‘Some Like It Hot’ Tops 2023 Drama Desk Awards With 8 Wins

31 May, 2023

A musical based on the classic 1959 Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot was the top winner at the 67th Annual Drama Desk Awards, which were announced on Wednesday (May 31). The show — for which Mariah Carey is one of the producers — won eight awards, including outstanding musical and outstanding lyrics for Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman.

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Two other musicals, a revival of Stephen Sondheim‘s Sweeney Todd and the new Shucked, also won multiple awards. Sweeney Todd won three awards – though, curiously, it lost outstanding revival of a musical to Parade, which won no other awards.

Shucked won two awards – outstanding music for country hit-makers Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally and outstanding featured performance in a musical for Alex Newell.

Musicals winning one award each — apart from Parade — were New York, New York and a revival of Into the Woods.

The 2023 Drama Desk Awards will take place at Sardi’s Restaurant in New York on Tuesday, June 6, from 3 to 6 p.m. ET. Tony and Emmy winner Mandy Patinkin and two-time Obie Award winner Kathryn Grody will co-host the ceremony.

The Drama Desk Awards will be presented five days before the Tony Awards are broadcast on CBS. The Drama Desk Awards differ from the Tonys in several respects.

  • All four performance categories are “gender-free” – their term for “gender-neutral.” Each of these categories had twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories; each have two winners.
  • The Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York City theater awards for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway compete against each other in the same categories.
  • The Drama Desk Awards are bestowed by critics, journalists, editors and publishers covering theater.

Shows with 21 or more unique live performances were eligible.

The Drama Desk was founded in 1949 to bring together critics and writers in an organization to support the ongoing development of theater in New York. The organization began presenting awards in 1955.

Here are all the nominees in musical categories – as well as the nominees in one category dedicated to plays – outstanding music in a play. Winners are marked.

Outstanding musical

  • & Juliet
  • Between the Lines
  • F*ck7thGrade, The Wild Project
  • Shucked
  • WINNER: Some Like it Hot
  • White Girl in Danger, Vineyard Theatre and Second Stage Theater

Outstanding revival of a musical

  • A Man of No Importance, Classic Stage Company
  • Into the Woods
  • Merrily We Roll Along, New York Theatre Workshop
  • WINNER: Parade
  • Sweeney Todd

Outstanding lead performance in a musical

  • WINNER: Annaleigh Ashford, Sweeney Todd
  • Nicholas Barasch, The Butcher Boy, Irish Repertory Theatre
  • Sara Bareilles, Into the Woods
  • Andrew Burnap, Camelot
  • Micaela Diamond, Parade
  • Andrew Durand, Shucked
  • Callum Francis, Kinky Boots, Stage 42
  • WINNER: J. Harrison Ghee, Some Like it Hot
  • Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along, New York Theatre Workshop
  • Somi Kakoma, Dreaming Zenzile, New York Theatre Workshop
  • Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll Along, New York Theatre Workshop
  • Anna Uzele, New York, New York

Outstanding featured performance in a musical

  • Kevin Cahoon, Shucked
  • WINNER: Kevin Del Aguila, Some Like it Hot
  • Robyn Hurder, A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical
  • Mark Jacoby, A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical
  • Tarra Conner Jones, White Girl in Danger, Vineyard Theatre and Second Stage Theater
  • Julia Lester, Into the Woods
  • WINNER: Alex Newell, Shucked
  • Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along, New York Theatre Workshop
  • Phillipa Soo, Into the Woods
  • Mare Winningham, A Man of No Importance, Classic Stage Company

Outstanding direction of a musical

  • Jeff Calhoun, Between the Lines
  • John Doyle, A Man of No Importance, Classic Stage Company
  • Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along, New York Theatre Workshop
  • WINNER: Thomas Kail, Sweeney Todd
  • Jack O’Brien, Shucked

Outstanding choreography

  • Andy Blankenbuehler, Only Gold, MCC Theater
  • Tislarm Bouie, the bandaged place
  • Edgar Godineaux, The Harder They Come, The Public Theater
  • WINNER: Casey Nicholaw, Some Like it Hot
  • Susan Stroman, New York, New York
  • Jennifer Weber, KPOP

Outstanding music

  • WINNER: Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, Shucked
  • Michael R. Jackson, White Girl in Danger, Vineyard Theatre and Second Stage Theater
  • Tom Kitt and AnnMarie Milazzo (vocal designer), Almost Famous
  • Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, Between the Lines
  • The Kilbanes, Weightless, WP Theater

Outstanding lyrics

  • Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, Shucked
  • Jonathan Hogue, Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical
  • Michael R. Jackson, White Girl in Danger, Vineyard Theatre and Second Stage Theater
  • Adam Schlesinger and Sarah Silverman, The Bedwetter, Atlantic Theater Company
  • WINNER: Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Some Like it Hot

Outstanding book of a musical

  • Jonathan Hogue, Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical
  • Robert Horn, Shucked
  • WINNER: Matthew López and Amber Ruffin, Some Like it Hot
  • Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli, and Tye Blue, Titanique
  • David West Read, & Juliet

Outstanding orchestrations

  • Bruce Coughlin, A Man of No Importance, Classic Stage Company
  • Jason Howland, Shucked
  • WINNER: Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter, Some Like it Hot
  • Kenny Seymour, The Harder They Come, The Public Theater
  • Daryl Waters and Sam Davis, New York, New York

Outstanding scenic design of a musical

  • WINNER: Beowulf Boritt, New York, New York
  • David Korins, Only Gold, MCC Theater
  • Scott Pask, Shucked
  • Walt Spangler and Brendan McCann (production props), Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical
  • Michael Yeargan, Camelot

Outstanding costume design of a musical

  • WINNER: Gregg Barnes, Some Like it Hot
  • Tilly Grimes, Shucked
  • Jennifer Moeller, Camelot
  • Clint Ramos and Sophia Choi, KPOP
  • Anita Yavich, Only Gold, MCC Theater
  • Donna Zakowska, New York, New York

Outstanding lighting design of a musical

  • Ken Billington, New York, New York
  • Jeff Croiter, Only Gold, MCC Theater
  • Heather Gilbert, Parade
  • David Grill, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’
  • WINNER: Natasha Katz, Sweeney Todd

Outstanding sound design of a musical

  • Peter Hylenski, Almost Famous
  • WINNER: Scott Lehrer and Alex Neumann, Into the Woods
  • John Shivers, Shucked
  • Joanna Lynne Staub, Weightless, WP Theater
  • Jon Weston, Parade

Outstanding music in a play

  • Ben Edelman, Zane Pais, and Sinan Refik Zafar, Letters from Max, a ritual, Signature Theatre
  • Mauricio Escamilla, the bandaged place, Roundabout Theatre Company
  • WINNER: Suzan-Lori Parks, Plays for the Plague Year, The Public Theater
  • Ian Ross, Wuthering Heights, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Wise Children, National Theatre
  • Daniel Schlosberg, Montag, Soho Rep

Paul Grein

Billboard