Frontmezzjunkies reports: The Winners of the 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards
The winners of the 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced last night, Sunday, June 1st, hosted by Debra Messing and Tituss Burgess, at NYU Skirball (556 LaGuardia Place).
The Winners of the 2025 Drama Desk Awards:
Maybe Happy Ending is clearly the big winner of the night, with six outstanding wins: Outstanding Musical, Director for a Musical, Book, Lyrics, Music, and Scenic Design of a Musical. Just in Time rightly wins for Outstanding Orchestrations and Sound Design of a Musical.
Purpose wins for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play for Kara Young, with Eureka Day winning for Outstanding Revival of a Play. Stranger Things: The First Shadow wins three design awards, unsurprisingly for Outstanding Scenic Design, Lighting Design, and Sound Design of a Play. Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical went to Jack Knowles for Sunset Blvd..
Gypsy wins for Outstanding Revival of a Musical and another award goes to Audra for her turn as Mama Rose. Joining McDonald in the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical is Jasmine Amy Rogers for her fabulous portrayal of BOOP! The Musical. Along with that award, BOOP! The Musical dances in with two others for Outstanding Choreography and Costume Design for a Musical. Costume Design for a Play went to Dede Ayite for Our Town.
Laura Donnelly wins for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play for The Hills of California alongside Sarah Snook for The Picture of Dorian Gray, which also won two other awards, including Unique Theatrical Experience and Outstanding Projection and Video Design.
Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song wins Outstanding Revue, and for Outstanding Adaptation and Fight Choreography, Pirates! The Penzance Musical sails in and nabs those two wins.
John Proctor is the Villain wins two Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Director of a Play for Danya Taymore, and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play for Amalia Yoo. For Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, there was a three-way tie, with the awards going to Jak Malone for Operation Mincemeat, Brooks Ashmanskas for Smash, and Michael Urie for Once Upon a Mattress. Death Becomes Her wins one for Outstanding Wig and Hair.
One of my favorites, Andrew Scott, wins for Outstanding Solo Performance for this one-person Vanya. One of my other favorites of the season, Becoming Eve, wins for Outstanding Puppetry.
Here is a full list of all the nominations for the 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards, with winners in *Bold*:
2025 DRAMA DESK **WINNERS** & NOMINEES
Outstanding Play
Blood of the Lamb, by Arlene Hutton
Deep Blue Sound, by Abe Koogler
Grangeville, by Samuel D. Hunter
John Proctor is the Villain, by Kimberly Belflower
Liberation, by Bess Wohl
**Purpose, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins**
Outstanding Musical
BOOP! The Musical
Death Becomes Her
Just in Time
**Maybe Happy Ending**
Music City
Outstanding Revival of a Play
**Eureka Day**
Garside’s Career
Home
Wine in the Wilderness
Yellow Face
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Floyd Collins
**Gypsy**
Once Upon a Mattress
See What I Wanna See
Sunset Blvd.
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play
Betsy Aidem, The Ask
**Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California**
Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire
Danny J. Gomez, All of Me
Doug Harris, Redeemed
Patrick Keleher, Fatherland
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Lily Rabe, Ghosts
Jay O. Sanders, Henry IV (Theatre for a New Audience)
**Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray**
Paul Sparks, Grangeville
Olivia Washington, Wine in the Wilderness
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
Tatianna Córdoba, Real Women Have Curves
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Sutton Foster, Once Upon a Mattress
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
Grey Henson, Elf
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
**Audra McDonald, Gypsy**
**Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical**
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play
Greg Keller, Pre-Existing Condition
Julia Lester, All Nighter
Adrienne C. Moore, The Blood Quilt
Deirdre O’Connell, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Maria-Christina Oliveras, Cymbeline
Maryann Plunkett, Deep Blue Sound
Michael Rishawn, Table 17
Jude Tibeau, Bad Kreyòl
Anjana Vasan, A Streetcar Named Desire
Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling
**Amalia Yoo, John Proctor is the Villain**
**Kara Young, Purpose**
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
**Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash**
Nicholas Barasch, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
André De Shields, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
John El-Jor, We Live in Cairo
Jason Gotay, Floyd Collins
Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
**Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat**
Lesli Margherita, Gypsy
Zachary Noah Piser, See What I Wanna See
Jenny Lee Stern, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
**Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress**
Natalie Walker, The Big Gay Jamboree
Outstanding Solo Performance
David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me in the Water
Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings
Mark Povinelli, The Return of Benjamin Lay
**Andrew Scott, Vanya**
Outstanding Direction of a Play
David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan, The Antiquities
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Tyne Rafaeli, Becoming Eve
Jack Serio, Grangeville
**Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain**
Whitney White, Liberation
Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
**Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending**
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.
Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
Alex Timbers, Just in Time
George C. Wolfe, Gypsy
Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Gypsy
Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Jakob Karr, Ain’t Done Bad
Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
**Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical**
Sergio Trujillo, Real Women Have Curves
Outstanding Music
**Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending**
David Foster, BOOP! The Musical
Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves
Zoe Sarnak, The Lonely Few
The Lazours, We Live in Cairo
Outstanding Lyrics
Gerard Alessandrini, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
**Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending**
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Adam Gwon, All the World’s a Stage
Marla Mindelle and Philip Drennen, The Big Gay Jamboree
Luis Quintero, Medea: Re-Versed
Outstanding Book of a Musical
**Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending**
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver, Just in Time
Bob Martin, BOOP! The Musical
Marla Mindelle and Jonathan Parks-Ramage, The Big Gay Jamboree
Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Orchestrations
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Doug Besterman, BOOP! The Musical
Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
**Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time**
Michael Starobin, All the World’s a Stage
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
**Miriam Buether, Jamie Harrison, and Chris Fisher (illusions and visual effects), Stranger Things: The First Shadow**
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Johan Kølkjær, Dark Noon
Grace Laubacher, Life and Trust
Matt Saunders, Walden
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
Clifton Chadick, Music City
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
**Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending (includes video design)**
Derek McLane, Just in Time
David Rockwell and Finn Ross (projections), BOOP! The Musical
Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo, The Antiquities
**Dede Ayite, Our Town**
Christopher Ford, The Beastiary
Camilla Lind, Dark Noon
Karl Ruckdeschel, Twelfth Night
Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
**Gregg Barnes, BOOP! The Musical**
Sarah Cubbage, The Big Gay Jamboree
Toni-Leslie James, Gypsy
Qween Jean, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber, Just in Time
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
**Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow**
Natasha Katz, John Proctor is the Villain
Tyler Micoleau, The Antiquities
Paul Whitaker, SUMO
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, Swept Away
Adam Honoré, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
**Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.**
Philip S. Rosenberg, BOOP! The Musical
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun (projections), Floyd Collins
Outstanding Sound Design of a Play
**Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow**
Johnny Gasper, Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods
Matt Otto, All of Me
Bray Poor, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Fan Zhang, Good Bones
Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd.
**Peter Hylenski, Just in Time**
Scott Lehrer, Gypsy
Mick Potter, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
Outstanding Projection and Video Design
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Blvd.
Jake Barton, McNeal
**David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray**
Jesse Garrison, The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Outstanding Wig and Hair
Alberto “Albee” Alvarado, SUMO
**Charles G. LaPointe, Death Becomes Her**
Sabana Majeed, BOOP! The Musical
Nikiya Mathis, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Nikiya Mathis, Liberation
Outstanding Puppetry
Dorothy James, Bill’s 44th
Tom Lee, See What I Wanna See
Simple Mischief Studio, Small Acts of Daring Invention
**Amanda Villalobos, Becoming Eve**
Kirjan Waage, Dead as a Dodo
Outstanding Fight Choreography
Drew Leary, Romeo + Juliet
Chelsea Pace and James Yaegashi, SUMO
**Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet, Pirates! The Penzance Musical**
Bret Yount, King Lear
Outstanding Adaptation
Becoming Eve, by Emil Weinstein
Cymbeline, by Andrea Thome
Medea: Re-Versed, by Luis Quintero
**Pirates! The Penzance Musical, by Rupert Holmes**
The Devil’s Disciple, by David Staller
Outstanding Revue
**Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song**
Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now!
The Jonathan Larson Project
The World According to Micki Grant
Unique Theatrical Experience
Odd Man Out
The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
**The Picture of Dorian Gray**
The Voices in Your Head
The Wind and the Rain: A Story about Sunny’s Bar
Special Awards
Ensemble Award
The ensemble of Roundabout Theatre Company’s Liberation (Betsy Aidem, Audrey Corsa, Kayla Davion, Susannah Flood, Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Charlie Thurston, and Adina Verson) for bringing to vibrant life the specific and universal stories of women staring across the social battle lines of the 1970s from their perch “somewhere in Ohio” in Bess Wohl’s beautiful new play.
Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award
The incredibly versatile Stephen Michael Spencer for his electric and empathetic performances in two of this season’s strongest new Off-Broadway musicals. In Medea: Re-Versed, Spencer’s funny yet revelatory take on a character we all thought we knew allowed us the rare opportunity to actually understand Jason’s motivations. And then in Music City, Spencer was almost unrecognizable as TJ, a charismatic singer-songwriter who we couldn’t help but root for.
Additional Special Awards
Pregones/PRTT: Pregones (founded in 1979) and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (founded in 1967) merged in 2014 to become a powerhouse producer of Latinx shows on two NYC stages: one in Manhattan’s Theater District, the other in the South Bronx, both evoking an atmosphere of warmth and inclusivity. This season brought the blazing world premiere of Matthew Barbot’s the beautiful land i seek (la linda tierra que busco yo), a history-inspired fantasia about two Puerto Rican freedom fighters that deftly explores colonialism while riffing on Waiting for Godot, plus dozens of one-offs showcasing Latinx artists and culture.
Lighting designer Stacey Derosier for her deeply intimate and consistently gorgeous work across this season’s Off-Broadway stages. Whether lighting the minimalist theatricality of The Welkin and Grangeville, or the rich naturalism of The Counter and Danger and Opportunity, Derosier shows us not only that less is often so much more, but also that just a single light can have such a profound impact in the darkness.
The team behind Danger and Opportunity – playwright Ken Urban, director Jack Serio, and ensemble Juan Castano, Julia Chan, and Ryan Spahn – for their genuinely serious, deeply moving consideration of the messy implications of a three-way relationship, done in an imaginatively immersive way that made such a small-scale story feel like a meaningful event.
Shows with Multiple Awards
6 Wins
Maybe Happy Ending
3 Wins
BOOP! The Musical
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
The Picture of Dorian Gray
2 Wins
Danger and Opportunity (2 Special Awards)
Gypsy
John Proctor is the Villain
Just in Time
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Purpose
In keeping with the Drama Desk’s mission, the nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway during the 2024-2025 New York theater season, which the Drama Desk determined ended as of April 27, 2025. Productions must run for 21 or more live performances to be considered eligible.
Productions with Multiple Nominations
11 Nominations
BOOP! The Musical
9 Nominations
Just in Time
Maybe Happy Ending
7 Nominations
Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Gypsy
Sunset Blvd.
5 Nominations
Death Becomes Her
Floyd Collins
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
The Picture of Dorian Gray
4 Nominations
Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
John Proctor is the Villain
The Big Gay Jamboree
3 Nominations
Becoming Eve
Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
Grangeville
Liberation
Once Upon a Mattress
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves
See What I Wanna See
SUMO
The Antiquities
2 Nominations
A Streetcar Named Desire
All of Me
All the World’s a Stage
Cymbeline
Dark Noon
Deep Blue Sound
Medea: Re-Versed
Music City
Purpose
Swept Away
The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
The Hills of California
We Live in Cairo
Wine in the Wilderness
As was the case last year, all performance categories are gender-free. The updated gender-free categories are: Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical.
Each of these categories has twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories and voters will cast two votes for each category. These categories will also have two winners each. If there is a tie, there may be more than two winners in a category.
In determining the eligibility of plays or performances from prior seasons, the nominating committee considered only those elements that constituted new work. These productions included Buena Vista Social Club, Hold On to Me Darling, Job, Odd Man Out, Our Class, Still, Teeth, The Christine Jorgensen Show, and Yellow Face. While some members of the Floyd Collins creative team also worked on the original 1996 Playwrights Horizons production, the nominating committee determined their contributions to this revival were eligible as new work. Staci Levine and Jessica R. Jenen return as Executive Producers of the Awards.
Productions deemed not eligible either because they were considered in their entirety in prior seasons or because they did not invite awards consideration included A Child’s Christmas in Wales, All In: Comedy About Love, Bringer of Doom, Dead Outlaw, English, Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, Invasive Species, Oh, Mary!, On Beckett, and The Dead, 1904. Due to rescheduling factors, Grief Camp and Rheology will be considered in the 2025-2026 season.
www.DramaDeskAward.com
