91st Drama League Awards Nominations: Big Shows, Big Stars Lead the Way

The Drama League has announced the nominees for the 2025 Drama League Awards, where theater and film legends earned top mentions with productions of Smash, Death Becomes Her and Real Women Have Curves leading the way with four nominations apiece.

Oscar winners and nominees like Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal (Othello), Paul Mescal (A Streetcar Named Desire), Robert Downey, Jr. (McNeal) and Adam Driver (Hold On To Me Darling) are nominated for the Distinguished Performance award, alongside Cole Escola (Oh, Mary!), Idina Menzel (Redwood), Megan Hilty (Death Becomes Her) and Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Blvd.) and more. RuPaul’s Drag Race winners Jinkx Monsoon (Pirates! The Penzance Musical) and Alaska Thunderfuck (Drag: The Musical) are also nominated in the category.

Honoring Broadway and off-Broadway achievements, the nominations were announced by Sarah Hyland and Orville Peck at the official announcement event held at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

The 91st Annual Drama League Awards will be held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 16 and hosted by Frank DiLella.

Here is the complete list of nominations.

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
The Antiquities
Becoming Eve
English
Good Bones
Good Night, and Good Luck
Here There Are Blueberries
John Proctor Is the Villain
Liberation
Oh, Mary!
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Purpose
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Walden

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
The Cherry Orchard
Eureka Day
Ghosts
Glengarry Glen Ross
Home
Othello
Romeo + Juliet
A Streetcar Named Desire
Vanya
Wine in the Wilderness
Yellow Face

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
BOOP! The Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Drag: The Musical
Just in Time
Macbeth In Stride
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves
Smash
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
The Last Five Years
Once Upon a Mattress

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Knud Adams, English
Saheem Ali, Good Bones
David Cromer, Good Night, And Good Luck
Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!
Tyne Rafaeli, Becoming Eve
Anna D. Shapiro, Eureka Day
Danya Taymor, John Proctor is The Villain
Whitney White, Liberation
Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Sam Yates, Vanya
 
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Robert Hastie, Operation Mincemeat
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.
Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
Susan Stroman, Smash
Alex Timbers, Just In Time
Annie Tippe, Three Houses
Sergio Trujillo, Real Women Have Curves
George C. Wolfe, Gypsy
 
DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE
Tala Ashe, English
Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
Stori Ayers, Home
Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Kit Connor, Romeo+Juliet
Tatianna Córdoba, Real Women Have Curves
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Kieran Culkin, Glengarry Glen Ross
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Tommy Dorfman, Becoming Eve
Robert Downey, Jr., McNeal
Adam Driver, Hold On To Me Darling
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
Amber Gray, Eureka Day
David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Jonathan Groff, Just In Time
Jake Gyllenhaal, Othello
Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me In The Water
Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Robyn Hurder, Smash
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Nick Jonas, The Last Five Years
Ramin Karimloo, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Gracie Lawrence, Just In Time
Beth Leavel, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Idina Menzel, Redwood
Paul Mescal, A Streetcar Named Desire
Jinkx Monsoon, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Marjan Neshat, English
Sandra Oh, The Welkin
Lily Rabe, Ghosts
Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical
Lea Salonga, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Andrew Scott, Vanya
Helen J Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Ephraim Sykes, Our Town
Alaska Thunderfuck, Drag: The Musical
Adrienne Warren, The Last Five Years
Denzel Washington, Othello
Joy Woods, Gypsy
Kara Young, Purpose and Table 17
 
The Drama League also acknowledged the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in Broadway or off-Broadway productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer’s lifetime, they are ineligible to be nominated; however, their exemplary work is recognized and applauded. 
 
Annaleigh Ashford, All In
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
Norbert Leo Butz, Vladimir
Sutton Foster, Once Upon a Mattress
Neil Patrick Harris, Shit. Meet. Fan.
Patti LuPone, The Roommate
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Lin-Manuel Miranda, All In
Bernadette Peters, Stephen Sondheim: Old Friends
 
SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS (previously announced)
Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater – Lea Salonga
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing – Whitney White
Contribution to the Theater – Kate Navin and Audible Theater
Gratitude Award – Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron