"Hamilton" and "An American in Paris" were 1-2 in nominations for the 2014-15 Drama Desk Awards, announced Thursday afternoon, with 13 and 12 respectively. While those shows were expected to dominate the musical theater categories, one name on the list of nominees was a bit of a surprise, even to him.
Jeremy Kushnier, who is currently starring in "Othello" for Pittsburgh Public Theater, is nominated for his performance in "Atomic," the musical based on the creation of the atomic bomb, that played the Acorn Theatre last summer. His competition includes “Hamilton’s” Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Something Rotten!'s" D'Arcy James, Matthew Morrison of "Finding Neverland" and Robert Fairchild of "An American in Paris."
"I have Twitter on my phone and my friend tweeted congratulations. It wasn't something I was waiting to hear about; it came out of the blue," Mr. Kushnier said. "It was a show I did last summer and I didn't even know it was eligible. Look at the people in that category! I know it's overused but just being nominated in that group of people is award enough. Look at the work they've all done this year."
“I’m ready to tweet Lin-Manuel to see if I can finally get a ticket to ’Hamilton’ now,” he added.
Still Broadway-bound, the New York Public Theater musical "Hamilton," by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a hot ticket and earned 13 Drama Desk nominations. "An American in Paris," produced by Van Kaplan and Pittsburgh CLO, had 12. "Something Rotten!," the new musical comedy co-starring Christian Borle, had nine.
“Fun Home,” the acclaimed musical drama that just this week reached Broadway, was considered in its run at the Public Theater in the 2013-14 season and received six nominations.
The Drama Desk Awards, voted on by critics, journalists, editors and publishers covering theater, honor professional artists and productions on Broadway and off- and off-off-Broadway. The Drama Desk Awards ceremony is May 31 at New York's Town Hall, with Laura Benanti as host.
The 2014-15 nominations:
Outstanding Play
"You Got Older"
"Airline Highway"
"The City of Conversation"
"Between Riverside and Crazy"
"My Manana Comes"
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
"Let the Right One In"
Outstanding Musical
"An American in Paris"
"Hamilton"
"Fly by Night"
"Pretty Filthy"
"Something Rotten!"
"The Visit"
Outstanding Revival of a Play
"The Elephant Man"
"Fashions for Men"
"Ghosts"
"The Iceman Cometh"
"Tamburlaine the Great"
"The Wayside Motor Inn"
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
"Into the Woods"
"The King and I"
"On the Town"
"On the Twentieth Century"
"Pageant"
"Side Show"
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, "I'm Gonna Pray for You So Hard"
Bradley Cooper, "The Elephant Man"
Stephen McKinley Henderson, "Between Riverside and Crazy"
Ben Miles, "Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two"
Bill Pullman, "Sticks and Bones"
Alexander Sharp, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Brooke Bloom, "You Got Older"
Kathleen Chalfant, "A Walk in the Woods"
Kristin Griffith, "The Fatal Weakness"
Jan Maxwell, "The City of Conversation"
Helen Mirren, "The Audience"
Carey Mulligan, "Skylight"
Tonya Pinkins, "Rasheeda Speaking"
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Brian d'Arcy James, "Something Rotten!"
Robert Fairchild, "An American in Paris"
Jeremy Kushnier, Atomic
Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton"
Matthew Morrison, Finding Neverland
Ryan Silverman, Side Show
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, John & Jen
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, "An American in Paris"
Erin Davie, Side Show
Lisa Howard, It Shoulda Been You
Chita Rivera, The Visit
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
F. Murray Abraham, It's Only a Play
Reed Birney, You Got Older
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Jonathan Hadary, Rocket to the Moon
Jason Butler Harner, The Village Bike
Jonathan Hogan, Pocatello
José Joaquin Perez, My Mañana Comes
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take It with You
Beth Dixon, The City of Conversation
Julie Halston, You Can't Take It with You
Paola Lázaro-Muñoz, To the Bone
Lydia Leonard, "Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two"
Julie White, Airline Highway
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Peter Friedman, Fly by Night
Josh Grisetti, It Shoulda Been You
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Leslie Odom Jr., "Hamilton"
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Max von Essen, "An American in Paris"
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Carolee Carmello, Finding Neverland
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Elizabeth A. Davis, Allegro
Renee Elise Goldsberry, "Hamilton"
Luba Mason, Pretty Filthy
Nancy Opel, Honeymoon in Vegas
Elizabeth Stanley, On the Town
Outstanding Director of a Play
Marianne Elliott, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Jeremy Herrin, "Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two"
Anne Kauffman, You Got Older
Lila Neugebauer, The Wayside Motor Inn
Austin Pendleton, Between Riverside and Crazy
Joe Tantalo, "Deliverance"
John Tiffany, "Let the Right One In"
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Carolyn Cantor, Fly by Night
Bill Condon, Side Show
John Doyle, The Visit
Thomas Kail, "Hamilton"
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, "An American in Paris"
Outstanding Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Warren Carlyle, On the Twentieth Century
Steven Hoggett, "The Last Ship"
Austin McCormick, Rococo Rouge
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, "An American in Paris"
Outstanding Music
Jason Robert Brown, Honeymoon in Vegas
Michael Friedman, The Fortress of Solitude
John Kander, The Visit
Dave Malloy, Ghost Quartet
Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton"
Sting, "The Last Ship"
Outstanding Lyrics
Jason Robert Brown, Honeymoon in Vegas
Fred Ebb, The Visit
Michael Friedman, The Fortress of Solitude
Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten!
Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton"
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Hunter Bell & Lee Overtree, Found
Karey Kirkpatrick & John O'Farrell, Something Rotten!
Craig Lucas, "An American in Paris"
Terence McNally, The Visit
Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton"
Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, & Michael Mitnick, Fly by Night
Outstanding Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, "An American in Paris"
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Allegro
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Alex Lacamoire, "Hamilton"
Rob Mathes, "The Last Ship"
Don Sebesky, Larry Blank, Jason Robert Brown, & Charlie Rosen, Honeymoon in Vegas
Outstanding Music in a Play
Cesar Alvarez, An Octoroon
Danny Blackburn & Bryce Hodgson, "Deliverance"
Sean Cronin, Kill Me Like You Mean It
Bongi Duma, Generations
Freddi Price, The Pigeoning
Arthur Solari & Jane Shaw, Tamburlaine the Great
Outstanding Revue
Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging!
Just Jim Dale
Lennon: Through a Glass Onion
Lonesome Traveler
Outstanding Set Design
Bob Crowley, "An American in Paris"
Christine Jones, "Let the Right One In"
David Korins, "Hamilton"
Mimi Lien, “An Octoroon”
Scott Pask, ”The Visit“
Daniel Zimmerman, ”Fashions for Men”
Outstanding Costume Design
Bob Crowley, "An American in Paris"
Bob Crowley, "The Audience"
Christopher Oram, "Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two"
Paul Tazewell, "Hamilton"
Andrea Varga, “The Fatal Weakness”
Catherine Zuber, “Gigi”
Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley, "Hamilton"
Paule Constable, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Paule Constable & David Plater, "Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two"
Maruti Evans, "Deliverance"
Natasha Katz, The Iceman Cometh
Ben Stanton, Our Lady of Kibeho
Outstanding Projection Design
59 Productions, "An American in Paris"
Roger Hanna & Price Johnston, Donogoo
Darrel Maloney, Found
Peter Nigrini, Our Lady of Kibeho
Finn Ross, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Austin Switser, Big Love
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Side Show
Scott Lehrer, The King and I
Scott Lehrer & Drew Levy, Honeymoon in Vegas
Brian Ronan, "The Last Ship"
Nevin Steinberg, "Hamilton"
Jon Weston, "An American in Paris"
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Nathan Davis, "The Other Mozart"
Ien Denio, "Deliverance"
Ian Dickinson (for Autograph), "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Gareth Fry, "Let the Right One In"
John Gromada, “Lives of the Saints”
Matt Tierney, “Our Lady of Kibeho”
Outstanding Solo Performance
Christina Bianco, “Application Pending”
Jonny Donahoe, ”Every Brilliant Thing“
Tom Dugan, “Wiesenthal”
Mona Golabek, ”The Pianist of Willesden Lane“
Joely Richardson, “The Belle of Amherst”
Benjamin Scheuer, ”The Lion“
Unique Theatrical Experience
”Catch Me!“
”Everybody Gets Cake“
”The Human Symphony“
”Queen of the Night“
”A Rap Guide to Religion“
Special Awards
Outstanding ensemble for A.R. Gurney's ”The Wayside Motor Inn“: Kelly AuCoin, Jon DeVries, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Rebecca Henderson, Marc Kudisch, Jenn Lyon, Lizbeth Mackay, David McElwee, Ismenia Mendes, and Will Pullen.
Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award: Bess Wohl
Also recognized: actor John Douglas Thompson; Ensemble Studio Theatre; and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler.
First Published: April 23, 2015, 7:36 p.m.
