One Man Two Guvnors bagged an armful of gongs at New York’s Drama Desk Awards ceremony on June 3, with man-of-the-moment James Corden picking up the award for Outstanding Actor in a Play.
While Britain was in the grip of patriotic fervour over the Jubilee weekend, Corden and his chums across the water were equally jubilant when the winners were announced at the Big Apple’s Town Hall theatre on Sunday night.
As well as Corden’s recognition for his portrayal of Francis Henshall, One Man Two Guvnors’ Tom Edden received the award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, and the play’s composer Grant Olding nabbed the gong for Outstanding Music.
And it wasn’t just One Man… that brought home the bacon for Blighty - there were Brit successes elsewhere too. Tracie Bennett, formerly of Coronation St fame and now the de facto Toast of Broadway, won the Outstanding Actress in a Play award for her extraordinary performance as the ageing Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow. Rumour has it that she may be returning to London with the show later this year.
And, while not strictly blue-blooded through-and-through, Irishman Cillian Murphy scooped the Outstanding Solo Performance award for Misterman.
The Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York theatre honours for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway compete against each other in the same category. They were originated in 1949 by a group of New York theatre critics, editors, reporters and publishers to educate the community on theatre-related issues.
We raise our collective hat to all the excellent and well-deserved winners, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for their good fortune at the Tonys this coming Sunday, June 10.
If you can’t make it to Broadway, don’t forget that the West End production of One Man, Two Guvnors is still playing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. For more info and to book tickets, click here.
