‘Carousel’ Revival Leads Drama Desk Nominations

By RADHIKA VISWANATHAN

Nominations for the 63rd Annual Drama Desk awards were announced Thursday by Broadway and television stars Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess; the Broadway revival of Carousel made the top of the list with nominations in 12 categories.

The cozy and intimate basement at Feinstein’s/54 Below was filled with theater critics and aficionados who let out the occasional “whoop” as the pair of actors—who work together on the TV show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt—listed the nominees.

This theater award is the only one in which Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway shows compete in the same categories, giving a platform to lesser-known shows. Still, the nominations were led by three Broadway shows: Carousel, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Mean Girls.

Among those nominated in the acting categories, the favorites to win are Andrew Garfield (Angels in America), Joshua Henry (Carousel), Lauren Ambrose (My Fair Lady), Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants), and Glenda Jackson (Three Tall Women)

This list is a good predictor of who will receive a similar nod during the Tony Award nominations, which will be announced on May 1. Given the Drama Desk’s choices, the most likely shows to receive Tony Award nominations are Mean Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Angels in America, Carousel, and Three Tall Women.

However, because the Drama Desk awards also include off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions and because only new productions are eligible for a Drama Desk, there will certainly be significant differences between the two lists of nominations. The musical The Band’s Visit—a likely Tony nominee—was notably left out of the Drama Desk list because it ran as an off-Broadway production last year.

The Drama Desk Nominating Committee is made up of writers and reporters who cover New York City theater and are specifically chosen so that they have no bias. They viewed 280 productions throughout the city before making their picks.

“They are of varied backgrounds and ages, but all share great knowledge and passion for theater,” said Drama Desk President Charles Wright before introducing the members of the committee.

The awards ceremony will be held on June 3 at The Town Hall theater.

Photo by Radhika Viswanathan