Elton John, Arthur Laurents, Angela Lansbury to Be Honored at Drama League Awards

The Drama League has announced recipients of its 2009 Special Recognitions, which will be presented at the annual Drama League Luncheon, to be held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square on Friday, May 15. Jeremy Irons and Cynthia Nixon will co-host.

Elton John will receive the Distinguished Achievement in a Musical Theatre Award, presented to him by Stephen Daldry. Arthur Laurents will receive the Julia Hansen Award for excellence in directing. Angela Lansbury will receive the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award, to be presented by Harold Prince. Broadway Producer Herb Blodgett will be honored with the 75th Anniversary Leadership Award, to be presented by Irv Welzer.

This year’s honorary co-chairs, who will attend the luncheon, will include Jane Alexander, Matt Cavenaugh, Raul Esparza, Tovah Feldshuh, Jane Fonda, Lauren Graham, Allison Janney, Constantine Maroulis, and David Hyde Pierce.

Nominations for the Drama League awards will be announced on Tuesday, April 21 at 10:30am at Sardi’s by actors Bobby Cannavale, Cheyenne Jackson, and Rosie Perez. The performers were all honored by the League last year for their stage work.

This year’s awards are expected to honor between 60 and 70 stars, with one performer to ultimately be given the Distinguished Performance of the Year award. The group also presents awards for Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play, and Distinguished Revival of a Musical.

For tickets and more information, call 212-244-9424, ext. 5 or visit www.DramaLeague.org.