Tonight's winners, here on Playbill.com.
No real surprises, though I'm getting that sinking feeling regarding JERSEY BOYS pulling off a best musical win at the Tonys. Do your duty, folks, and buy American.
As usual, while the Drama Desks honor all comers from on, off, and off off Broadway with nominations, about two-thirds of the winners were from Broadway. In fact, just one winning show, CHRISTINE JORGENSEN REVEALS, was from anywhere but the Great White Way and off Broadway (three of those won), and it probably helped that its press agent sent along a highlights CD to all voters. Not having seen any of the nommed Unique Theatrical Event productions, I abstained from voting in that category; the Tonys don't even have a like category this year, given a dearth of competition, and just gave the award (happily) to Sarah Jones' BRIDGE & TUNNEL, which was ineligible for Drama Desk consideration.
Could be that the winners are the best of the bunch; I have no real problem with any of them (too much DROWSY CHAPERONE, though), and voted for many. And it could also be that these are the easiest shows for the mass of voters (like me) to see, and vote on, given more coordinated efforts to promote them and a greater number of press seats available over their runs (which translate into articles and reviews that assigning editors actually want, and the big Broadway shows are about all that most mass outlets have an interest in anymore). However it went down, and I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before, congratulations to all, winners and nominees.
For the record, here's the (numerous) categories where I diverged from the winners. I voted JERSEY BOYS for Outstanding Musical; Jennifer Jason Leigh, ABIGAIL'S PARTY, for Outstanding Actress, Play; Lisa Emery, ABIGAIL'S PARTY, Outstanding Featured Actress, Play; Christian Hoff, JERSEY BOYS, Outstanding Featured Actor, Musical; Mary Testa, SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE, Outstanding Featured Actress, Musical (really the strongest competitor in the pack); Casey Nicholaw, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, Outstanding Choreography (I didn't turn my back on it entirely); Michael John LaChiusa, SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE, Outstanding Music and Lyrics, and Outstanding Orchestrations, Bruce Coughlin, for the same show (such fine work, recognized but unable to go the distance); and Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman, JERSEY BOYS, Best Book, Musical (again, the best in its field).
I really fell down in choosing design winners, my presumed metier, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em: Michael Yeargan, SEASCAPE, Play Set (so it doesn't fly?), Thomas Lynch, SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE, Musical Set (too small, perhaps), William Ivey Long, GREY GARDENS, Costume Design (better luck next year at the Tonys); Christopher Akerlind, AWAKE AND SING!, Lighting Design; and, again showing I can get on a bandwagon (but not stay on it), Acme Sound Partners, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, Sound Design.
This year's Drama Desk winner for Best Actress, Musical, and next year's Tony winner in the same category, Christine Ebersole in GREY GARDENS, is pictured. [It's going to happen.] I would've liked to have seen this year's winner for Outstanding Actress in a Play, Lois Smith in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, but somehow the invite never arrived. Not that she needed my help.
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