The New York Drama League Winners Are…. – front mezz junkies, Theater News

Darren Criss and Helen J Shen in Broadway’s Maybe Happy Ending. Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

Frontmezzjunkies reports: The NY Drama League Winners Announced

At a ceremony at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom, the esteemed New York Drama League announced the winners of their 2025 season, naming Will Aronson and Hue Park’s Maybe Happy Ending as this season’s most Outstanding Production of a Musical, while Cole Escola’s hit comedy Oh, Mary! was given the award for most Outstanding Production of a Play.

In a surprising, first-time in 25 years, turn in any category, Vanya, Simon Stephens’ adaptation of the famed Chekov play starring Andrew Scott, shared the Outstanding Revival of a Play award with Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day. Winning for most Outstanding Revival of a Musical was Sunset Blvd., Jamie Lloyd’s reimagining of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, along with Nicole Scherzinger, who was named the winner of its annual Distinguished Performance Award of the season for her performance in Broadway‘s Sunset Blvd.

*Andrew Scott in **Vanya** off-Broadway. Photos by Julieta Cervantes*.

For directing, Sam Pinkleton won the award for Outstanding Direction of a Play for Oh, Mary!, and Michael Arden won Outstanding Direction of a Musical for Maybe Happy Ending.

The Drama League, made up of industry professionals, producers, artists, audiences, and critics, first dispensed awards in 1922 and formalized the practice in 1935, making the Drama League Awards the oldest theatrical honors in America. Both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions are eligible.

Scherzinger took the (non-gendered) Distinguished Performance Award over a lengthy roster of other nominees, including Escola, George Clooney, Darren Criss, Jonathan Groff, Paul Mescal, Megan Hilty, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Denzel Washington.

(Projected onto the Screen L to R): Nicole Scherzinger as ‘Norma Desmond’ and Hannah Yun Chamberlain as ‘Young Norma’ with Tom Francis (seated) as ‘Joe Gillis’ in **SUNSET BLVD** on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Photo Credit Marc Brenner.

Since the Distinguished Performance Award can only be won once during a career, previous winners are ineligible for their performances for the 2024-2025 season, including Annaleigh Ashford, Danny Burstein, Norbert Leo Butz, Sutton Foster, Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Bernadette Peters.

Here is the complete list of nominees:

Conrad Ricamora and Cole Escola in “**Oh, Mary!**” Photo by Emilio Madrid.

Outstanding Production of a Play

The Antiquities
Becoming Eve
English
Good Bones
Good Night, and Good Luck
Here There are Blueberries
John Proctor Is the Villain
Liberation
**Oh, Mary!
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Purpose
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Walden

Amber Gray, Bill Irwin, and Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz in Manhattan Theatre Club’s Broadway premiere of **Eureka Day**. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

Outstanding Revival of a Play

The Cherry Orchard
**Eureka Day
Ghosts
Glengarry Glen Ross
Home
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
A Streetcar Named Desire
**Vanya
Wine in the Wilderness
Yellow Face

Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran in Almeida Theatre’s **A Streetcar Named Desire** at BAM. Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

Outstanding Production of a Musical

Boop! The Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Drag: The Musical
Just In Time
Macbeth in Stride
**Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves
Smash
Stephen Sondheim: Old Friends

The cast of **Cats – The Jellicle Ball** at PAC NYC. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

Outstanding Revival of a Musical

Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
The Last Five Years
Once Upon A Mattress
The Marriage of Figaro
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
**Sunset Blvd.
Urinetown

Cole Escola and Bianca Leigh in “**Oh, Mary!**” Photo by Emilio Madrid.

Outstanding Director of a Play

Knud Adams
English, Roundabout Theatre Company/Todd Haimes Theatre

Saheem Ali
Good Bones, The Public Theater

David Cromer
Good Night, And Good Luck, Winter Garden Theatre

**Sam Pinkleton
Oh, Mary!, Lyceum Theatre

Tyne Rafaeli
Becoming Eve, New York Theatre Workshop

Anna D. Shapiro
Eureka Day, Manhattan Theatre Club/Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Danya Taymor
John Proctor Is the Villain, Booth Theatre

Whitney White
Liberation, Roundabout Theatre Company/Laura Pels Theatre

Kip Williams
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Music Box Theatre

Sam Yates
Vanya, Lucille Lortel Theatre

Tom Francis (center holding camera) and the ensemble of **SUNSET BLVD** on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Photo Credit Marc Brenner.

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

**Michael Arden
Maybe Happy Ending, Belasco Theatre

Saheem Ali
Buena Vista Social Club, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

Christopher Gattelli
Death Becomes Her, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Robert Hastie
Operation Mincemeat, John Golden Theatre

Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch
Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Perelman Arts Center

Jamie Lloyd
Sunset Blvd., St. James Theatre

Jerry Mitchell
Boop! The Musical, Shubert Theatre

Susan Stroman
Smash, Imperial Theatre

Alex Timbers
Just In Time, Circle In The Square Theatre

Annie Tippe
Three Houses, Signature Theatre Company

Sergio Trujillo
Real Women Have Curves, James Earl Jones Theatre

George C. Wolfe
Gypsy, Majestic Theatre

Sarah Snook in **The Picture of Dorian Gray**, adapted, written, and directed by Kip Williams. Photo by Marc Brenner.

Distinguished Performance

Tala Ashe, English
Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
Stori Ayers, Home
Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Kit Connor, Romeo and Juliet
Tatianna Córdoba, Real Women Have Curves
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Kieran Culkin, Glengarry Glen Ross
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Tommy Dorfman, Becoming Eve
Robert Downey Jr., McNeal
Adam Driver, Hold On To Me Darling
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
Amber Gray, Eureka Day
David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Jonathan Groff, Just In Time
Jake Gyllenhaal, Othello
Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me In The Water

Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in Broadway’s **Death Becomes Her**. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Robyn Hurder, Smash
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Nick Jonas, The Last Five Years
Ramin Karimloo, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Gracie Lawrence, Just In Time
Beth Leavel, Stephen Sondheim: Old Friends
Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Idina Menzel, Redwood
Paul Mescal, A Streetcar Named Desire
Jinkx Monsoon, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Marjan Neshat, English
Sandra Oh, The Welkin
Lily Rabe, Ghosts

Jasmine Amy Rogers and the Company of **Boop! The Musical** on Broadway. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical
Lea Salonga, Stephen Sondheim: Old Friends
**Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Andrew Scott, Vanya
Helen J Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Ephraim Sykes, Our Town
Alaska Thunderfuck, Drag: The Musical
Adrienne Warren, The Last Five Years
Denzel Washington, Othello
Joy Woods, Gypsy
Kara Young, Purpose and Table 17

Sutton Foster and the cast of Encores! **Once Upon a Mattress**. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Previous Distinguished Performance Award Winners

Annaleigh Ashford, All In
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
Norbert Leo Butz, Vladimir
Sutton Foster, Once Upon A Mattress
Neil Patrick Harris, Shit. Meet. Fan.
Patti LuPone, The Roommate
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Lin-Manuel Miranda, All In
Bernadette Peters, Stephen Sondheim: Old Friends

Danny Burstein, Joy Woods & Audra McDonald in GYPSY – Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

Special Recognitions

Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater – Lea Salonga
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing – Whitney White
Contribution to the Theater – Kate Navin and Audible Theater
Gratitude Award – Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron

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