With so many characters being bumped off, it seems only fitting that the Broadway musical, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” receive an award for all of them. The Drama Desk was more than willing to comply, and at their annual ceremony (held Sunday at Town Hall), the organization did just that. “Guide” took home seven prizes, including best musical, book, lyrics and direction of a musical. Lead actor Jefferson Mays also won – in a tie with Neil Patrick Harris for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” In fact, “Guide” wound up in another tie – supporting actress Lauren Worsham shared that honor with “Beautiful’s” Anika Larsen.

It was a happy night, also, for Robert Schenkkan’s drama, “All the Way”, which won for Best Play and lead actor Bryan Cranston; and though “Beautiful” lost to “Gentleman’s Guide” for Best Musical, Jessie Mueller did beat out the likes of Kelli O’Hara, Sutton Foster and Idina Menzel to win Best Actress.

Voters remembered “The Glass Menagerie” and rewarded featured actress Celia Keenan Bolger. Meanwhile, “The Bridges of Madison County” had its adherents, as shown by wins for best music and orchestrations. Not surprisingly, “Twelfth Night” won for best Play Revival and Play Direction, while “Hedwig” vaulted past “Violet” and “Les Miz” to win Best Musical Revival.

Although the Drama Desk mixes together Broadway and off-Broadway shows in all of its categories, the only wins for off-Broadway came in categories with no Broadway contenders: Best Solo (to “Satchmo at the Waldorf”) and Unique Theatrical Experience (to “Cirkopolis”). Special prizes also went to Soho Rep, actress Veanne Cox and the ensemble casts of two Will Eno plays, “The Open House” and “The Realistic Joneses”.

Sponsored by Theatermania, the 59th annual Drama Desk Awards were hosted by Laura Benanti and streamed live on the `net.