Outer Critics & Drama Desk Nominations
by Nathaniel R
Two big theater awards to cover at the moment, the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama Desk Nominations. Like the Drama League, previously covered, they're Tony precursors of a sort, the difference being that the Tony Awards only cover Broadway and all of the theater precursors also cover Off-Broadway. Among the musicals Hadestown led the Outer Critics nominations with 12 while at the Drama Desk Oklahoma! led the pack with 12 nominations. The stage adaptation of Tootsie did very well with both groups in runner-up position in terms of most nominations.
Complete honors for each awards group are listed after the jump...
UPDATED WITH WINNERS
OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS
This organization, now in its 69th year, is composed of journalists and critics outside of the immediate Broadway scene covering it for national publications or regional publications outside of NYC. Unlike the Drama Desk Awards or Drama League Awards, they have some categories where they separate Broadway from Off Broadway and some categories where they combine them. The nominations were announced by Broadway mainstay and funny lady Julie Halston (you'll know her as Bitsy von Muffling from Sex & The City) who co-stars in Tootsie this season, and Michael Urie (in Torch Song this season on Broadway.)
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
- The Ferryman *WINNER*
- Ink
- Network
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- What the Constitution Means to Me
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
- Fairview
- The House That Will Not Stand
- Lewiston / Clarkston
- The Light
- White Noise *WINNER*
We don't get to a ton of plays but we loved The House That Will Not Stand which looked at a fascinating place and time in history (New Orleans in the early 1800s) when free people of color were prosperous within a region that otherwise enslaved black people -- just before France turned over control of Louisiana to the US.
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
- The Beast in the Jungle
- Black Light
- Girl from the North Country *WINNER*
- The Hello Girls
- Midnight at the Never Get
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 *WINNER*
Only Jackson and May are eligible for Tony nominations and they'll both surely get them. Close was just fantastic in "Mother of the Maid" (thanks Ferdi, a long time loyal TFE reader, for taking me!) but she is not eligible for the Tony as the show was Off Broadway.
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
- McKinley Belcher III, The Light
- Bryan Cranston, Network *WINNER*
- Daveed Diggs, White Noise
- Bill Irwin, On Beckett
- Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy
Only Cranston and Pope are eligible at the Tonys.
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
- Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show *WINNER*
- Kelli O'Hara, Kiss Me, Kate
- Beth Leavel, The Prom
- Anika Noni Rose, Carmen Jones
- Mare Winningham, Girl from the North Country
Block, O'Hara, and Leavel are all eligible at the Tony Awards and you should expect all three to be nominated, Block and Leavel due to reviews and O'Hara due to being Kelli O'Hara.
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
- Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
- Reeve Carney, Hadestown
- Damon Daunno, Oklahoma!
- Santino Fontana, Tootsie *WINNER*
- Steven Skybell, Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)
Everyone but Skybell is eligible at the Tonys. You know Reeve Carney from movies and TV but he's not a newbie to Broadway. He was the original Peter Parker in "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" in 2011. We saw Damon Daunno in "The Lucky Ones" Off Broadway last season (or the season before?) and fell madly in love so we're eager to get to Oklahoma!
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 *WINNER*
Allen, Flanagan, and Keenan-Bolger are all eligible at the Tonys.
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 *WINNER*
Carvel, Clay, and Walker are eligible at the Tonys.
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
- Amber Gray, Hadestown *WINNER*
- Leslie Kritzer, Beetlejuice
- Bonnie Milligan, Head Over Heels
- Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
- Ali Stroker, Oklahoma!
Everyone is eligible at the Tonys. We're crossing our fingers for Milligan since her show closed so long ago and wasn't all that popular to begin with. But so far precursors have miraculously remembered her hilarity. Will Tony voters?
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
- John Behlmann, Tootsie
- André De Shields, Hadestown *WINNER*
- Reg Rogers, Tootsie
- George Salazar, Be More Chill
- Ephraim Sykes, Ain't Too Proud
Everyone is eligible at the Tonys. Behlmann is just hilarious in Tootsie (in a new role that basically takes the place, plot-wise, of the elderly lecherous actor in the soap within the 1982 movie), Salazar gets "Be More Chill"s only great song, and Sykes steals "Aint Too Proud" so don't be surprised if they all repeat with Tony nominations.
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
- Mike Birbiglia, The New One *WINNER*
- Maddie Corman, Accidentally Brave
- Jake Gyllenhaal, A Life
- Carey Mulligan, Girls and Boys
- Renée Taylor, My Life on a Diet
Only Birbiglia is eligible at the Tonys though Gyllenhaal will reprise "A Life" on Broadway this coming season.
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
- Robert Horn, Tootsie *WINNER*
- 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
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
- Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, The Prom
- Joe Iconis, Be More Chill
- Peter Mills, The Hello Girls
- Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown *WINNER*
- David Yazbek, Tootsie
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
- All My Sons *WINNER*
- By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
- Juno and the Paycock
- Our Lady of 121st Street
- The Waverly Gallery
Only All My Sons and The Waverly Gallery are eligible at the Tonys. It's interesting that All My Sons snagged the nomination here given that the Outer Critics didn't nominate Tracy Letts or Annette Bening for their leading roles.
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
- Carmen Jones
- Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish) *WINNER*
- Kiss Me Kate
- Oklahoma!
- Smokey Joe's Cafe
It's been an unusual Broadway season for Musical Revivals in that there were only two this year: Kiss Me Kate and Oklahoma! It's a pity that Fiddler and Carmen Jones didn't transfer to Broadway as they were both amazing productions and would have surely been threats for Tony nominations in various ways.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
- Rupert Goold, Ink
- Sam Mendes, The Ferryman *WINNER*
- Jack O'Brien, All My Sons
- Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
- Logan Vaughn, The Light
All but Logan Vaughn are eligible for the Tony in this category.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
- Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown *WINNER*
- Scott Ellis, Tootsie
- Daniel Fish, Oklahoma!
- Joel Grey, Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)
- Cara Reichel, The Hello Girls
All but Grey and Reichel are eligible for the Tony in this category
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
- Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate *WINNER*
- Christopher Gattelli, The Cher Show
- Denis Jones, Tootsie
- David Neumann, Hadestown
- Sergio Trujillo, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations
Another category where everyone is eligible at the Tonys.
OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
- Beowulf Boritt, Bernhardt/Hamlet
- Bunny Christie, Ink
- Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
- Rob Howell, The Ferryman
- David Korins, Beetlejuice *WINNER*
Everyone is eligible for the Tonys.
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
- Rob Howell, The Ferryman
- Bob Mackie, The Cher Show *WINNER*
- William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
- William Ivey Long, Tootsie
- Arianne Phillips, Head Over Heels
Everyone is eligible for the Tonys. Here's a fun bit of trivia: Bob Mackie is ALSO a character within The Cher Show which seems like a possible first for any of the awards shows, movies/tv/stage, when it comes to being nominated for costume design while also having an actor play you!
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
- Neil Austin, Ink
- Stacey Derosier, Lewiston / Clarkston
- Bradley King, Hadestown *WINNER*
- Jason Lyons, Sugar in Our Wounds
- Peter Mumford, King Kong
OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
- Peter England, King Kong *WINNER*
- 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 *WINNER*
- 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! *WINNER*
- Harold Wheeler, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations
JOHN GASSNER 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 *WINNER*
- Donja R. Love, Sugar in Our Wounds
- Ming Peiffer, Usual Girls
- Charly Evon, Simpson Behind the Sheet
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Non competitive and voted on by the Outer Critics Circle Awards Executive Comittee
- The puppetry team (creators and operators) of King Kong
- The York Theatre Company - in recognition of 50 years of producing new musicals, as well as classics from the past
DRAMA DESK AWARDS
Now in their 64th year the Drama Desk, whose hard-working nominating committee sees everything (we know two of its members and are alarmed at how often they have to be at shows -- we're talking nearly every day of the year), will be hosted by Michael Urie for the fourth time and they're planning to expand their reach next year pursuing a new streaming/televised ceremony. The nominations were announced live on NY1 this afternoon.
- Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Soho Rep
- The Ferryman, by Jez Butterworth *WINNER*
- Lewiston/Clarkston, by Samuel D. Hunter, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
- Usual Girls, by Ming Peiffer, Roundabout Theatre Company
- What the Constitution Means to Me, by Heidi Schreck, New York Theatre Workshop and Broadway
The Drama Desk preferred the OffBroadway offerings this year since only The Ferryman and What the Constitution placed from the new Broadway plays.
- Be More Chill
- The Hello Girls, Prospect Theater Company
- The Prom *WINNER*
- Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future, Ars Nova
- Tootsie
Color me surprised that Be More Chill is such a favourite with all awards groups. I thought it something of a disjointed mess with only one memorable song but most awards bodies seem to really enjoy it which bodes well for the Tony nominations on Tuesday.
- Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine, Signature Theatre
- Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts, National Asian American Theatre Company
- Our Lady of 121st Street, Signature Theatre\
- Summer and Smoke, Classic Stage Company/Transport Group
- The Waverly Gallery *WINNER*
- Uncle Vanya, Hunter Theater Project
The Waverly Gallery was the only Broadway offering nominated here (though it should be noted that Torch Song and Boys in the Band were ineligible for different reasons but both might show up among the Tony nominees)
- Carmen Jones, Classic Stage Company
- Fiddler on the Roof, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and Off-Broadway *WINNER*
- Kiss Me, Kate, Roundabout Theatre Company
- Merrily We Roll Along, Fiasco Theater/Roundabout Theatre Company
- Oklahoma!, Bard Summerscape/St. Ann's Warehouse and Broadway
- Midori Francis, Usual Girls
- Zainab Jah, Boesman and Lena
- Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery *WINNER*
- Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
- Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me
May, Metcalf, and Schreck are all eligible at the Tonys.
- Jeff Biehl, Life Sucks
- Edmund Donovan, Lewiston/Clarkston
- Raúl Esparza, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
- Russell Harvard, I Was Most Alive With You
- Jay O. Sanders, Uncle Vanya *WINNER*
Not a single Tony eligible performer nominated. Surprise.
- Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show *WINNER*
- Beth Leavel, The Prom
- Rebecca Naomi Jones, Oklahoma!
- Anika Noni Rose, Carmen Jones
- Stacey Sargeant, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Block, Leavel, and Jones are Tony eligible.
- Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
- Andrew R. Butler, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
- Damon Daunno, Oklahoma!
- Santino Fontana, Tootsie *WINNER*
- Steven Skybell, Fiddler on the Roof
Butler and Skybell aren't Tony eligible but we expect the rest to be nominated in the correlative Tony category.
- Harriett D. Foy, The House That Will Not Stand
- Megan Hill, Eddie and Dave
- Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill A Mockingbird *WINNER*
- Ruth Wilson, King Lear
- Alison Wright, Othello
Only Wilson and Keenan-Bolger are eligible at the Tonys.
- Charles Browning, Fairview
- Arnie Burton, Lewiston/Clarkston
- Hampton Fluker, All My Sons
- Tom Glynn-Carney, The Ferryman *WINNER*
- Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Interesting that both the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics ignored the leads of All My Sons but nominated one of the sons, but a different son!
- Stephanie Hsu, Be More Chill
- Leslie Kritzer, Beetlejuice
- Soara-Joye Ross, Carmen Jones
- Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
- Ali Stroker, Oklahoma! *WINNER*
- Mary Testa, Oklahoma!
A lot of really funny ladies here!
- Corbin Bleu, Kiss Me, Kate
- André De Shields, Hadestown *WINNER*
- Sydney James Harcourt, Girl from the North Country
- George Salazar, Be More Chill
- Patrick Vaill, Oklahoma!
Everyone but Harcourt is Tony eligible.
- Sarah Benson, Fairview
- Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, The Jungle
- Sam Mendes, The Ferryman *WINNER*
- Tyne Rafaeli, Usual Girls
- Taylor Reynolds, Plano
- Jeff Wise, Life Sucks
Only Mendes is eligible for the Tony. The American Beauty Oscar winning director already has multiple Tonys though, from past Broadway outings. Will he collect another statue?
- Noah Brody, Merrily We Roll Along
- Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown *WINNER*
- Scott Ellis, Tootsie
- Daniel Fish, Oklahoma!
- Joel Grey, Fiddler on the Roof
- Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
- Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me Kate *WINNER*
- Denis Jones, Tootsie
- Lorin Latarro, Twelfth Night
- Rick and Jeff Kuperman, Alice by Heart
- David Neumann, Hadestown
- Andrew R. Butler, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
- Joe Iconis, Be More Chill
- Peter Mills, The Hello Girls
- Mark Sonnenblick, Midnight at the Never Get
- Shaina Taub, Twelfth Night
- David Yazbek, Tootsie *WINNER*
- Chad Beguelin, The Prom
- Andrew R. Butler, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
- Joe Iconis, Be More Chill
- Peter Mills, The Hello Girls
- David Yazbek, Tootsie *WINNER*
- Scott Brown and Anthony King, Beetlejuice
- Andrew R. Butler, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
- Robert Horn, Tootsie *WINNER*
- Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, The Prom
- Dominique Morisseau, Ain't Too Proud
- Larry Blank, Fiddler on the Roof
- Simon Hale, Girl from the North Country
- Daniel Kluger, Oklahoma! *WINNER*
- Charlie Rosen, Be More Chill
- Daryl Waters, The Cher Show
- Paul Castles and Jongbin Jung, Wild Goose Dreams
- Justin Ellington, Mrs. Murray's Menagerie
- Justin Ellington, The House That Will Not Stand
- Nick Powell, The Lehman Trilogy
- Jason Michael Webb and Fitz Patton, Choir Boy *WINNER*
- Miriam Buether, The Jungle
- Es Devlin, Girls & Boys
- Maruti Evans, The Peculiar Patriot
- Mimi Lien, Fairview
- Matt Saunders, "Daddy" *WINNER*
- Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
- Laura Jellinek, Oklahoma!
- Laura Jellinek, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
- David Korins, Beetlejuice *WINNER*
- Rae Smith, Girl from the North Country
- Dede M. Ayite, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
- Dede M. Ayite, If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka
- Ásta Bennie Hostetter, Mrs. Murray's Menagerie
- Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet *WINNER*
- Nicole Slaven, Henry VI: Shakespeare's Trilogy in Two Parts
- William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
- William Ivey Long, Tootsie
- Bobby Frederick Tilly II, Be More Chill
- Michael Krass, Hadestown
- Bob Mackie, The Cher Show *WINNER*
- Paloma Young, Alice by Heart
William Ivey Long, the 71 year-old still in demand costume designer was double nominated by both the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle, so you can expect him to repeat that feat at the Tonys where he'll have less competition. He's won 6 Tonys in this long career, his first Broadway gig was way back in 1978.
- Amith Chandrashaker, Boesman and Lena *WINNER*
- Amith Chandrashaker, Fairview
- Jiyoun Chang, Slave Play
- Jon Clark, The Jungle
- Simon Cleveland, Spaceman
- Yi Zhao, The House That Will Not Stand
- Adam Honoré, Carmen Jones
- Bradley King, Hadestown *WINNER*
- Jamie Roderick, Midnight at the Never Get
- Barbara Samuels, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
- Scott Zielinski, Oklahoma!
- Peter England, King Kong *WINNER*
- Katherine Freer, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
- Luke Halls, The Lehman Trilogy
- Alex Basco Koch, Be More Chill
- Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice
- Joshua Thorson, Oklahoma!
- Tyler Kieffer, Plano
- Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
- Nick Powell, The Ferryman *WINNER*
- Jane Shaw, I Was Most Alive with You
- Mikaal Sulaiman, Fairview
- Simon Baker, Girl from the North Country
- Drew Levy, Oklahoma!
- Brian Ronan, Tootsie
- Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown *WINNER*
- Mikaal Sulaiman, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
- Campbell Young Associates, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
- Cookie Jordan, Eddie and Dave
- Paul Huntley, Tootsie
- Charles G. LaPointe, Beetlejuice
- Charles G. LaPointe, The Cher Show *WINNER*
There's a certain eccentric beauty in knowing that Cher wigs and Beetlejuice wigs come from the same hands, isn't there?
- Mike Birbiglia, The New One *WINNER*
- Carey Mulligan, Girls & Boys
- Liza Jessie Peterson, The Peculiar Patriot, National Black Theatre/Hi-Arts
- Erin Treadway, Spaceman, Loading Dock Theatre
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
- All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 *WINNER*
- Love's Labour's Lost
- The B-Side "Negro Folklore from Texas State Prisons"
- What to Send Up When It Goes Down
OUTSTANDING FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY
- U Jonathan Toppo, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
- Claire Warden, "Daddy"
- Claire Warden, Slave Play *WINNER*
OUTSTANDING PUPPET DESIGN
- Michael Curry, Beetlejuice
- Sonny Tilders, King Kong *WINNER*
- Tschabalala Self, "Daddy"
Reader Comments (17)
Has anyone seen the Mare Winningham musical?
I love variety in awards so this was a great read. Lots of interesting plays here.
I love Glenn Close so much. If you're not marrying the guy that invited you, I will.
Where is Jeff Daniels for "To Kill a Mockingbird"? I thought he got really good reviews.
The Mother did not qualify for any awards? I would have loved to see Isabelle Huppert in the mix with Glenn Close, Elaine May and Glenda Jackson -- talk about powerhouse nominees!
Joan Allen better be nominated!
I know nothing about New York theater other than what I read online.
That said, is Bryan Cranston really going to win a second Tony for playing Howard Beale in Network? The notion of Cranston-as-Beale in a theatrical version of a film classic (which seems wholly unnecessary) sets my teeth on edge.
Nathaniel, I have to thank you for coming with me! I could not ask for more to celebrate my forty birthday: New York, the company of the best movie critic in the world and the electrifying Glenn Close on the stage. Everything was simply unforgettable.
I hope she wins.
Bening didn't get anythng!
So glad to see James Graham's Ink on one of these lists. He is one of the best political dramatists working.
Love that you put together this post, Nathaniel. Next time I'm in NYC, I'm taking you to a play! Wish it could be The Ferryman. I was terribly sad to have missed Paddy Considine's performance.
Liked all cast members in "All My Sons" but Hampton Fluker was indeed the standout. Never even heard of him before this... such a heartbreaking performance. Bertie Carvel will probably take the Tony (even though he is basically co-leading) but Fluker and Tom Glynn-Carney are both more deserving.
The biggest shock for me is Laura Donnelly not getting any love anywhere so far. Giving an incredible performance in the role that won her the Olivier, not to mention in a story that's about her very own family...
Yet Jackson, May, Metcalf, and Schreck are also so great and pretty much locked for BA in play. Hard to choose between Donnelly and Bening for that last spot.
I feel like I've been remiss in seeing a bunch of things, but I did get to see TOOTSIE and OKLAHOMA! last week and loved them both. Looking forward to seeing a few more.
I loved Santino Fontana in CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND (he played the original Greg) so I am hoping he gets a Tony nomination for TOOTSIE...
Santino Fontana raped Michelle Williams when she was young in Fosse Verdon LMAO
Glad to see Damon Duanno get attention. What charisma! I hope he transfers to screen!
Was hoping for some Macaela Diamond love - I was very enchanted by her.
Annette!!!!
I didn't write the second message... :-/
Anyway, @Peggy Sue, yes... let's spread the love in the Name of Glenn!
Ferdi -- yikes, deleted! I hate when people impersonate other people on here.