Outer Critics Circle, the organization of writers and commentators for media covering New York theatre, announced today its award winners for the 2018-19 season in 27 categories.

Stage favorites Jenn Colella, Tina Fey, Montego Glover, Hamish Linklater, Lindsay Mendez, and Lily Rabe will serve as gala award presenters at the upcoming 69th Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 23rd at 3:00 PM at the legendary Sardi’s Restaurant.

Celebrating its 69th season of bestowing awards of excellence in the field of theatre, Outer Critics Circle, is an association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, web sites, radio and television stations, and theatre publications in America and abroad.

 

(Winners names are in bold preceded by an asterisk.*)

 

Outer Critics Circle

2018-2019 Award Nominations

 

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY

*The Ferryman

Ink

Network

To Kill a Mockingbird

What the Constitution Means to Me

Andre De Shields

 

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL

Be More Chill

*Hadestown

Head Over Heels

The Prom

Tootsie

 

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY

Fairview

The House That Will Not Stand

Lewiston / Clarkston

The Light

*White Noise

 

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL

The Beast in the Jungle

Black Light

*Girl from the North Country

The Hello Girls

Midnight at the Never Get

 

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

*Robert Horn     Tootsie

Conor McPherson     Girl from the North Country

Peter Mills and Cara Reichel     The Hello Girls

Anaïs Mitchell     Hadestown

Jeff Whitty and James Magruder     Head Over Heels

 

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE (THE MARJORIE GUNNER AWARD)

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin      The Prom

Joe Iconis     Be More Chill

Peter Mills     The Hello Girls

*Anaïs Mitchell     Hadestown

David Yazbek     Tootsie

 

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

*All My Sons

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

Juno and the Paycock

Our Lady of 121st Street

The Waverly Gallery

 

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Carmen Jones

*Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)

Kiss Me, Kate

Oklahoma!

Smokey Joe’s Café 

 

 

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

(THE LUCILLE LORTEL AWARD)

Rupert Goold     Ink

*Sam Mendes     The Ferryman

Jack O’Brien     All My Sons

Bartlett Sher     To Kill a Mockingbird

Logan Vaughn     The Light

Amber Gray

 

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

*Rachel Chavkin     Hadestown

Scott Ellis     Tootsie

Daniel Fish     Oklahoma!

Joel Grey     Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)

Cara Reichel     The Hello Girls

 

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER

*Warren Carlyle     Kiss Me, Kate

Christopher Gattelli     The Cher Show

Denis Jones     Tootsie

David Neumann     Hadestown

Sergio Trujillo     Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations

 

OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Beowulf Boritt     Bernhardt/Hamlet

Bunny Christie     Ink

Rachel Hauck     Hadestown

Rob Howell     The Ferryman

*David Korins     Beetlejuice

 

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Rob Howell     The Ferryman

*Bob Mackie     The Cher Show

William Ivey Long     Beetlejuice

William Ivey Long     Tootsie

Arianne Phillips     Head Over Heels

 

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Neil Austin     Ink

Stacey Derosier     Lewiston / Clarkston

*Bradley King     Hadestown

Jason Lyons     Sugar in Our Wounds

Peter Mumford     King Kong

 

OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

*Peter England     King Kong

Alex Basco Koch     Be More Chill

Peter Nigrini     Beetlejuice

Jeff Sugg     All My Sons

Tal Yarden     Network

 

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

John Gromada     All My Sons

*Peter Hylenski     King Kong

Drew Levy     Oklahoma!

Eric Sleichim     Network

Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz     Hadestown

 

OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS

Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose     Hadestown

Simon Hale     Girl from the North Country

Joseph Joubert     Carmen Jones

*Daniel Kluger     Oklahoma!

Harold Wheeler     Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations

 

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY

McKinley Belcher III     The Light

*Bryan Cranston     Network

Daveed Diggs     White Noise

Bill Irwin     On Beckett

Jeremy Pope     Choir Boy

 

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Glenn Close     Mother of the Maid

Edie Falco     The True

Glenda Jackson     King Lear

Mandi Masden     The Light

*Elaine May     The Waverly Gallery

 

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Brooks Ashmanskas     The Prom

Reeve Carney     Hadestown

Damon Daunno     Oklahoma!

*Santino Fontana     Tootsie

Steven Skybell     Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)

 

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

*Stephanie J. Block     The Cher Show

Kelli O’Hara     Kiss Me, Kate

Beth Leavel     The Prom

Anika Noni Rose     Carmen Jones

Mare Winningham     Girl from the North Country

 

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Bertie Carvel     Ink

John Clay III     Choir Boy

Hugh Dancy     Apologia

John Procaccino     Downstairs

*Benjamin Walker     All My Sons

 

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Joan Allen     The Waverly Gallery

Stephanie Berry     Sugar in Our Wounds

Fionnula Flanagan     The Ferryman

Harriett D. Foy     The House That Will Not Stand

*Celia Keenan-Bolger     To Kill a Mockingbird

 

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

John Behlmann     Tootsie

*André De Shields     Hadestown

Reg Rogers     Tootsie

George Salazar     Be More Chill

Ephraim Sykes     Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations

 

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

*Amber Gray     Hadestown

Leslie Kritzer     Beetlejuice

Bonnie Milligan     Head Over Heels

Sarah Stiles     Tootsie

Ali Stroker     Oklahoma!

 

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

*Mike Birbiglia     The New One

Maddie Corman     Accidentally Brave

Jake Gyllenhaal     A Life

Carey Mulligan     Girls & Boys

Renée Taylor     My Life on a Diet

 

JOHN GASSNER PLAYWRITING AWARD

(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)

Jeremy O. Harris     Slave Play

*Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell     The Lifespan of a Fact

Donja R. Love     Sugar in Our Wounds

Ming Peiffer     Usual Girls

Charly Evon Simpson     Behind the Sheet

 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

The Executive Committee voted and decided upon the presentation of Special Achievement Awards to:

The Puppetry Team That Created and Operates King Kong
recognizing the artistry and technical achievement that brings a 2,000-pound gorilla to life:

* Puppet designer and builder Sonny Tilders and the Creature Technology Company

* Scenic designer Peter England, who collaborated on the aesthetics of the puppet

* Aerial and movement director Gavin Robins

* The members of the King’s Company, who move Kong on stage: Mike Baerga, Rhaamell Burke-Missouri, Jōvan Dansberry, Casey Garvin, Gabriel Hyman, Marty Lawson, Roberto Olvera, Khadija Tariyan, Lauren Yalango-Grant, David Yijae, Christopher Hampton Grant, Jena VanEslander, Scott Webber, Warren Yang, James Retter Duncan, Jonathan MacMillan, and Leigh-Ann Vizer.

* Kong’s Voodoo Operators, who control his facial expressions: Jon Hoche, Danny Miller, and Jacob Williams.

 

The York Theatre Company

James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director

Evans Haile, Executive Director
in recognition of 50 years of producing new musicals, as well as classics from the past

 

PRODUCTIONS WITH MULTIPLE AWARDS

HADESTOWN: 6

ALL MY SONS: 2

THE CHER SHOW: 2

THE FERRYMAN: 2

KING KONG: 2 (plus a special award)

TOOTSIE: 2

 

2018-19 Outer Critics Circle Nominating Committee

David Gordon, Simon SaltzmanPatrick HoffmanJoseph Cervelli, Harry HaunCynthia Allen, Richard Ridge, David Roberts, and Janice Simpson