Broadway's Death Becomes Her leads this year's Outer Critics Circle Award nominations with 12 nods, as announced April 25 by Oh, Mary! stars Cole Escola and Conrad Ricamora. The musical, running at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, is up for Outstanding New Broadway Musical, also getting nominations for stars Jennifer Simard (in Lead Performer) and Christopher Sieber (in Featured Performer).
Maybe Happy Ending had the second most nominees with nine, also including Outstanding New Broadway Musical and a nomination for leading man and producer Darren Criss for his leading performance. Stranger Things: The First Shadow is the season's most nominated play, earning seven nods including Outstanding New Broadway Play.
Also up for Outstanding New Broadway Musical are BOOP! The Musical, Operation Mincemeat, and Real Women Have Curves, with Outstanding New Broadway Play nods also going to Cult of Love, The Hills of California, John Proctor is the Villain, and Purpose.
From the world of Off-Broadway, both DRAG: The Musical and Cats: "The Jellicle Ball" made impressive showings, with five and four nominations, respectively. Drag earned lead performer nods for both Nick Adams and Alaska Thunderfuck, and featured nominations for Eddie Korbich and J. Elaine Marcos. Cats was recognized for its direction (Bill Lauch and Zhailon Levingston) and costume design (Qween Jean), and for Andr茅 De Shields' featured performance. Both Off-Broadway musicals were also nominated in their respective production categories.
This year's nominees will be honored with a cocktail reception at West Bank Caf茅 April 28, with winners to be revealed May 12. An awards ceremony will be held May 22.
Read the full list of nominees below:
Outstanding New Broadway Play
Cult of Love
The Hills of California
John Proctor Is the Villain
Purpose
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
BOOP! The Musical
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
The Big Gay Jamboree
DRAG: The Musical
We Live in Cairo
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
The Antiquities
Grangeville
Here There Are Blueberries
Liberation
Table 17
John Gassner Award (new American play preferably by a new playwright)
Amy Berryman, Walden
George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck
Marin Ireland, Pre-Existing Condition
Lia Romeo, Still
Emil Weinstein, Becoming Eve
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Once Upon a Mattress
Sunset Boulevard
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave
Glengarry Glen Ross
Romeo + Juliet
Vanya
Yellow Face
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play
Kit Connor, Romeo + Juliet
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play
Kieran Culkin, Glengarry Glen Ross
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Mare Winningham, Cult of Love
Kara Young, Purpose
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Michele Pawk, Just in Time
Christopher Sieber, Death Becomes Her
Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Nick Adams, DRAG: The Musical
Marla Mindelle, The Big Gay Jamboree
Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Safety Not Guaranteed
Alaska Thunderfuck, DRAG: The Musical
Taylor Trensch, Safety Not Guaranteed
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui, We Live in Cairo
Paris Nix, The Big Gay Jamboree
Eddie Korbich, DRAG: The Musical
J. Elaine Marcos, DRAG: The Musical
Andr茅 De Shields, Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"
Henry Stram, Three Houses
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Caroline Aaron, Conversations with Mother
F. Murray Abraham, Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave
Jayne Atkinson, Still
Adam Driver, Hold On to Me Darling
Anthony Edwards, The Counter
Paul Sparks, Grangeville
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Betsy Aidem, Liberation
Sean Bell, The Beacon
Michael Rishawn, Table 17
Richard Schiff, Becoming Eve
Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling
Outstanding Solo Performance
David Greenspan, I'm Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Khawla Ibraheem, A Knock on the Roof
Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings
Andrew Scott, Vanya
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zo毛 Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour, We Live in Cairo
Bob Martin, Boop! The Musical
Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Score
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zo毛 Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
David Foster and Susan Birkenhead, BOOP! The Musical
Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves
Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Orchestrations
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Doug Besterman, Death Becomes Her
Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Daniel Lazour and Michael Starobin, We Live in Cairo
Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Robert Hastie, Operation Mincemeat
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"
Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Trip Cullman, Cult of Love
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Sam Mendes, The Hills of California
Phylicia Rashad, Purpose
Danya Taymor, John Proctor Is the Villain
Outstanding Choreography
Jenny Arnold, Operation Mincemeat
Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Shannon Lewis, Just in Time
Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! the Musical
Outstanding Scenic Design
Miriam Buether, Jamie Harrison, and Chris Fisher, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Dane Laffrey, Maybe Happy Ending
Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Costume Design
Gregg Barnes, BOOP! The Musical
Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young, Real Women Have Curves
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Qween Jean, Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Lighting Design
Kevin Adams, Swept Away
Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Sound Design
Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard
Peter Hylenski, Death Becomes Her
Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
John Shivers, Swept Away
Outstanding Video/Projections
59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Boulevard
David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Finn Ross, BOOP! The Musical
Shows with Multiple Nominations
12 - Death Becomes Her
9 - Maybe Happy Ending
8 - BOOP! The Musical
7 - Stranger Things: The First Shadow
6 - The Hills of California, Operation Mincemeat
5 - DRAG: The Musical, Purpose
4 - Cats: "The Jellicle Ball", Sunset Boulevard, We Live in Cairo
3 - The Big Gay Jamboree, Cult of Love, Gypsy, Just in Time, Real Women Have Curves, Swept Away
2 - Beckett Briefs, Becoming Eve, Floyd Collins, Glengarry Glen Ross, Grangeville, Hold On to Me Darling, John Proctor Is the Villian, Liberation, Once Upon a Mattress, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, Romeo + Juliet, Safety Not Guaranteed, Still, Table 17, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Vanya, Yellow Face
Recently retired curator of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Patrick Hoffman will be honored with a Special Award, paying tribute to more than three decades of service to the theatre community. His tenure with the archive saw more than 1,2000 productions preserved.
Only new elements from productions considered in previous seasons were considered for this year's nominations, which affected Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, English, Hold On to Me Darling, Job, and Oh, Mary! Both All In: Comedy About Love and Ben Platt: Live at the Palace were ineligible for awards this season.
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are one of a handful of theatrical honors handed out in the spring, unofficially part of the road to the Tony Awards, this year set for June 8. Founded in the 1949-1950 Broadway season, the Outer Critics Circle honor recognizes the best in New York theatre鈥攊ncluding both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions鈥攆rom a voting membership comprising writers from out-of-town, national, and digital news outlets. Both Escola and Ricamora were nominated last year for their performances as Mary and Mary's Husband in Oh, Mary!'s Off-Broadway run.
The group is led by President David Gordon, with a nominating board of directors also including Richard Ridge, Joseph Cervelli, Patrick Hoffman, David Roberts, Cynthia Allen, Harry Haun, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson, and Doug Strassler. Lauren Yarger executive produces the ceremony.
Company of Death Becomes Her
Taurean Everett and cast of Death Becomes Her
Michelle Williams, Megan Hilty, and cast of Death Becomes Her
Michelle Williams and cast of Death Becomes Her
Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, Josh Lamon, and Christopher Sieber in Death Becomes Her
Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in Death Becomes Her
Megan Hilty and cast of Death Becomes Her
Jennifer Simard, Megan Hilty, and Christopher Sieber in Death Becomes Her
Jennifer Simard, Megan Hilty, Christopher Sieber, and cast of Death Becomes Her
Christopher Sieber in Death Becomes Her
Jennifer Simard and Christopher Sieber in Death Becomes Her
