Gentleman's Guide Wins Big at 2014 Drama Desk Awards

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder was the big winner at the 2014 Drama Desk Awards, which were presented on June 1 at a ceremony hosted by Laura Benanti at Town Hall. The acclaimed musical comedy won seven awards including Outstanding Musical, while All the Way took home two awards, for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play for Bryan Cranston. Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Twelfth Night were awarded Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Revival of a Play, respectively.

As previously reported, the ensembles of Will Eno’s The Realistic Joneses and The Open House received special awards, as did SoHo Rep and actress Veanne Cox. Ed Sylvanus Iskandar was presented with the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award for his work as a director.

The Drama Desk is an organization of New York City-based critics and theater journalists supporting the development of New York theater. The Drama Desk Awards were first presented in 1955 and consider Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in the same categories.

A complete list of winners follows:

Outstanding Play
Robert Schenkkan, All the Way

Outstanding Musical
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Twelfth Night

Outstanding Revival of a Musical or Revue
Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Bryan Cranston, All the Way

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill

Outstanding Actor in a Musical (tie)
Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Jessie Mueller, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, Casa Valentina

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The Glass Menagerie 

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (tie)
Anika Larsen, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Lauren Worsham, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder

Outstanding Director of a Play
Tim Carroll, Twelfth Night

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder

Outstanding Choreography
Warren Carlyle, After Midnight

Outstanding Music
Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County

Outstanding Lyrics
Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder 

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Robert L. Freedman, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder

Outstanding Orchestrations
Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County

Outstanding Music in a Play
Nico Muhly, The Glass Menagerie

Outstanding Revue
After Midnight 

Outstanding Set Design
Christopher Barreca, Rocky

Outstanding Costume Design
William Ivey Long, Bullets Over Broadway

Outstanding Lighting Design
Christopher Akerlind, Rocky

Outstanding Projection Design
Aaron Rhyne, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder 

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Brian Ronan, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Matt Tierney, Machinal

Outstanding Solo Performance
John Douglas Thompson, Satchmo at the Waldorf

Unique Theatrical Experience
Cirkopolis

Productions with Multiple Wins
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - 7
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - 3
Twelfth Night - 2
After Midnight - 2
All the Way - 2
The Bridges of Madison County - 2
The Glass Menagerie - 2
Hedwig and the Angry Inch - 2
Rocky - 2