<i>Hairspray</i> and <i>Take Me Out</i> continue awards haul with Drama Desk honors (8697)

The hit musical Hairspray swept up 10 Drama Desk Awards on Sunday, dominating the 48th annual honors handed out by media covering New York theater. The rock musical, based on John Waters's campy 1988 film of the same title, was named Outstanding New Musical and garnered Outstanding Actress in a Musical as well, the previously unheralded Marissa Jaret Winokur. Harvey Fierstein, who stars in drag as the gravelly voiced mother of the heroine in Hairspray, shared honors as Outstanding Actor in a Musical with Antonio Banderas of Nine.

Winning three awards each were Baz Luhrmann's production of La Boheme, the revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, and Nine. Long Day's Journey and Nine were named Outstanding Revival of a Play and Musical, respectively.

Take Me Out, Richard Greenberg's play about a baseball player revealing he is gay, took two awards--one for Outstanding Play and the other to Denis O'Hare as top featured actor. Eddie Izzard was voted Outstanding Actor in a Play for A Day in the Death of Joe Egg. The Redgrave sisters, Vanessa and Lynn, won awards: Vanessa was named Outstanding Actress in a Play for her performance in Long Day's Journey, while Lynn won as Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal in the off-Broadway Talking Heads.

Jane Krakowski outpolled her Nine costars Chita Rivera and Mary Stuart Masterson to win as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. Amour, a Michel Legrand musical that received nine nominations despite running for only 17 regular performances, won nothing. The Drama Desk Awards are considered a strong predictor for Broadway's Tony Awards, to be presented on June 8.