,” he protests), reacts with stony inflexibility at any change to his beloved historically-designated block. Thomas’ casting is resonant since he is most famous for playing John-Boy on The Waltons, which featured a sentimental view of the past shared by Elliot.

Lost Boys Finds the Most OCC Noms

OCC president David Gordon with Isa Briones
and Sepideh Moafi announcing the
Outer Critic Circle nominees.

The Lost Boys, the musical based on the 1987 vampire film, now in previews and set to open on April 26, received the most nominations for the 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards with 11. Mexodus, the Off-Broadway two-character historical musical, was next with 10 and Schmigadoon!, based on the Apple TV + series garnered 8.  The revival of Death of a Salesman was the most-nominated play with 6. The nominations were announced on April 20 at the Museum of Broadway by The Pitt stars Isa Briones (currently in Just in Time) and Sepideh Moafi (soon to appear in New Born at the Minetta Lane).

This year's nominees will be honored with a cocktail reception at West Bank Café April 27, with winners to be revealed May 11. An awards ceremony will be held May 21 at MMAC Theater.

The Outer Critics Circle was found in Founded during the 1949-50 Broadway season by theater journalist John Gassner. The group recognizes on and Off-Broadway excellence, with both separate and combined categories. The Outer Critics Circle is an association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations, and online news organizations, in America and abroad. Led by its current President David Gordon, the OCC Board of Directors also includes Vice President Richard Ridge, Recording Secretary Joseph Cervelli, Corresponding Secretary Patrick Hoffman, Treasurer David Roberts, Cynthia Allen, Harry Haun (1940-2026), Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler. Simon Saltzman is President Emeritus & Board Member (Non-nominating) and Stanley L. Cohen serves as Financial Consultant & Board Member (Non-nominating). 

LJ Bennet and Ali Louis Bourzgui in
The Lost Boys.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

2026 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
The Lost Boys
Schmigadoon!
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
 
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Beau the Musical
Goddess
Mexodus
Oratorio for Living Things
Saturday Church
 
Outstanding New Broadway Play
The Balusters
Giant
Little Bear Ridge Road
Oedipus
Punch

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Angry Alan
Meet the Cartozians
The Monsters
Prince Faggot
The Reservoir
 
John Gassner Award (for a new American play preferably by a new playwright)
Call Me Izzy by Jamie Wax
Caroline by Preston Max Allen
Cold War Choir Practice by Ro Reddick
Data by Matthew Libby
Well, I'll Let You Go by Bubba Weiler