Hangin' Backstage with the Winners of the 62nd Annual Drama Desk Awards!

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World

We're here at the 62nd Annual Drama Desk Awards, which are once again hosted by Michael Urie

And I caught up with many of this year's winners. When you heard your name tonight, Laura, what went through your mind

I was completely stunned. I really was completely stunned. So I just wanted to not speak as badly as I'm speaking now

and I wanted to enjoy the moment and express to the room, you know

how much I love the theater and how privileged I feel. What have you enjoyed the most about switching out

and playing against each other as the other person? Well, I've loved what it does to the entire company

I mean, all of us, you know, Cynthia and I switch parts, but everybody goes through it together and everyone has to adjust

and everyone is, you know, really on their toes. It's also just amazing to see what a great play will hold

You know, two completely different interpretations of both parts. And, you know, one is not better than the other

We just, you know, the play takes on a different life when Cynthia plays Regina than when I play Regina

And our birdies are very different as well. And it's just wonderful to see that, you know, great parts are meant to be played

and, you know, I'm just so glad that this all worked out

because I could have sucked in two parts, not just one. So I'm glad that didn't happen

The evening, surreal night for you two? Talk to me. It is absolutely a surreal night

We just flew in from Canada today. We were casting for our second company of the show

We were exhausted and had barely eaten and we're having a very surreal vision

We've clearly passed out at some point along the way. And it's great. Please don't wake us up

Isn't it great to have like events like this? I mean, you've been on such a whirlwind with this show

It's happened so fast. I mean, the embrace of this musical, the journey it's taken

I mean, it's not textbook. No, no. It's really not at all

In fact, I think according to my theater textbook, this wouldn't happen. Totally right

Yay! Everyone keeps saying how fast and how amazing this journey has been and yet it taken six years and our parents are sort of like what are you still doing Why are you still working on this thing

And now what do you tell them? Well, look, look, look what happened

But I mean, but this isn't, this is not just us. This is a testament to our entire team

And Chris Ashley and Junkyard Dog Productions, everything they've did, for years they've been putting their hearts into this

And what it's really a testament to is this story about what the Newfoundlanders did on 9-11

and the kindness and the generosity and the bravery and the intelligence that they showed

inspires us every day, and I hope it inspires other people. Not only did you win tonight, you sang tonight at the Drama Desk Awards

Thank you for that. Absolutely, my pleasure. I was nervous to sing. These are, you know, my peers

This is a different thing. But everybody was really sweet to me, so it was fun

What an incredible honor. I mean, your exquisite performance you give eight times a week and come from away

What does this award mean to you? This means the world. You know, being acknowledged by people who have watched me perform for years and years and years

and the theatrical community being so loving and so supportive of the work that I'm doing and have done

it feels amazing. It's a tremendous honor. This is a really special show, right

Yes. I feel like we keep saying we feel like we've got the golden ticket

because it's a show about kindness and goodness. It's everything I believe in

Kindness is my religion, and we've all drunk the Kool-Aid, and we believe in it

And so me and these other 11 incredible cast members, we're truly a family, and we love telling this story

I've never been happier in my entire life, and I've had a pretty great life

First of all, congratulations. Thank you. So well-deserved. Thank you. What did tonight mean to you

You know, it is wonderful to be part of an awards show that acknowledges not just Broadway and not just off-Broadway, but off-off-Broadway

Because New York is filled with theaters, big and small, with people doing great, great work

And the Drama Desk is one of the very few awards that really acknowledges them

I sure when you were on the carpet earlier you saw a lot of your friends who work at every you know like you said off off and on tonight I did I did and you know what really nice I heard the whoever just won for Best Wig Design we were nominated in that category as well saying that the Drama Desk is the only award

that even has that category. And for us, so many of our designers were acknowledged tonight

and Jane Greenwood just won. And, you know, the costumes are such an integral part of the experience

Did you ever think doing this show, when it all started out, that you be here at the Drama Desk tonight

All of you are the Drama Desk Award winners. Yeah, totally, right? No, I mean, when I first read this script..

How good it was. No, it's such a special piece of writing that I knew that this wouldn't just be another page-turner

I mean, it's a page-turner, but not a page that, you know, you throw out

This is, it's something very special. And in terms of, like, the ensemble work, we didn't know for sure

and we weren't really focusing on that, but I think we knew pretty early on

that this relationship was very special. Totally. Was it from the very beginning

We all lived together at New York Station Film for five weeks, playing soccer together

Yeah, so we met. So we met in this very extreme circumstance

Spraying each other's ankles. Spraying my ankles. And our pain brings love

Every show is magical when you walk into the theater, but there's something extra special about stepping into the Shubert Theater as an audience member

into the gorgeous house with that beautiful red curtain with the Hello Dolly letters

and it's like you're waiting, the anticipation is so incredible and electrifying

What's it like for all of you as performers? I feel like the minute the overture starts, there's this, well, as the lights come down

they always scream right before it starts and you can hear it in the PA

And then the overture begins and then when it's finished, they scream again before the overture finishes

And then when Beck comes on, they scream again. And it's just, it's sort of an event

It's sort of this thing that people are hopping on that big train

the beautiful train that Santa La Costa designed, and riding it with us all the way to New York City

When you heard your name read tonight, what went through your mind? Numb. Just numb

And then immediately thankful and grateful. And I think that's the first thing I said I'm grateful

Just grateful. You know, it's been a long journey. And to finally get to Broadway and accomplish the 10 out of 10 of August plays the 10th and to be embraced by this community is just the greatest the greatest of joys the greatest of

thrills. And I mean, I'm still in Wonderland in my mind. I'm still a kid just playing in my mind

and just thankful and grateful for it. What have you enjoyed the most about directing and working

on this show? Oh my gosh. I mean, this has been such a varied experience. I think probably the

most enjoyable consistently, like the place that is my home base, is our cast. Our company is just

extraordinary. And they believe in the show so profoundly in Dave's music, the eclecticism of it

the wildness of the design. They just have been always willing to take every step. And that's

extraordinary. You heard your name announced tonight. What went through your mind? Well

hilariously, I had just seen the fabulous Michael Urie in the government inspector. Unbelievable

And I had three friends up there with him who had played his part in Byron's Cellar

And one of them grabbed my hands as I came to the table. And I got to tap Christine Eversol on the shoulder

She was at the opening both in D.C. and in New York. It just, it's been the most perfect completion this evening

It happened so fast for you. I mean, the journey, you hear these stories all the time

They're five, six years, seven years. This happened really fast. It was meant to be

You're going to have to make room on those memorabilia shelves for your Drama Desk Award

You know that. Something's going to have to move over. It's so beautiful on top of everything else

I know I've only seen The Dummy, but it's beautiful. So well-deserved

I'm just thrilled. You know, I fell in love with your work on stage many, many years ago

but to have been a minuscule part of this whole thing for you, so well-deserved

This is such a special show for you, Groundhog Day, isn't it? From the very first day you started this over in London

Yeah, it's like woven into the fabric of my life because I use so much of my own personal journey to help me with Phil Connors

because he has such a huge journey on stage. So the only way to get away with that is to be able to bring yourself to it

So it really is part of me, a lot of me in there. And just the culmination of this role as where I've come from and done these other shows to get here, it's really big

It's really profound