Raul Esparza Earns Drama Desk Awards Nomination for “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”

Raul Esparza’s theater cred is on the Rise… 

The New York Drama Desk Awards nominations have been revealed, with the 48-year-old Cuban American stage and television actor and voice artist earning recognition.

Raul Esparza

Esparza, who has previously won the Drama Desk Award for his roles in Company on Broadway (2007) and Taboo (2004), is nominated in the Outstanding Actor in a Play category for his role in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

Santino Fontanahas earned a nod for his gender-bending role…

The 37-year-old part-Spanish American actor/singer is nominated in the Outstanding Actor in a Musical category for his starring role as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie, which is based on the 1982 comedy film of the same name.

Fontana previously won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Playfor his work in Brighton Beach Memoirs.

George Salazarhas also earned a Drama Desk nod.

The 33-year-old half-Ecuadorian American actor, singer and musician is up for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in Be More Chill.

He was previously nominated in the same category in 2017 for his role in The Lightning Thief.

Unlike the Tony Awards, the Drama Desk Awards cover both Broadway and Off Broadway, significantly lessening the nominations’ prediction factor. 

The winners of the 64th annual Drama Desk Awards will be announced Sunday, June 2, during a ceremony hosted by Michael Urieat the Town Hallin Manhattan. The awards are voted on by theater critics, journalists, editors, publishers and broadcasters.

Here ‘s the complete list of Drama Desk Awards nominations (Off Broadway productions are indicated by theater company):

Outstanding Play
“Fairview,” by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Soho Rep
“The Ferryman,” by Jez Butterworth
“Lewiston/Clarkston,” by Samuel D. Hunter, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
“Usual Girls,” by Ming Peiffer, Roundabout Theatre Company
“What the Constitution Means to Me,” by Heidi Schreck, New York Theatre Workshop and Broadway

Outstanding Musical
“Be More Chill”
“The Hello Girls,” Prospect Theater Company
“The Prom”
“Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future,” Ars Nova
“Tootsie”

Outstanding Revival of a Play
“Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine,” Signature Theatre
“Henry VI: Shakespeare’s Trilogy in Two Parts,” National Asian American Theatre Company
“Our Lady of 121st Street,” Signature Theatre
“Summer and Smoke,” Classic Stage Company/Transport Group
“The Waverly Gallery”
“Uncle Vanya,” Hunter Theater Project

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
“Carmen Jones,” Classic Stage Company
“Fiddler on the Roof,” National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and Off-Broadway
“Kiss Me, Kate, Roundabout Theatre Company
“Merrily We Roll Along,” Fiasco Theater/Roundabout Theatre Company
“Oklahoma!,” Bard Summerscape/St. Ann’s Warehouse and Broadway

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Jeff Biehl, “Life Sucks”
Edmund Donovan, “Lewiston/Clarkston”
Raúl Esparza, “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui”
Russell Harvard, “I Was Most Alive With You”
Jay O. Sanders, “Uncle Vanya”

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Midori Francis, “Usual Girls”
Zainab Jah, “Boesman and Lena”
Elaine May, “The Waverly Gallery”
Laurie Metcalf, “Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, “What the Constitution Means to Me”

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, “The Prom”
Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Damon Daunno, “Oklahoma!”
Santino Fontana, “Tootsie”
Steven Skybell, “Fiddler on the Roof”

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, “The Cher Show”
Beth Leavel, “The Prom”
Rebecca Naomi Jones, “Oklahoma!”
Anika Noni Rose, “Carmen Jones”
Stacey Sargeant, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Charles Browning, “Fairview”
Arnie Burton, “Lewiston/Clarkston”
Hampton Fluker, “All My Sons”
Tom Glynn-Carney, “The Ferryman”
Brandon Uranowitz, “Burn This”

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Harriett D. Foy, “The House That Will Not Stand”
Megan Hill, “Eddie and Dave”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, “To Kill A Mockingbird”
Ruth Wilson, “King Lear”
Alison Wright, “Othello”

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Corbin Bleu, “Kiss Me, Kate”
André De Shields, “Hadestown”
Sydney James Harcourt, “Girl from the North Country”
George Salazar, “Be More Chill”
Patrick Vaill, “Oklahoma!”

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Stephanie Hsu, “Be More Chill”
Leslie Kritzer, “Beetlejuice”
Soara-Joye Ross, “Carmen Jones”
Sarah Stiles, “Tootsie”
Ali Stroker, “Oklahoma!”
Mary Testa, “Oklahoma!”

Outstanding Director of a Play
Sarah Benson, “Fairview”
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, “The Jungle”
Sam Mendes, “The Ferryman”
Tyne Rafaeli, “Usual Girls”
Taylor Reynolds, “Plano”
Jeff Wise, “Life Sucks”

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Noah Brody, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Rachel Chavkin, “Hadestown”
Scott Ellis, “Tootsie”
Daniel Fish, “Oklahoma!”
Joel Grey, “Fiddler on the Roof”

Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, “Choir Boy”
Warren Carlyle, “Kiss Me, Kate”
Denis Jones, “Tootsie”
Lorin Latarro, “Twelfth Night”
Rick and Jeff Kuperman, “Alice by Heart”
David Neumann, “Hadestown”

Outstanding Music
Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Joe Iconis, “Be More Chill”
Peter Mills, “The Hello Girls”
Mark Sonnenblick, “Midnight at the Never Get”
Shaina Taub, “Twelfth Night”
David Yazbek, “Tootsie”

Outstanding Lyrics
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”
David Yazbek, “Tootsie”

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Scott Brown and Anthony King, “Beetlejuice”
Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Robert Horn, “Tootsie”
Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, “The Prom”
Dominique Morisseau, “Ain’t Too Proud”

Outstanding Orchestrations
Larry Blank, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Simon Hale, “Girl from the North Country”
Daniel Kluger, “Oklahoma!”
Charlie Rosen, “Be More Chill”
Daryl Waters, “The Cher Show”

Outstanding Music in a Play
Paul Castles and Jongbin Jung, “Wild Goose Dreams”
Justin Ellington, “Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie”
Justin Ellington, “The House That Will Not Stand”
Nick Powell, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Jason Michael Webb and Fitz Patton, “Choir Boy”

Outstanding Set Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, “The Jungle”
Es Devlin, “Girls & Boys”
Maruti Evans, “The Peculiar Patriot”
Mimi Lien, “Fairview”
Matt Saunders, “Daddy”

Outstanding Set Design for a Musical
Rachel Hauck, “Hadestown”
Laura Jellinek, “Oklahoma!”
Laura Jellinek, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
David Korins, “Beetlejuice”
Rae Smith, “Girl from the North Country”

Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Dede M. Ayite, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”
Dede M. Ayite, “If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka”
Ásta Bennie Hostetter, “Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie”
Toni-Leslie James, “Bernhardt/Hamlet”
Nicole Slaven, “Henry VI: Shakespeare’s Trilogy in Two Parts”

Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
William Ivey Long, “Beetlejuice”
William Ivey Long, “Tootsie”
Bobby Frederick Tilly II, “Be More Chill”
Michael Krass, “Hadestown”
Bob Mackie, “The Cher Show”
Paloma Young, “Alice by Heart”

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Amith Chandrashaker, “Boesman and Lena”
Amith Chandrashaker, “Fairview”
Jiyoun Chang, “Slave Play”
Jon Clark, “The Jungle”
Simon Cleveland, “Spaceman”
Yi Zhao, “The House That Will Not Stand”

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
Adam Honoré, “Carmen Jones”
Bradley King, “Hadestown”
Jamie Roderick, “Midnight at the Never Get”
Barbara Samuels, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Scott Zielinski, “Oklahoma!”

Outstanding Projection Design
Peter England, “King Kong”
Katherine Freer, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”
Luke Halls, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Alex Basco Koch, “Be More Chill”
Peter Nigrini, “Beetlejuice”
Joshua Thorson, “Oklahoma!”

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Tyler Kieffer, “Plano”
Fitz Patton, “Choir Boy”
Nick Powell, “The Ferryman”
Jane Shaw, “I Was Most Alive With You”
Mikaal Sulaiman, “Fairview”

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Simon Baker, “Girl from the North Country”
Drew Levy, “Oklahoma!”
Brian Ronan, “Tootsie”
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, “Hadestown”
Mikaal Sulaiman, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”

Outstanding Wig and Hair Design
Campbell Young Associates, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Cookie Jordan, “Eddie and Dave”
Paul Huntley, “Tootsie”
Charles G. LaPointe, “Beetlejuice”
Charles G. LaPointe, “The Cher Show”

Outstanding Solo Performance
Mike Birbiglia, “The New One”
Carey Mulligan, “Girls & Boys”
Liza Jessie Peterson, “The Peculiar Patriot,” National Black Theatre/Hi-Arts
Erin Treadway, “Spaceman,” Loading Dock Theatre
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag”

Unique Theatrical Experience
“All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914,” Theater Latté Da/Laura Little Theatrical Productions / Sheen Center
“Love’s Labor’s Lost,” Shake & Bake
The B-Side: “Negro Folklore from Texas State Prisons,” The Wooster Group
“What to Send Up When it Goes Down,” The Movement Theatre Company

Outstanding Fight Choreography
U. Jonathan Toppo, “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”
Claire Warden, “Daddy”
Claire Warden, “Slave Play”

Outstanding Puppet Design
Michael Curry, “Beetlejuice”
Sonny Tilders, “King Kong”
Tschabalala Self, “Daddy”

Ensemble Award: “To the uncanny ensemble of Dance Nationfor their pointed portrait of a dance troupe riven by competition but fused by the experiences of youth: Purva Bedi, Eboni Booth, Camila Canó-Flaviá, Dina Shihabi, Ellen Maddow, Christina Rouner, Thomas Jay Ryan, Lucy Taylor, and Ikechukwu Ufomadu.”

Sam Norkin Award: “To Montana Levi Blanco, who enriched this season with his vibrant and detailed costumes for Fairview, The House That Will Not Stand, Fabulation, Or the Re-Education of Undine, Eddie and Dave, “Daddy,” and Ain’t No Mo’. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a Blanco costume is worth considerably more, telling us a complete story about its wearer while giving us something fabulous to look at.”

To Mia Katigbak, “the backbone of the off-Broadway scene, we acclaim her for her performances this season in Henry VI: Shakespeare’s Trilogy in Two Parts, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, Peace for Mary Francis and Recent Alien Abductions. This award also recognizes her vital presence as the artistic director of NAATCO and her sustained excellence as a performer and mentor.”

To Repertorio Español“for presenting a year-round rotating repertory of new and classic Spanish-language plays in its intimate Gramercy venue. For the past 51 years, Repertorio has been an indispensable theater for Spanish-speaking audiences, while inviting non-Spanish-speaking theatergoers to discover the delights of the Spanish-language canon and introducing New York audiences to the work of actors like Zulema Claresand Germán Jaramillo.”

Esparza Promoted to Series Regular on NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU”

Raúl Esparza will have a buildup of cases in the near future…

The 42-year-old Cuban American actor and Broadway star has been promoted to series regular on NBC’s long-running crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Raúl Esparza

“Making him a series regular is a small way of acknowledging his enormous contribution to our show,” said the show’s executive producer Warren Leight about Esparza’s promotion.

Esparza portrays by-the-book headstrong prosecutor Assistant DA Rafael Barba on the police procedural, which returns for its 15th season beginning on September 25.

Esparza’s television credits include a recurring role on Pushing Daisies, as well as a role on Hannibal.

His Broadway credits include Tony-nominated performances in the Boy George musical Taboo and the musical comedy Company.

Law & Order: SVU, which also stars Danny Pino, begins shooting next week in New York.

Prince Royce & Don Omar Top Winners at Billboard Latin Music Awards

One is a rising star on the Latin music scene; the other is a seasoned veteran… But Prince Royce and Don Omar tied for the title of this year’s “King of the Billboard Latin Music Awards.”

During Thursday night’s award ceremony, the Puerto Rican Don Omar and the Dominican-American Prince Royce each received eight awards.

Prince Royce

Prince Royce was ecstatic upon learning he had won artist/songwriter of the year and best tropical album for his self titled album and single Corazon sin cara.

“Wow! First of all I want to thank God who has given me everything,” said the soon-to-be-23-year-old singer. “[Also] my family and the Dominican Republic… and my fans I love you all with all my heart.”

Don Omar

Like Prince Royce, Don Omar thanked his mother and God as well as his fans and fellow colleagues after taking home awards for best Latin rhythm of the year, best songs of the year, best Latin rhythm artist of the year, best album of the year, best song of the year, best song of the year for airplay, and best Latin pop song of the year for his single “Taboo.”

His other hit “Danza Kuduro,” a collaboration with Brazilian artist Lucenzo, won best vocal collaboration of the year as well as best digital song.

“I am so grateful to each and every one of my colleagues in the music business… and from Puerto Rico,” said the 34-year-old reggaeton artist in Spanish. “It has been 15 years since we decided to start the urban music genre.”

Meanwhile, Mexican rock group Maná took home five awards, while Colombian pop star Shakira earned four. And, La Adictiva Banda San Jose de Mesillas group won best new artist. Marc Anthony received a Billboard Hall of Fame Award for his global, artistic influence.

Thursday’s live show was televised on Telemundo from the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables.

Lovato Singing at the Latin Grammys…

She sang the national anthem for an international audience at this year’s World Series… And, now Demi Lovato is set to perform in front of Latin music superstars.

The Latin Recording Academy has confirmed that the 19-year-old part-Mexican singer/actress will perform at the 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.

Demi Lovato to perform at the Latin Grammys

There’s no official word on what song Lovato will sing at this year’s awards show—which will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on November 10—or if she’ll tackle singing in Spanish.

Earlier this year, Lovato performed her hit “Skyscraper” in English and Spanish at the ALMA Awards—even though she doesn’t speak Spanish.

Meanwhile, other confirmed performers include Pablo Alborán; Alex, Jorge Y Lena; Intocable; Los Tigres Del Norte with Paulina Rubio; Black Eyed PeasTaboo; and Wisin Y Yandel.

Hip-hop duo Calle 13 lead the pack of nominees this year with a record-breaking 10 nods, including Album of the Year, Best Urban Music Album for Entren Los Que Quieran, and Song Of The Year for Latinoamérica.”

The Latin Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on Univision at 8:00 pm. ET.

Pau Pau Reveals Details on Her New Album…

International superstar Paulina Rubio is revealing the latest details about her tenth studio album…

The 40-year-old Mexican singer and actress announced the title of the new album, “Brava!” via Twitter just moments before sharing the name with the press, as well as giving fans a look at the artwork for the album.

Paulina Rubio's photo Ready to start some interviews but I wanted you guys to be the first to see the album cover for BRAVA… My new baby!!
Paulina Rubio on WhoSay

“Ready to start some interviews but I wanted you guys to be the first to see the album cover for BRAVA… My new baby!!” wrote la “Chica Dorada,” who has sold more than 20 million album worldwide.

She later wrote messages to her fans about the significance of the album name to her fans: “Valiant, most excellent, applause after a great presentation of ‘Brava,’” she explained.

The highly anticipated 10-track album, Pau Pau’s first in more than two years, will include seven songs in Spanish and three in English. “Brava!” will include the track “Hoy me toca a mí“, a duet with Taboo of  The Black Eyed Peas.

The first single, “Me Gustas Tanto,” has already started getting some serious radio airplay. Produced by RedOne, the track is available on iTunes. The official music video will premiere on October 14th.

Meanwhile, “Brava!” will be released on November 15.

Rubio has