The Drama Desk Awards acknowledge the best in Broadway and off-Broadway theater, and the nominations for the 57th annual Drama Desk Awards–being held Sunday, June 3, at 8 p.m. at the Town Hall–are in.
Lynn Nottage’s play, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark,” received six nominations for Outstanding Play; Outstanding Actress in a Play, Sanaa Lathan; Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play, Kimberly Hebert Gregory and Stephanie J. Block; Outstanding Director of a Play, Jo Bonney; and Outstanding Costume Design for a Play, Esosa.
“The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” received nominations in five categories: Outstanding Revival of a Musical; Outstanding Actor in a Musical, Norm Lewis; Outstanding Actress in a Musical, Audra McDonald; Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, Phillip Boykin; Outstanding Costume Design, Esosa; and Outstanding Sound Design, Acme Sound Partners.
“Hurt Village,” the play by Katori Hall, received a nomination for Joaquina Kalukango in the category of Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play. Meanwhile, Miche Braden is nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for “The Devil’s Music: The Life & Blues of Bessie Smith.”
These nominations are decent, but what happened to “A Streetcar Named Desire” and its cast, Blair Underwood, Nicole Ari Parker, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Wood Harris? What happened to Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, who performed beautifully in “The Mountaintop”? How can actors get on stage, deliver marvelous examples of their craft and not be recognized and nominated?
Let’s just hope that the aforementioned nominees come away with the awards.