Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors. It honors the lyricists of musicals produced on Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and for legitimate not-for-profit theaters.

Although Tom Jones was honored for his lyrics for The Fantasticks in 1961, it was not until the 15th Annual Drama Desk Awards in 1969 that a specific category for Outstanding Lyrics was created. The first recipient of the award was Fred Ebb for Zorba. The following year there were two winners, Stephen Sondheim for Company and Bertolt Brecht for Mahagonny. In 1973, a single award for music and lyrics was presented to Sondheim for A Little Night Music. The following year, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Score of a Musical was presented to Al Carmines for The Faggot. In 1975, the award was renamed the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics and was presented to Charlie Smalls for The Wiz, and it was presented as such to Edward Kleban and Marvin Hamlisch for A Chorus Line in 1976. In 1977 it was given its present name.

Additional winners

1960s

• 1969: George Haimoshn and Robin Miller – Dames at Sea and Fred Ebb – Zorba

1970s

1970: Stephen Sondheim – Company and 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 and Chuck Strand – The Lieutenant Jerry Herman – Mack and Mabel Fred Silver – In Gay Company

1976: Edward Kleban and Marvin Hamlisch – A Chorus Line Leonard Bernstein – 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Bill Heyer and 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

1980: Tim Rice – Evita Steve Brown – Strider 1982: Stephen Sondheim – Merrily We Roll Along and 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 – 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

1990: David Zippel – City of Angels Richard Maltby, Jr. – Closer Than Ever Robert Wright, Maury Yeston and George Forrest – Grand Hotel 1991: William Finn – Falsettoland Marsha Norman – The Secret Garden Stephen Sondheim – Assassins 1992: Susan Birkenhead – Jelly's Last Jam Michael Garin, Paul Lockheart, Erik Frandsen and Robert Hipkins – Song of Singapore 1993: Denis Markell and Douglas Bernstein – A Backer's Audition Joey Paley – Ruthless! Arthur Perlman – Wings David Zippel – The Goodbye Girl

1994: Stephen Sondheim – Passion Howard Ashman and Tim Rice – Beauty and the Beast Michael John LaChiusa – Hello Again 1997: Gerard Alessandrini – Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back Brian Crawley – Violet Mark Waldrop – Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly 1998: Lynn Ahrens – Ragtime Stephen Trask – Hedgwig and the Angry Inch Susan Birkenhead – Triumph of Love

2000s

2000: Stephen Sondheim – Saturday Night Boyd Graham – The Big Bang Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano and Gregory Qaiyum – 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 and Greg Kotis – Urinetown Ed Kleban – A Class Act Laurence O'Keefe – Bat Boy: The Musical David Yazbek – The Full Monty 2003: Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman – Hairspray Tim Acito and Alexander Dinelaris – Zanna, Don't! Lynn Ahrens – A Man of No Importance Craig Carnelia – Imaginary Friends Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx – Avenue Q Jeremy Sams and 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 – Monty Python's Spamalot Gary Adler and 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 and 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, John Kander and Rupert Holmes – Curtains Lin-Manuel Miranda – In the Heights Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin – Legally Blonde William Strauss, Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton – Capitol Steps Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman – 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 and 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

• 2010: John Kander and Fred Ebb – The Scottsboro Boys
  • Rick Crom – Newsical
  • Kevin Del Aguila – Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
  • Dillie Keane and Adèle Anderson – Fascinating Aïda
  • Andrew Lippa – The Addams Family
  • David Zellnik – Yank!

• 2011: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and 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
  • Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman – Catch Me if You Can

External links

• Official Drama Desk Award website