Yesterday, the 58^th Annual Drama Desk Award nominees gathered at the Marriott Essex House Ballroom to receive their nomination certificates and celebrate! Check out some photos below of our nominees from Second Stage Theatre’s Dogfight, The Trip to Bountiful, Hands on a Hardbody, Bring It On, and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. Be sure to visit DramaDeskAwards.com  on May 19^th for a list of winners!

Dogfight composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul with star Lindsay Mendez

The Trip to Bountiful’s Condola Rashad

Hands on a Hardbody creatives Amanda Green & Doug Wright pose with cast members Keith Carradine, Keala Settle, and Jay Armstrong Johnson

Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Oustanding Lyrics Nominees for Bring It On

Rachel Chavkin (Director) and Dave Molloy (Music/Lyrics) of Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812

Bring It On Director/Choreographer Andy Blakenbuehler

Hands on a Hardbody choreographers Sergio Trujillo and Lorin Latarro

Costume Designer Paloma Young nominated for Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812

Photo Credit: David Gordon

Hands on a Hardbody received 15 major award nominations for the 2013 season. Hands on!

TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS

-          Best Original Score: Trey Anastasio & Amanda Green

-          Best Featured Actor: Keith Carradine

-          Best Featured Actress: Keala Settle

DRAMA DESK AWARD NOMINATIONS

-          Outstanding Musical

-          Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: Keith Carradine

-          Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Keala Settle

-          Outstanding Choreography: Sergio Trujillo

-          Outstanding Music: Trey Anastasio & Amanda Green

-          Outstanding Lyrics: Amanda Green

-          Outstanding Book of a Musical: Dough Wright

-          Outstanding Orchestrations: Trey Anastasio & Don Hart

-          Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical: Steve Canyon Kennedy

OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS

-          Outstanding New Broadway Musical

-          Outstanding New Score

-          Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Keala Settle

The cast of Hands on a Hardbody

Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name that was created by S.R. Bindler and produced by Bindler and Kevin Morris, the musical features a book by Doug Wright (Pulitzer Prize winner, I Am My Own Wife), lyrics by Amanda Green (Bring It On: The Musical), music by Trey Anastasio (Phish) and Amanda Green, direction by Neil Pepe (Broadway’s Speed-The-Plow), and musical staging by Sergio Trujillo (Memphis, Jersey Boys).

For ten hard-luck Texans, a new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end, armed with nothing but hope, humor and ambition, they’ll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand new truck in order to win it. In the hilarious, hard-fought contest that is HANDS ON A HARDBODY only one winner can drive away with the American Dream.

Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful garnered 14 nominations for the 2013 Awards Season! The new production stars Academy Award nominee & Emmy Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson, returning to Broadway for the first time in 30 years alongside Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Emmy Award nominee and recording star Vanessa Williams. Congratulations!

TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS

-          Best Revival of a Play

-          Best Actress: Cicely Tyson

-          Best Featured Actress: Condola Rashad

-          Best Sound Design: John Gromada

DRAMA DESK AWARD NOMINATIONS

-          Outstanding Revival of a Play

-          Outstanding Actress: Cicely Tyson

-          Outstanding Featured Actress: Condola Rashad

DRAMA LEAGUE AWARD NOMINATIONS

-          Outstanding Revival of a Play

-          Distinguished Performance Award: Cicely Tyson

-          Distinguished Performance Award: Vanessa Williams

OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS

-          Outstanding Revival of a Play

-          Outstanding Actress: Cicely Tyson

-          Outstanding Featured Actress: Vanessa Williams

-          Outstanding Director: Michael Wilson

Cicely Tyson

Vanessa Williams and Cuba Gooding, Jr. in The Trip to Bountiful

Directed by MICHAEL WILSON, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL is playing at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 W 43^rd St) through July 7, 2013.  Tickets are available at the box office, www.Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.

Emmy Award winning actress Holland Taylor of CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” sweeps the 2013 Broadway nominations for her performance as Ann Richards in the new critically-acclaimed play ANN!

Tony Award Nomination, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Drama Desk Award Nomination, Outstanding Solo Performance
Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination, Outstanding Solo Performance
Drama League Award Nomination, Distinguished Performance

Holland Taylor as Ann Richards in ANN

Written and performed by Holland Taylor, ANN is an intimate, no-holds-barred portrait of Ann Richards, the legendary Governor of Texas. This inspiring and hilarious new play brings us face to face with a complex, colorful and captivating character bigger than the state from which she hailed. ANN takes a revealing look at the impassioned woman who enriched the lives of her followers, friends and family.  ANN is playing at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre (150 West 65 Street) through Sunday, September 1, 2013.

The journey has truly begun! Horton Foote’s classic play, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, officially opened on The Great White Way last night at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. Get an insider’s look at the after-party at Copacabana below:

Cuba Gooding Jr, Cicely Tyson, Vanessa Williams, and Condola Rashad (Photo by Bruce Glikas, Broadway.com)

Vanessa Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr, Condola Rashad, and Tom Wopat (Photo by Bruce Glikas, Broadway.com)

Hallie Foote and director Michael Wilson (Photo by Bruce Glikas, Broadway.com)

Deborah Cox (Jekyll and Hyde) and Vanessa Williams (Photo by Bruce Glikas, Broadway.com)

Plus, check out more photos of the curtain call and pre-show red carpet here!

Currently playing on Broadway for the first time in 60 years, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL tells the story of Carrie Watts (Cicely Tyson), who is trapped in a cramped Houston apartment with her soft-spoken son (Cuba Gooding Jr) and self-absorbed daughter-in-law (Vanessa Williams), dreaming of a return to her home in the small Gulf Coast town of Bountiful, where she grew up and raised her own family. Fearing that she’s an imposition and chafing under her daughter-in-law’s watchful eye, she steals away with her latest pension check and heads home in the journey of a lifetime. The result is an unforgettable meditation on the idea of home and its power to sustain us.

Produced by Nelle Nugent, Stephen Byrd, and Kenneth Teaton, this 14-week limited engagement began previews on Saturday, March 30th at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 W 43rd St). For ticket information please visit www.TheTripToBountifulBroadway.com.

The “Jekkies,” members of the international Jekyll & Hyde fan club, are taking the Marquis Theatre by storm as Frank Wildhorn’s Jekyll & Hyde - starring Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis and Grammy-nominated R&B superstar Deborah Cox – returns to Broadway.

The fan club began 13 years ago as an email list after the world premiere of the musical at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. After keeping the show alive on Broadway for four and a half years as membership grew into the hundreds, the Jekkies took to the road to support Jekyll & Hyde tours as well as community and regional productions of the musical.

The Jekkies have also become a contributing part of the Broadway community, donating at least $2500 to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in the name of Jekyll & Hyde.

The Jekkies will now be able to have a “net-together” (a gathering of the fan club) in New York City as the Jekyll & Hyde revival opens on Broadway tonight. Let the fun begin… we hope to see them there!

Find out more about the Jekkies on Facebook.

After four thrilling, chilling years on Broadway and multiple worldwide tours, this dark and dangerous love story returns in a stunning new production that includes all the classic songs (“This is the Moment”, “A New Life”, “Someone Like You”) that first grabbed audiences by the throat and transformed JEKYLL & HYDE into a four-time Tony Award nominated theatrical phenomenon. Conceived for the stage by Tony and Grammy Award nominee Frank Wildhorn and Steve Cuden, JEKYLL & HYDE features a book & lyrics by two-time Oscar winner, Emmy winner and four-time Tony Award nominee Leslie Bricusse, music by Frank Wildhorn, and direction & choreography by Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun.

In addition to Maroulis and Cox, the cast also features Teal Wicks (Wicked) as ‘Emma Carew’, Laird Mackintosh (Mary Poppins) as ‘John Utterson’, Richard White (The Most Happy Fella) as ‘Sir Danvers Carew’, David Benoit (Avenue Q) as ‘Bishop/Spider’, Stephen Mitchell Brown, Jerry Christakos, Dana Costello, Wendy Fox, Brian Gallagher, Sean Jenness, Mel Johnson Jr., James Judy, Ashley Loren, Courtney Markowitz, Aaron Ramey, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Rob Richardson, Blair Ross, Doug Storm, Haley Swindal and Jason Wooten.

The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream celebrated opening night in style with a star-studded red carpet and after-party at Sardi’s! Bruce Springsteen and Constantine Maroulis were among the music superstars who came out to support the company – check out photos below.

Eddie Brigati, Dino Danelli, Gene Cornish, and Felix Cavaliere (Photo by Linda Lenzi, BroadwayWorld.com)

Dino Danelli, Felix Cavaliere, Marc Brickman, Gene Cornish, Eddie Brigati, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, and Maureen Van Zandt (Photo by Jenny Anderson, Broadway.com)

Constantine Maroulis, Steven van Zandt, and Bruce Springsteen (Photo by Dina Regine)

Produced and directed by Steven Van Zandt and lighting/projection wizard Marc Brickman, completely original in its concept, Once Upon a Dream is a hybrid of a Rock concert and a Broadway show, Rock N’ Soul dance party meets the Jersey Boys. In addition to the concert experience, the history of The Rascals, and the history of the ‘60’s through their music (in fact, at thirty songs, the most comprehensive concert they’ve ever done), is dramaticized by a combination of narration, filmed scenes of actors acting out key moments in the band’s history, news footage, and archival footage of the band.

There are elements of the staging and light design never seen before just as Marc Brickman has done in his previous groundbreaking work with Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Blue Man Group, the opening ceremony of the Olympics, and Roger Waters’ recent ‘The Wall’ tour.

The show debuted at the The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, December 13th, 14th, and 15th. The theater was uniquely qualified for this debut, owner Peter Shapiro (Brooklyn Bowl, Wetlands, U2 3D) having restored it to its 1926 magnificence while equipping it with a state of the art lighting, projection, and sound system.

The Rascals Once Upon a Dream will play on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre until May 5th. Tickets on sale now and prices range from $27-137 (including a $2 facility fee) and can be purchased by visiting www.Ticketmaster.com, or calling 877-250-2929. A special ticket package with an opportunity for a meet and greet with the band will be available for $300. Packages are strictly limited.

The world premiere of the Broadway-bound new musical BIG FISH opens at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre this Thursday, April 5th – and to celebrate, several local restaurants are offering special BIG FISH-themed menu items! Chicago’s Catch 35 seafood restaurant has added catfish to their menu for the first time ever in honor of the occasion, and the dish will remain on the menu through the end of BIG FISH’s Chicago run on Sunday, May 5th. Check out a video with Catch 35’s Executive Chef Eddie Sweeney here.

Magnolia Bakery has also joined in on the BIG FISH fun with their newest menu addition, vanilla and chocolate buttercream “Big Fish Cupcakes.” Watch Magnolia Bakery’s manager, Nikki Lee, make some of these delicious treats – and then whip up a batch of your own with the recipe provided here!

Kate Baldwin, Norbert Leo Butz and Bobby Steggert (Photo by Paul Kolnik)

Directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (Contact, The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys), with music and lyrics by Grammy and Tony Award nominee Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family), a book by Grammy and BAFTA Award nominee John August (Frankenweenie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), BIG FISH began its pre-Broadway world premiere at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph Street) in a limited 5-week engagement on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.

BIG FISH has scenic design by Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Julian Crouch, costume design by five-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long, lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Donald Holder, sound design by Los Angeles Drama Critics Award winner Jon Weston, with projection design by Drama Desk Award winner Benjamin Pearcy for 59 Productions. BIG FISH is produced by Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen and Stage Entertainment with Roy Furman, The Nederlander Organization, John Domo and Broadway Across America.

For more information, visit www.BigFishtheMusical.com.

CHICAGO TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for BIG FISH at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre range in price from $33-$100 and are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place (845 N. Michigan Ave.), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations, and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. A select number of premium seats are also available for many performances. Tickets are available for groups of 15 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710.

Hands on a Hardbody trucked its way to Broadway last night at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre! The new musical, based on a 1997 documentary of the same name, celebrated opening night with a party at Roseland Ballroom where the actors were joined by their real-life Texan counterparts. Check out photos below!

Jan Maynard  and Connie Ray

Benny Perkins and Hunter Foster

Jacob Ming-Trent and Ronald McCowan

Keala Settle and Norma Valverde

JD Drew and Keith Carradine

Allison Case and Kelli Mangrum

Virginia Drew and Mary Gordon Murray

PHOTO CREDIT: Linda Lenzi

Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name that was created by S.R. Bindler and produced by Bindler and Kevin Morris, the musical features a book by Doug Wright (Pulitzer Prize winner, I Am My Own Wife), lyrics by Amanda Green (Bring It On: TheMusical), music by Trey Anastasio (Phish) and Amanda Green, direction by Neil Pepe (Broadway’s Speed-The-Plow), and musical staging by Sergio Trujillo (Memphis, Jersey Boys).

For ten hard-luck Texans, a new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end, armed with nothing but hope, humor and ambition, they’ll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand new truck in order to win it. In the hilarious, hard-fought contest that is HANDS ON A HARDBODY only one winner can drive away with the American Dream.

The Broadway production features the full cast from the La Jolla Playhouse engagement: Keith Carradine (Tony Award^® nominee, The Will Rogers Follies), Allison Case (Hair), Hunter Foster (Tony Award^® nominee, Little Shop of Horrors), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Catch Me If You Can), David Larsen (American Idiot), Jacob Ming-Trent (Shrek The Musical), Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone (Tales of the City), Mary Gordon Murray (Into The Woods), Jim Newman (Curtains), Connie Ray (Next Fall), Jon Rua (In The Heights), Keala Settle (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Dale Soules (Hair), Scott Wakefield (Ring of Fire), and William Youmans (Wicked).

HANDS ON A HARDBODY also boasts an award-winning design team including scenic design by Tony Award^® winner Christine Jones (American Idiot), costume design by Tony Award^® winner Susan Hilferty (Wicked), lighting design by Tony Award^® winner Kevin Adams (Spring Awakening), sound design by Tony Award^® winner Steve Canyon Kennedy (Jersey Boys), orchestrations by Trey Anastasio and Don Hart, and vocal arrangements/musical direction by Carmel Dean (American Idiot).

The La Jolla Playhouse production of HANDS ON A HARDBODY is produced on Broadway by Broadway Across America – Beth Williams, Barbara Whitman/Latitude Link, Dede Harris/Sharon Karmazin, Howard & Janet Kagan, and John & Claire Caudwell, Rough Edged Souls, Joyce Primm Schweickert, Paula Black/Bruce Long, and Off The Aisle Productions/Freitag-Mishkin.

The world premiere production of HANDS ON A HARDBODY opened Saturday, May 12 at La Jolla Playhouse and played a limited engagement through Sunday, June 17.  HANDS ON A HARDBODY was commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse (Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director & Michael S. Rosenberg, Managing Director).

THE RUSH TICKET POLICY FOR HANDS ON A HARDBODY WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: A limited number of $32.00 rush tickets (price includes $2.00 facility fee) will be available for every performance.  These rush tickets, which are available to all patrons, are cash only and can be purchased at the box office only, beginning at 10:00am the day of the performance.  There is a limit of 2 tickets per person.

Tickets for HANDS ON A HARDBODY range from $55 – $155, and are available at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre box office and at Ticketmaster.com (877-250-2929). The playing schedule from February 23 through March 20 is as follows: Monday at 8pm, Tuesday at 8pm, Wednesday at 2pm and 8pm, Thursday at 8pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm. Beginning March 22^nd, the playing schedule is as follows: Monday at 7:30pm, Tuesday at 7:30pm, Wednesday at 2pm and 7:30pm, Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm. Please note that there is no 2pm performance on Wednesday, February 27^th.

For more information please visit: www.handsonahardbody.com

Opening on The Great White Way this fall, the new musical BIG FISH will make its pre-Broadway debut at Chicago’s Oriental Theater this April. Check out this interview with the creative team of BIG FISH as they explain what makes this new musical so spell-binding!

Directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (Contact, The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys), with music and lyrics by Grammy and Tony Award nominee Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family), a book by Grammy and BAFTA Award nomineeJohn August (Frankenweenie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), BIG FISH begins its pre-Broadway world premiere at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph Street) in a limited 5-week engagement on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.

BIG FISH has scenic design by Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Julian Crouch, costume design by five-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long, lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Donald Holder, sound design by Los Angeles Drama Critics Award winner Jon Weston, with projection design by Drama Desk Award winner Benjamin Pearcy for 59 Productions. BIG FISH is produced by Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen and Stage Entertainment with Roy Furman, The Nederlander Organization, John Domo and Broadway Across America.

For more information, visit www.BigFishtheMusical.com.

CHICAGO TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for BIG FISH at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre range in price from $33-$100 and are currently on sale to the general publix. A select number of premium seats are also available for many performances. Tickets are available for groups of 15 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place (845 N. Michigan Ave.), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations, and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.