You’re doing fine, “Oklahoma!” That’s what Drama Desk nominators told the Daniel Fish-directed Broadway revival in today’s announcement of contenders for the organization’s 2019 awards. The Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II classic heads this season’s list of nominees with 12 nods, followed by “Tootsie” with 11 and “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future” with nine.
NY1 “On Stage” host Frank DiLella and anchor Roma Torre announced the 64th annual Drama Desk Awards nominations on their channel’s “Live at Noon” broadcast. The winners will be named in a June 2 ceremony at Town Hall emceed for the fourth year in a row by actor and previous Drama Desk winner Michael Urie.
Countdown to the Tonys: Your Official 2019 NYC Theater Awards Calendar
The Drama Desk Awards honor Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway work. In fact, four of this year’s nominees enjoyed runs both on and Off-Broadway: “Be More Chill,” “The New One,” “What the Constitution Means to Me,” and “Oklahoma!” The Drama Desk considered these shows’ multiple productions together for nomination purposes.
Three other works received limited consideration because of previous incarnations. Broadway’s “Choir Boy,” “Hadestown,” and “Torch Song” all ran Off-Broadway in prior years, so only new elements of those shows were deemed eligible for the 2019 awards.
Selecting the winners is the prerogative of the Drama Desk, a voting body made up of theater journalists, editors, publishers, and broadcasters. Its choices are often viewed as a forecast for the Tony Awards, which follow on June 9 this year.
For tickets to the 2019 Drama Desk Awards ceremony, visit www.dramadeskawards.com. For a full list of nominees, click here.
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