“Billy” Dominates Drama Desks
“Billy Elliot†dominated the 54th annual Drama Desk Awards last night, with 10 trophies including top tuner going to the musical about the Brit boy (pictured) who’s just gotta dance. Nearly all the show’s major creatives took honors, including director Stephen Daldry, composer Elton John, book writer Lee Hall, choreographer Peter Darling and supporting thesps Haydn Gwynne and Gregory Jbara (all Tony nominees as well). How does this translate to the Tonys, to be held June 7? There’s no question that “Billy” will be the big winner that night, too. Elsewhere, I don’t think the DDs are an especially good Tony predictor. I don’t, for example, think the DD winner for best actor in a musical, Brian D’Arcy James (“Shrek”) is going to mount the podium on Tony night in place of the “Billy” boys. And I don’t think DD musical-actress winner Allison Janney, wonderful as she is in “9 to 5,” is going to take the Tony over Alice Ripley in “Next To Normal.” (“Normal” was DD-eligible last year, when it was off-Broadway.)
