2015 Drama League Awards

Kicking off the theater awards season in New York, two of the most coveted and critically acclaimed productions of the year, "An American in Paris" and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" swept the 81st Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square on Friday, May 15.

"Daniel Radcliffe was supposed to be here but he had to drop out," said the evening's master of ceremonies. "He got into a crumpet accident."

The funny Tony nominee Steven Boyer ("Hand to God") moderated the event, which was filled with one of the most intriguing and illustrious dais on the Great White Way in some time: Oscar winner Helen Mirren, Broadway icon Chita Rivera ("The Visit"), Opera goddess Ren�e Fleming ("Living on Love"), Golden Globe winners Ruth Wilson ("Constellations"), Elisabeth Moss ("The Heidi Chronicles") and Bill Nighy ("Skylight"), BAFTA Award winner Carey Mulligan ("Skylight"), Olivier Award winners Lesley Manville ("Ghosts"), Richard McCabe ("The Audience"), Ben Miles ("Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two") and Nathaniel Parker ("Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two").

Also on hand to lend support were Tony Award winners Michael Cerveris ("Fun Home"), Roger Rees ("The Visit"), Kristin Chenoweth ("On The Twentieth Century"), Tyne Daly ("It Shoulda Been You"), Lin-Manuel Miranda ("Hamilton"), Christian Borle ("Something Rotten"), Julie White ("Airline Highway"), Jim Dale ("Just Jim Dale"), Tony nominees Andy Karl ("On The Twentieth Century"), Brian d'Arcy James ("Something Rotten"), Leanne Cope ("An American in Paris"), Robert Fairchild ("An American in Paris"), Stephen McKinley Henderson ("Between Riverside and Crazy"), Judy Kuhn ("Fun Home"), Rob McClure ("Honeymoon in Vegas"), Matthew Morrison ("Finding Neverland"), Kelli O'Hara ("The King and I"), Bryce Pinkham ("The Heidi Chronicles"), Alex Sharp ("The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"), Douglas Sills ("Living on Love") and Drama Desk Award winner John Douglas Thompson ("Tamburlaine, Parts I and II, The Iceman Cometh") made appearances. Broadway behemoths and past recipients Rosemary Harris ("Indian Ink") and Cherry Jones ("When We Were Young and Unafraid").

Sterling K. Brown ("Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3"), Lisa Howard ("It Shoulda Been You"), Rebecca Naomi Jones ("Big Love"), Usman Ally ("The Invisible Hand"), Daveed Diggs ("Hamilton"), Ruthie Ann Miles ("The King and I") and Tam Mutu ("Doctor Zhivago") were also in attendance. However, there were some noticeable absences: Oscar nominated actors Bradley Cooper ("The Elephant Man") and Jake Gyllenhaal ("Constellations"), Golden Globe nominated actor Ewan McGregor ("The Real Thing"), three-time Tony Award winner Nathan Lane ("The Iceman Cometh," "It's Only A Play"), five-time Tony Award nominee Jan Maxwell ("The City of Conversation"), five-time Emmy Award winner Kelsey Grammer ("Finding Neverland") and Olivier nominee Cush Jumbo ("Josephine and I," "The River") had missed the ceremony because of scheduling conflicts.

That's not all; Zachary Quinto, a nominee last year, announced some of the night's biggest winners. The former director-choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's fantastico production of "American in Paris," which was adapted by Craig Lucas from the 1951 MGM movie, triumphed over "Finding Neverland," "Fun Home," "It Shoulda Been You," "Something Rotten!" and "The Visit," along with Off Broadway titles "Ghost Quartet" and "Hamilton," in the category for Outstanding Production Of A Broadway Or Off-Broadway Musical.

On the other hand, the eye-popping British import "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" trounced the competition for Outstanding Production Of A Broadway Or Off-Broadway Play, in a category that included "The Audience," "Constellations," "Hand to God" and "Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two" as well as "Between Riverside and Crazy," "Bootycandy," "An Octoroon," "Punk Rock" and "Scenes from a Marriage."

Tony nominees "The King and I" and "You Can't It With You" won big in both revival categories for play and musical.

Neil Patrick Harris, a recipient last year for his performance in the 2014 revival of "Hedwig In The Angry Inch" gifted the award for Distinguished Performance - given to only one actor per season -- to 82-year-old Chita Rivera who wowed critics in Kander & Ebb's "The Visit."

Tony winner Stephen Daldry, who directed Broadway plays "The Audience" and "Skylight" took home a trophy for excellence in his field. Daldry also noted he is currently working behind the camera on an HBO doc surrounding the life and time of Rivera's 60-plus years in showbiz due next year.

The evening was chock-full of eloquent and entertaining speeches from Chenoweth, who was hoisted onto a chair by Borle to address the audience. Lin Manuel Miranda waxed poetic and dropped a funky fresh rap ode to Helen Mirren, which various actors failed to piggyback on.

Tyne Daly admitted that she preferred the company of actors to us mere mortals. Rosemary Harris recalled receiving her Drama League win 50 years prior, and Carey Mulligan recalled receiving flowers from John Lithgow, a "love" letter from Helen Mirren and words of encouragement from Cherry Jones backstage.

But night really transcended into theatrical glory when Joel Grey, a theatre titan who won Oscar and Tony accolades for his performance of Kander & Ebb's "Cabaret," recalled his life prior to his acclaimed role, which was paved with disappointment and financial woes. One call from Hal Prince changed all that and just in time; he had just called it quits with acting altogether. An evening spent with cutlery slapping porcelain plates and bus boys darting across halls came to hollowed hush as Grey performed an a cappella rendition of "Willkommen," the opening number that catapulted him to superstardom.

An "island of misfit toys," these actors and storytellers couldn't be more grateful.

Speaking with Tony Yazbeck, nominated for the first time in his 20-plus years as a working actor for his riveting performance in the 2015 revival of "On The Town," the song-and-dance man looked back at his years as a child actor making his Broadway debut in Arthur Laurents' 1989 revival of "Gypsy": "It's amazing how humbling it makes you," he said. "It's a true reminder of how far I've come and I am so grateful and honored to be apart of this community."

The full list of 2015 Drama League Awards winners follows:

Unique Contribution to the Theater: WNET (Neal Shapiro, David Horn)
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing: Stephen Daldry
Distinguished Production of a Musical: "An American in Paris"
Distinguished Production of a Play: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Distinguished Revival of a Musical: "The King and I"
Distinguished Revival of a Play: "You Can't Take It With You"
Distinguished Performance Award: Chita Rivera, "The Visit"
Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater: Joel Grey