‘Maybe Happy Ending' dominates the 2025 Drama Desk Awards with 6 wins, ‘Boop!' and ‘Gypsy' stage upsets
Maybe Happy Ending was a clear favorite with Drama Desk voters, claiming six awards to become the winningest production of the ceremony. The show's victories include the coveted Outstanding Musical prize and Outstanding Director for Michael Arden. Writers Will Aronson and Hue Park pulled off a clean sweep with wins for Music, Lyrics, and Book of a Musical.
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The Drama Desks employ combined gender acting categories, with an expanded number of nominees. As such, they've decided to present two winners by default in each acting race. Tony Award frontrunner Sarah Snook claimed Lead Performance in a Play for The Picture of Dorian Gray, alongside fellow Tony nominee Laura Donnelly for The Hill of California. Tony favorite Kara Young (Purpose) won Featured Performance in a Play alongside Amalia Yoo for John Proctor Is the Villain. The Tonys nominated Yoo's John Proctor costar Fina Strazza instead. A tie in voting resulted in a trio of winners for Featured Performance in a Musical: Tony nominees Brooks Ashmanskas (Smash) and Jak Malone (Operation Mincemeat), plus a flamboyant comedic turn from Michael Urie (Once Upon a Mattress).
Broadway fans have long predicted a Tonys showdown between Audra McDonald and Nicole Scherzinger for their respective performances in Gypsy and Sunset Boulevard So most pundits assumed that these two leading ladies would share the win for Lead Performance in a Musical. But Drama Desk voters feted McDonald and Jasmine Amy Rogers (Boop! The Musical) instead. It was a tough night for Sunset Boulevard, which also lost the Revival of a Musical race to Gypsy.
The acting win for Rogers complicates what is already the most competitive Tony race of the season, as there is clear passion for the young actress within the industry. It might be tempting to shrug off this result since Boop! was the most nominated show at the Drama Desks, but not so fast. Individual tastes can appear within Drama Desk nominations because the nominating committee is just seven people strong. But the entire 100-person membership votes for the winners, indicating that Rogers is capable of mustering support within a wider voting body.
The good news for Boop! didn't stop there, as the bubbly show picked up two more wins. Gregg Barnes won Costume Design of a Musical over Paul Tazewell for Death Becomes Her. Then Jerry Mitchell won Choreography. Though Mitchell didn't face his toughest Tony competition, since Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado were not eligible at the Drama Desks for Buena Vista Social Club. Nevertheless, Boop! has now picked up this same trio of wins for its lead actress, choreography, and costume design at both the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. These also happen to be the same categories where the show earned Tony nominations. Can Betty Boop stage a massive upset at Sunday's Tony Awards ceremony?
The full list of 2025 Drama Desk winners is below:
Outstanding Play
Blood of the Lamb, by Arlene Hutton Deep Blue Sound, by Abe Koogler Grangeville, by Samuel D. Hunter John Proctor Is the Villain, by Kimberly Belflower Liberation, by Bess Wohl **, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Outstanding Musical
Boop! The Musical Death Becomes Her Just in Time **Maybe Happy Ending Music City
Outstanding Revival of a Play
** Garside's Career Home Wine in the Wilderness Yellow Face
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cats: 'The Jellicle Ball' Floyd Collins **Gypsy Once Upon a Mattress See What I Wanna See Sunset Blvd.
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play
Betsy Aidem, The Ask **Laura Donnelly, Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire Danny J. Gomez, All of Me Doug Harris, Redeemed Patrick Keleher, Fatherland Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Lily Rabe, Ghosts Jay O. Sanders, Henry IV (Theatre for a New Audience) **Sarah Snook, Paul Sparks, Grangeville Olivia Washington, Wine in the Wilderness
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
Tatianna Córdoba, Real Women Have Curves Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending Sutton Foster, Once Upon a Mattress Tom Francis, Sunset Boulevard Jonathan Groff, Just in Time Grey Henson, Elf Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins **Audra McDonald, **Jasmine Amy Rogers, Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard Helen J Shen, Maybe Happy Ending Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play
Greg Keller, Pre-Existing Condition Julia Lester, All Nighter Adrienne C. Moore, The Blood Quilt Deirdre O'Connell, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp. Maria-Christina Oliveras, Cymbeline Maryann Plunkett, Deep Blue Sound Michael Rishawn, Table 17 Jude Tibeau, Bad Kreyòl Anjana Vasan, A Streetcar Named Desire Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling **Amalia Yoo, **Kara Young,
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
**Brooks Ashmanskas, Nicholas Barasch, Pirates! The Penzance Musical André De Shields, Cats: 'The Jellicle Ball' John El-Jor, We Live in Cairo Jason Gotay, Floyd Collins Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time **Jak Malone, Lesli Margherita, Gypsy Zachary Noah Piser, See What I Wanna See Jenny Lee Stern, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song **Michael Urie, Natalie Walker, The Big Gay Jamboree
Outstanding Solo Performance
David Greenspan, I'm Assuming You Know David Greenspan Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me in the Water Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings Mark Povinelli, The Return of Benjamin Lay **Andrew Scott,
Outstanding Direction of a Play
David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan, The Antiquities Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Tyne Rafaeli, Becoming Eve Jack Serio, Grangeville **Danya Taymor, Whitney White, Liberation Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Outstanding Direction of a Musical **Michael Arden, Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: 'The Jellicle Ball' Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Boulevard Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Musical Alex Timbers, Just in Time George C. Wolfe, Gypsy
Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Gypsy Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical Jakob Karr, Ain't Done Bad Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, Cats: 'The Jellicle Ball' **Jerry Mitchell, Sergio Trujillo, Real Women Have Curves
Outstanding Music
**Will Aronson and Hue Park, David Foster, Boop! The Musical Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves Zoe Sarnak, The Lonely Few The Lazours, We Live in Cairo
Outstanding Lyrics
Gerard Alessandrini, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song **Will Aronson and Hue Park, David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat Adam Gwon, All the World's a Stage Marla Mindelle and Philip Drennen, The Big Gay Jamboree Luis Quintero, Medea: Re-Versed
Outstanding Book of a Musical
**Will Aronson and Hue Park, David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver, Just in Time Bob Martin, Boop! The Musical Marla Mindelle and Jonathan Parks-Ramage, The Big Gay Jamboree Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Orchestrations
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending Doug Besterman, Boop! The Musical Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical **Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Michael Starobin, All the World's a Stage
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp. **Miriam Buether, and Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher (illusions and visual effects), Gabriel Hainer Evansohn and Grace Laubacher, Life and Trust Rob Howell, The Hills of California Johan Kølkjær, Dark Noon Matt Saunders, Walden
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
Clifton Chadick, Music City Rachel Hauck, Swept Away **Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, (includes video design) Derek McLane, Just in Time David Rockwell and Finn Ross (projections), Boop! The Musical
Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo, The Antiquities **Dede Ayite, Christopher Ford, The Beastiary Camilla Lind, Dark Noon Karl Ruckdeschel, Twelfth Night
Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
**Gregg Barnes, Sarah Cubbage, The Big Gay Jamboree Toni-Leslie James, Gypsy Qween Jean, Cats: 'The Jellicle Ball' Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her Catherine Zuber, Just in Time
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp. **Jon Clark, Natasha Katz, John Proctor Is the Villain Tyler Micoleau, The Antiquities Paul Whitaker, Sumo
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, Swept Away Adam Honoré, Cats: 'The Jellicle Ball' **Jack Knowles, Philip S. Rosenberg, Boop! The Musical Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun (projections), Floyd Collins
Outstanding Sound Design of a Play
**Paul Arditti, Johnny Gasper, Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods Matt Otto, All of Me Bray Poor, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp. Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray Fan Zhang, Good Bones
Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard **Peter Hylenski, Scott Lehrer, Gypsy Mick Potter, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
Outstanding Projection and Video Design
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Boulevard Jake Barton, McNeal **David Bergman, Jesse Garrison, The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux] Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Outstanding Wig and Hair
Alberto 'Albee' Alvarado, Sumo **Charles G. LaPointe, Sabana Majeed, Boop! The Musical Nikiya Mathis, Cats: 'The Jellicle Ball' Nikiya Mathis, Liberation
Outstanding Puppetry
Dorothy James, Bill's 44th Tom Lee, See What I Wanna See Simple Mischief Studio, Small Acts of Daring Invention **Amanda Villalobos, Kirjan Waage, Dead as a Dodo
Outstanding Fight Choreography
Drew Leary, Romeo + Juliet Chelsea Pace and James Yaegashi, Sumo **Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet, Bret Yount, King Lear
Outstanding Adaptation
Becoming Eve, by Emil Weinstein Cymbeline, by Andrea Thome Medea: Re-Versed, by Luis Quintero **, by Rupert Holmes The Devil's Disciple, by David Staller
Outstanding Revue
** Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now! The Jonathan Larson Project The World According to Micki Grant
Unique Theatrical Experience
Odd Man Out The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux] **The Picture of Dorian Gray The Voices in Your Head The Wind and the Rain: A Story About Sunny's Bar
Show with Multiple Awards
6 Wins Maybe Happy Ending
3 Wins Boop! The Musical Stranger Things: The First Shadow The Picture of Dorian Gray
2 Wins Danger and Opportunity (2 Special Awards) Gypsy John Proctor Is the Villain Just in Time Pirates! The Penzance Musical Purpose
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Best of GoldDerby
'Maybe Happy Ending' star Darren Criss on his Tony nomination for playing a robot: 'Getting to do this is the true win'
Who Needs a Tony to Reach EGOT?
Sadie Sink on her character's 'emotional rage' in 'John Proctor Is the Villain' and her reaction to 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow'
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