Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics
| Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding Lyrics |
| Location | United States |
| Presented by | Drama Desk |
| Currently held by | Michael R. Jackson for A Strange Loop (2020) |
| Website | DramaDeskAwards.com |
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions.
Winners and nominees[]
1960s[]
| Year | Lyricist | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | ||
| George Haimsohn & Robin Miller | Dames at Sea | |
| Fred Ebb | Zorba |
1970s[]
| Year | Lyricist | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Company | |
| Bertolt Brecht | Mahagonny | |
| 1971 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Follies | |
| 1972 | ||
| John Guare | Two Gentlemen of Verona | |
| 1973 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | A Little Night Music | |
| 1974 | ||
| Al Carmines | The Faggot | |
| 1975 | ||
| Charlie Smalls | The Wiz | |
| Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman & Chuck Strand | The Lieutenant | |
| Jerry Herman | Mack and Mabel | |
| Fred Silver | In Gay Company | |
| 1976 | ||
| Edward Kleban & Marvin Hamlisch | A Chorus Line | |
| Leonard Bernstein | 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue | |
| Bill Heyer & Hank Beebe | Tuscaloosa's Calling Me | |
| Stephen Sondheim | Pacific Overtures | |
| 1977 | ||
| Martin Charnin | Annie | |
| Alfred Uhry | The Robber Bridegroom | |
| 1978 | ||
| Carol Hall | The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | |
| Elizabeth Swados | Runaways | |
| 1979 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | |
| Gretchen Cryer | I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road |
1980s[]
| Year | Lyricist | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | ||
| Tim Rice | Evita | |
| Steve Brown | Strider | |
| 1982 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Merrily We Roll Along | |
| Maury Yeston | Nine | |
| Tom Eyen | Dreamgirls | |
| Jim Wann | Pump Boys and Dinettes | |
| 1983 | ||
| Howard Ashman | Little Shop of Horrors | |
| Michael Colby | Charlotte Sweet | |
| T.S. Eliot | Cats | |
| Des McAnuff | Death of Von Richthofen | |
| 1984 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Sunday in the Park with George | |
| Jerry Herman | La Cage aux Folles | |
| Richard Maltby, Jr. | Baby | |
| Garry Trudeau | Doonesbury | |
| 1985 | ||
| Roger Miller | Big River | |
| Jerry Colker | 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down | |
| Ellen Fitzhugh | Grind | |
| 1988 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Into the Woods | |
| Barry Harman | Romance/Romance |
1990s[]
| Year | Lyricist | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | ||
| David Zippel | City of Angels | |
| Richard Maltby, Jr. | Closer Than Ever | |
| Chet Forrest, Bob Wright & Maury Yeston | Grand Hotel | |
| 1991 | ||
| William Finn | Falsettoland | |
| Marsha Norman | The Secret Garden | |
| Stephen Sondheim | Assassins | |
| 1992 | ||
| Susan Birkenhead | Jelly's Last Jam | |
| Erik Frandsen, Michael Garin, Robert Hipkins & Paul Lockheart | Song of Singapore | |
| 1993 | ||
| Douglas Bernstein & Denis Markell | A Backer's Audition | |
| Joey Paley | Ruthless! | |
| Arthur Perlman | Wings | |
| David Zippel | The Goodbye Girl | |
| 1994 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Passion | |
| Howard Ashman & Tim Rice | Beauty and the Beast | |
| Michael John LaChiusa | Hello Again | |
| 1995 | N/A | |
| 1996 | ||
| Jonathan Larson | Rent | |
| 1997 | ||
| Gerard Alessandrini | Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back | |
| Brian Crawley | Violet | |
| Mark Waldrop | When Pigs Fly | |
| 1998 | ||
| Lynn Ahrens | Ragtime | |
| Stephen Trask | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | |
| Susan Birkenhead | Triumph of Love | |
| 1999 | ||
| Gerard Alessandrini | Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act | |
| Jason Robert Brown | Parade | |
| William Finn | A New Brain | |
2000s[]
| Year | Lyricist | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Saturday Night | |
| Boyd Graham | The Big Bang | |
| Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano & GQ | The Bomb-itty of Errors | |
| Andrew Lippa | The Wild Party | |
| 2001 | ||
| Mel Brooks | The Producers | |
| Kirsten Childs | The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin | |
| Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis | Urinetown | |
| Ed Kleban | A Class Act | |
| Laurence O'Keefe | Bat Boy: The Musical | |
| David Yazbek | The Full Monty | |
| 2002 | ||
| Jason Robert Brown | The Last Five Years | |
| Craig Carnelia | Sweet Smell of Success | |
| Jonathan Larson | Tick, Tick... BOOM! | |
| Kevin Murphy | Reefer Madness | |
| Dick Scanlan | Thoroughly Modern Millie | |
| Ben Schatz | Dragapella Starring The Kinsey Sicks | |
| 2003 | ||
| Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman | Hairspray | |
| Tim Acito & Alexander Dinelaris | Zanna, Don't! | |
| Lynn Ahrens | A Man of No Importance | |
| Craig Carnelia | Imaginary Friends | |
| Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx | Avenue Q | |
| Jeremy Sams & Didier van Cauwelaert | Amour | |
| 2004 | ||
| Stephen Schwartz | Wicked | |
| Joanne Bogart | The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) | |
| Boy George | Taboo | |
| Sean Hartley | Cupid and Psyche | |
| Joel Higgins | Johnny Guitar | |
| 2005 | ||
| Eric Idle | Spamalot | |
| Gary Adler & Michael Patrick Walker | Altar Boyz | |
| Douglas J. Cohen | Children's Letters to God | |
| Rick Crom | Newsical | |
| William Finn | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | |
| David Yazbek | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | |
| 2006 | ||
| Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison | The Drowsy Chaperone | |
| Chad Beguelin | The Wedding Singer | |
| Mark Campbell | Songs from an Unmade Bed | |
| Ryan Cunningham | I Love You Because | |
| Michael Korie | Grey Gardens | |
| Michael John LaChiusa | See What I Wanna See | |
| 2007 | ||
| Steven Sater | Spring Awakening | |
| Fred Ebb, Rupert Holmes & John Kander | Curtains | |
| Lin-Manuel Miranda | In the Heights | |
| Nell Benjamin & Laurence O'Keefe | Legally Blonde | |
| Mark Eaton, Elaina Newport & William Strauss | Capitol Steps | |
| Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman | Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me | |
| 2008 | ||
| Stew | Passing Strange | |
| Lynn Ahrens | The Glorious Ones | |
| Mel Brooks | Young Frankenstein | |
| John Bucchino | A Catered Affair | |
| Ben Katchor | The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island | |
| Jason Loewith & Joshua Schmidt | Adding Machine | |
| 2009 | ||
| Stephen Sondheim | Road Show | |
| Neil Bartram | The Story of My Life | |
| Jason Robert Brown | 13 | |
| Marcy Heisler | Dear Edwina | |
| David Lindsay-Abaire | Shrek the Musical | |
| Dolly Parton | 9 to 5 |
2010s[]
| Year | Lyricist | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ||
| Fred Ebb & John Kander | The Scottsboro Boys | |
| Rick Crom | Newsical | |
| Kevin Del Aguila | Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type | |
| Adèle Anderson & Dillie Keane | Fascinating Aïda | |
| Andrew Lippa | The Addams Family | |
| David Zellnik | Yank! | |
| 2011 | ||
| Trey Parker, Robert Lopez & Matt Stone | The Book of Mormon | |
| Rick Crom | Newsical The Musical – Full Spin Ahead | |
| Jack Lechner | The Kid | |
| Adam Mathias | See Rock City & Other Destinations | |
| Glenn Slater | Sister Act | |
| Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman | Catch Me If You Can | |
| 2012 | ||
| Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová | Once | |
| Don Black | Bonnie & Clyde | |
| Jack Feldman | Newsies | |
| Joy Gregory & Gunnar Madsen | The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World | |
| Michael John LaChiusa | Queen of the Mist | |
| Maury Yeston | Death Takes a Holiday | |
| 2013 | ||
| Tim Minchin | Matilda the Musical | |
| Amanda Green | Hands on a Hardbody | |
| Green & Lin-Manuel Miranda | Bring It On: The Musical | |
| Michael John LaChiusa | Giant | |
| Dave Malloy | Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 | |
| Steve Rosen & David Rossmer | The Other Josh Cohen | |
| 2014 | ||
| Robert L. Freedman & Steven Lutvak | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | |
| Howard Ashman, Chad Beguelin & Tim Rice | Aladdin | |
| Jason Robert Brown | The Bridges of Madison County | |
| Michael Friedman | Love's Labour's Lost | |
| Michael Korie | Far from Heaven | |
| Lisa Kron | Fun Home | |
| 2015 | ||
| Lin-Manuel Miranda | Hamilton | |
| Jason Robert Brown | Honeymoon in Vegas | |
| Fred Ebb | The Visit | |
| Michael Friedman | The Fortress of Solitude | |
| Karey & Wayne Kirkpatrick | Something Rotten! | |
| Benjamin Scheuer | The Lion | |
| 2016 | ||
| Benj Pasek & Justin Paul | Dear Evan Hansen | |
| Sara Bareilles | Waitress | |
| Glenn Slater | School of Rock | |
| Michael John LaChiusa | First Daughter Suite | |
| 2017 | ||
| David Yazbek | The Band's Visit | |
| Gerard Alessandrini | Spamilton | |
| GQ & JAQ | Othello: The Remix | |
| Michael Korie | War Paint | |
| David Hein & Irene Sankoff | Come from Away | |
| 2018 | ||
| Peter Kellogg | Desperate Measures | |
| Nell Benjamin | Mean Girls | |
| Quiara Alegría Hudes & Erin McKeown | Miss You Like Hell | |
| Helen Park & Max Vernon | KPOP | |
| 2019 | ||
| David Yazbek | Tootsie | |
| Chad Beguelin | The Prom | |
| Andrew R. Butler | Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future | |
| Joe Iconis | Be More Chill | |
| Peter Mills | The Hello Girls |
2020s[]
| Year | Lyricist | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ||
| Michael R. Jackson | A Strange Loop | |
| Susan Birkenhead | The Secret Life of Bees | |
| Adam Gwon | Scotland, PA | |
| Joanne Sydney Lessner & Joshua Rosenblum | Einstein's Dreams | |
| Dave Malloy | Octet | |
| Mark Saltzman | Romeo & Bernadette |
Multiple wins[]
- 10 wins
- Stephen Sondheim
- 2 wins
- Gerard Alessandrini
- Fred Ebb
- David Yazbek
Multiple nominations[]
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See also[]
References[]
- "Drama Desk Award for Lyrics". Internet Broadway Database. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
External links[]
Categories:
- Drama Desk Awards