Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors. It honors the Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, or legitimate not-for-profit theater revival of a production previously staged in New York City.

It was not until the 22nd Annual Drama Desk Awards in 1988 that a specific category for Outstanding Revival was created. The first recipient was The Royal Family, a play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber that originally was staged in 1937. The award was not presented again until 1982. In 1993, the category was divided to give separate awards for plays and musicals.

1970s

 * 1976: The Royal Family
 * What Every Woman Knows
 * A Memory of Two Mondays / 27 Wagons Full of Cotton
 * They Knew What They Wanted
 * Trelawny of the 'Wells'
 * Very Good Eddie
 * Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1980s

 * 1982: Entertaining Mr. Sloane 
 * The Chalk Garden
 * Misalliance
 * 1983: On Your Toes
 * Vieux Carré
 * The Cradle Will Rock
 * All's Well That Ends Well
 * Present Laughter
 * The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
 * 1984: Death of a Salesman
 * The Philanthropist
 * Serenading Louie
 * Heartbreak House
 * 1985: A Day in the Death of Joe Egg 
 * On Approval
 * Balm in Gilead
 * Pacific Overtures
 * Aren't We All?


 * 1986: The House of Blue Leaves
 * Lemon Sky
 * Long Day's Journey Into Night
 * Loot
 * The Iceman Cometh
 * 1987: Anything Goes
 * Flora the Red Menace
 * Lost in the Stars
 * Dreamgirls 
 * Cabaret
 * 1988: Our Town 
 * Juno and the Paycock
 * Long Day's Journey Into Night
 * Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

1990s

 * 1990: Gypsy
 * The Sound of Music
 * Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
 * The Merchant of Venice
 * 1991: A Little Night Music
 * Camille
 * Hamlet
 * Machinal


 * 1992: Guys and Dolls
 * The Most Happy Fella
 * 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
 * Falsettos