SPAMALOT WINS DRAMA DESK AWARDS
by Hans ten Cate
Sunday, 22 May 2005

Spamalot won three Drama Desk awards, including Outstanding Musical

Monty Python's Spamalot won three Drama Desk Awards today, including the much coveted award for "Outstanding Musical." Also receiving awards were Monty Python's own Eric Idle for Outstanding Lyrics and Tim Hatley for Outstanding Costume Design. The show had received 12 total nominations.

The 50th annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony was hosted by singer/actor Harvey Fierstein at LaGuardia Concert Hall. The event was webcast live and will be shown by various U.S. PBS stations over the coming weeks. Both David Hyde Pierce and Hank Azaria (each nominated for Drama Desk awards this year) were presenters at the event.

The Drama Desk, which was founded in 1949, honors both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. The awards are often viewed as a prediction of which shows will go on to win Tony Awards that year.

Here is the list of nominees and winners for the Drama Desk award categories which included Monty Python's Spamalot:

Outstanding Musical:

  • Altar Boyz
  • The Audience
  • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • The Light in the Piazza
  • Monty Python’s Spamalot [WINNER]
  • The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Outstanding Actor in a Musical:

  • Hank Azaria, Monty Python’s Spamalot
  • Mike Burstyn, On Second Avenue
  • Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels [WINNER]
  • Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
  • David Hyde Pierce, Monty Python’s Spamalot
  • Bill Thompson, God Hates the Irish: The Ballad of Armless Johnny

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical:

  • Christian Borle, Monty Python’s Spamalot
  • Gregory Jbara, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Norm Lewis, Dessa Rose
  • Tyler Maynard, Altar Boyz
  • Michael McGrath, Monty Python’s Spamalot
  • Denis O’Hare, Sweet Charity [WINNER]

Outstanding Director of a Musical:

  • Matthew Bourne, Play Without Words
  • Jack Cummings III, The Audience
  • Mark Dornford-May, The Mysteries
  • James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee [WINNER]
  • Mike Nichols, Monty Python’s Spamalot
  • Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza

Outstanding Choreography:

  • Matthew Bourne, Play Without Words
  • Christopher Gattelli, Altar Boyz
  • Barry McNabb, Sailor’s Song
  • Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles [WINNER]
  • Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python’s Spamalot

Outstanding Lyrics:

  • Gary Adler & Michael Patrick Walker, Altar Boyz
  • Douglas J. Cohen, Children’s Letters to God
  • Rick Crom, Newsical
  • William Finn, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
  • Eric Idle, Monty Python’s Spamalot [WINNER]
  • David Yazbek, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Outstanding Book of a Musical:

  • Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe, Cam Jensen
  • Kevin Del Aguila, Altar Boyz
  • Mark Harelik, The Immigrant
  • Eric Idle, Monty Python’s Spamalot
  • Jeffrey Lane , Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee [WINNER]

Outstanding Orchestrations:

  • Steven M. Alper, The Immigrant
  • Larry Hochman, Monty Python’s Spamalot
  • Doug Katsaros & Lynne Shankel, Altar Boyz
  • Kim Scharnberg, Little Women
  • Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel, Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza [WINNER]
  • Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Outstanding Set Design of a Musical:

  • Lez Brotherston, Play Without Words
  • Tim Hatley, Monty Python’s Spamalot
  • Scott Pask, Sweet Charity
  • David Rockwell, All Shook Up
  • Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  • Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza [WINNER]

Outstanding Costume Design:

  • Lez Brotherston, Play Without Words
  • Tim Hatley, Monty Python’s Spamalot [WINNER]
  • William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
  • Jeff Mahshie, Hurlyburly
  • Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  • Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza