Bette Midler is killing it. Per Variety, her “Hello, Dolly!” Broadway revival earned the Shubert Theatre its biggest week ever in just seven performances. And the four-time Grammy winner will be honored with the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award at the 83rd Annual Drama League Awards, Broadway World writes. To paraphrase a “Dolly!” song, it takes a woman, indeed.
The Drama League Awards “recognize distinguished productions, performances, and exemplary career achievements,” the source details. In addition to her career as a theater actor and revered singer, The Drama League will also celebrate Midler’s work in beloved films like “Beaches,” “Hocus Pocus,” and “The First Wives Club.” Midler’s other stage credits include the original Broadway run of “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Gypsy,” and “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers.”
Midler has won three Emmys and three Golden Globes throughout her career. She’s also been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar twice: In 1980 for “The Rose” and in 1992 for “For the Boys.”
“In addition to being one of the best-loved and instantly recognizable entertainers in the world,” Broadway World writes, “Midler is also one of New York’s most generous and tireless citizens.” “In 1994, she started the New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization devoted to bringing abandoned and neglected parks, gardens, and open spaces in all five boroughs back to abundant life.”
The Drama League Awards will take place May 19 in New York. Previous recipients of the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award include Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, and Audra McDonald.
The Midler-starring “Hello, Dolly!” broke records before it even opened. In September, it had already banked $9.08 million in ticket sales, setting a new record at the Shubert Theatre and for all of Broadway first-day ticket sales.
Midler’s latest onscreen role is Muv in Trudie Styler’s “Freak Show.” Based on James St. James’ Lambda-nominated YA novel of the same name, the film centers on Billy Bloom (Alex Lawther), a cross-dressing teen at an ultra-conservative private high school who decides to run for homecoming queen. The film also stars Laverne Cox (“Orange is the New Black”), Abigail Breslin (“Scream Queens”), AnnaSophia Robb (“Mercy Street”), and Celia Weston (“Modern Family”). Co-written by Beth Rigazio, the film premiered at the Berlinale Film Festival in February. No word on a release date yet.
