by Meredith Heyman . . .
Theater stars came out to celebrate the best of Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway for the 68th Annual Drama Desk Awards.
For Illinoise star Ricky Urbeda, nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance In A Musical, the starry evening was an opportunity to reflect on his journey with the production. “I never thought that this would happen for me…For [Illinoise] to not only resonate with audiences but for people to recognize my performance individually is more than I ever thought would happen. So I’m just incredibly grateful.”
The Drama Desks nominate productions from Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway. Outstanding Lead Performance In A Musical Winner for his role in Days Of Wine And Roses, Brian d’Arcy James shared, “I have been in all of those boats. So it really means this is a community… This is really about the community of artists who are making theater, not only for New York but for the world to come to the city to see incredible theater. And to be a part of that, I’m very proud of that.”
Suffs star and Tony Award-winner Nikki M. James was especially looking forward to catching up with old friends and famous co-stars from The Book of Mormon, Andrew Rannels and Josh Gad. “I’m really excited to see them. Andrew and I were together last week at an event. And we knew we were going to be here tonight. And they’re still to this day one of my very very very best friends…” They can be a trouble-making trio, James laughed, “We should not be allowed to sit next to each other. It’s a lot of Andrew and I going, Josh!”
Paying tribute to castmates was also the night’s theme for Succession star Juliana Canfield who is now starring in the Drama Desk Award-winning play, Stereophoic. The cast was honored with a special award for their ensemble work. “It means the world. I really think this play particularly is such a group effort. And for all of us to be recognized I think is an acknowledgment of the ethos of the play which is that you need other people to make art. It’s always true. But with this play, it feels particularly resonant and poignant. And I’m just proud.”
Winner for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Celia Keenan Bolger, remembered she forgot to thank her leading lady, Mother Play costar, Jessica Lange, in her acceptance speech. “The one thing I am so sad I didn’t do is to thank her [Jessica Lange] because she is such a huge part of the reason that I am here.” She called the experience of working with the legendary actress “life-changing.”
Jessica Lange echoed the sentiment, sharing her elation when Bolger won. “My girl! I screamed so loud when she won the first category, I thought people were going to kick me out.”
The Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play for Mother Play, Lange added, “It’s the theater community which I’m always a little in awe of, and the fact that they acknowledge your work as being something to single out, is one of the great compliments, one of the great acknowledgments so I’m absolutely thrilled with this award tonight….”
Sarah Paulson tied with Lange for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play for Appropriate. She called audiences coming together for theater an important, sacred and holy experience. However, that doesn’t stop inappropriate things from happening at performances. Paulson divulged, “The other day at the end of the play, I give this large speech sort of the last time you’re with my character in the play and a woman’s cellphone went off and it was playing a [Bruce] Springsteen song, and it was not the first time her phone went off in this one afternoon.”
On a serious note, Oh, Mary! star and creator Cole Escola, who won a Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award, got emotional admitting, “[I] feel taken seriously… I’ve just always dreamed of it… It makes me really emotional. Like I did it. I did it. Like I scored a goal for the team.”
Kelli O’Hara tied with Days Of Wine And Roses costar Brian d’Arcy James and Hells Kitchen star Maleah Joi Moon to win the Drama Desk for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical. O’Hara misses the production, which closed in March, “every day.” But she’s ready to jump back on stage with d’Arcy James again- this time maybe in the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe, she joked. “Why wait? Let’s start tomorrow. My living room could be a stage.”
Leading productions at the Drama Desk Awards were Stereophonic, which scored seven wins. Water For Elephants took home four Drama Desk Awards. Appropriate won three Drama Desk Awards.
Photos: Tricia Baron (Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jessica Lange, Cast of Stereophonic)