The 13th David Desk Awards

It's time for the annual David Desk Awards based on all theater I saw during the 2023-24 Broadway and Off-Broadway theater season. I missed last year because of work commitments. Merrily We Roll Along is included because I missed it Off-Broadway during 2022-23. Suffs is counted as a new musical since Shaina Taub has extensively revised it since its Off-Broadway production in 2022. All of those listed are winners in my book.

Outstanding Play:

Jim Parson, Jessica Lange and 
Celia Keenan-Bolger in Mother Play
Credit: Joan Marcus

The Comeuppance (Branden Jacobs-Jenkins)
Corruption (J.T. Rogers)
Infinite Life (Annie Baker)
Mother Play (Paula Vogel)
Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy (Sarah Gancher)
Stereophonic (David Adjmi)
Wet Brain (John J. Caswell, Jr.)

Outstanding Musical:

Buena Vista Social Club

Dead Outlaw

Hell’s Kitchen

Here We Are

Suffs

Teeth

Water for Elephants

Outstanding Revival of a Play:

Appropriate

An Enemy of the People

Mary Jane

Purlie Victorious

Outstanding Revival of a Musical:

Gutenberg! The Musical!

I Can Get It for You Wholesale

Merrily We Roll Along

The Who’s Tommy

Outstanding Lead Actress n a Play:

Gabby Beans (Jonah)

Sheria Irving (Sally and Tom)

Jessica Lange (Mother Play)

Cynthia Nixon (The Seven Year Disappear)

Nicole Ari Parker (The Refuge Plays)

Sarah Paulsen (Appropriate)

Sarah Pidgeon (Stereophonic)

Juliet Stevenson (The Doctor)

Jay O. Sanders and William Harper Jackson
in Primary Trust
Credit: Joan Marcus

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play:

William Jackson Harper (Primary Trust, Uncle Vanya)

Michael Stuhlbarg (Patriots)

Toby Stephens (Corruption)

Jeremy Strong (An Enemy of the People)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical:

Natalie Venetia Belcon (Buena Vista Social Club)

Alyse Alan Louis (Teeth)

Lindsay Mendez (Merrily We Roll Along)

Maleah Joi Moon (Hell's Kitchen)

Kelli O'Hara (Days of Wine and Roses)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical:

Ali Louis Bourzgui (The Who's Tommy)

Brian d'Arcy James (Days of Wine and Roses)

Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw)

Santino Fontana (I Can Get It for You Wholesale)

Jonathan Groff (Merrily We Roll Along)

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play:

Christine Lahti (Russian Troll Farm) 

April Matthis (Primary Trust, Mary Jane)

Kara Young (Purlie Victorious)

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play:

Will Brill (Stereophonic)

Andrey Burkovesiky (Our Class)

Will Keen (Patriots)

Jay O. Sanders (Primary Trust, Purlie Victorious)

Michael Siberry (Corruption)

Lance Codie Williams (The Refuge Plays)

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical:

Julia Lester (I Can Get It for You Wholesale)

Kecia Lewis (Hell's Kitchen)

Leslie Kritzer Rodriguez (Monty Python's Spamalot)

Jennifer Simard (Once Upon a One More Time)

Emily Skinner (Suffs)

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical:

Jeb Brown (Dead Outlaw)

Denis O'Hare (Here We Are)

Daniel Radcliffe (Merrily We Roll Along)

Outstanding Solo Performance

Eddie Izzard Performing Hamlet

Patrick Page (All the Devils Are Here)

Outstanding Director (Play):

Daniel Aukin (Stereophonic)

Sam Gold (An Enemy of the People)

Igor Golyak (Our Class)

Rupert Goold (Patriots)

Kenny Leon (Purlie Victorious)

Lila Neugebauer (Appropriate)

Bartlett Sher (Corruption)

Outstanding Director (Musical):

David Comer (Dead Outlaw)

Trip Cullman (I Can Get It for You Wholesale)

Michael Greif (Hell's Kitchen)

Maria Friedman (Merrily We Roll Along)

Jessica Stone (Water for Elephants)

Outstanding Choreography:

Camille A. Brown (Hell’s Kitchen)

Justin Peck (Illinoise)

Jesse Robb, Shana Carroll (Water for Elephants)

Outstanding Set Design:

dots (Appropriate)

Kate Noll (Wet Brain)

Jan Pappelbaum (Our Class)

David Zinn (Stereophonic)

Outstanding Costume Design:

Linda Cho (The Great Gatsby)

Sharen Davis (The Wiz)

Gregory Gale (Ibsen’s Ghost)

Paul Tazewell (Suffs)

Outstanding Lighting Design:

Jane Cox (Appropriate)

Jane Cox, Stacey Derosier (Teeth)

Brian MacDevitt (The Outsiders)

Outstanding Projection/Video Design:

59 Productions (Corruption)

Peter Negrini (The Who’s Tommy)

Ash J. Woodward (Patriots)

Outstanding Puppet Design:

Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman and Camille Labarre (Water for Elephants)