| The Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national publications, are pleased to announce the nominees for the 72nd Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2022-2023 Broadway and Off-Broadway season.
Leading the pack with the most honors of the season is the Broadway musical New York, New York, with twelve nominations, followed by Some Like It Hot with ten nods, and Shucked with seven. The most recognized plays of the season are the Off-Broadway production of Downstate and the Broadway production of Leopoldstadt with six nominations each. Nominees for the annual John Gassner Award — for a new American play, preferably by a new playwright — are Noah Diaz for You Will Get Sick, Ryan J. Haddad for Dark Disabled Stories, James Ijames for Fat Ham, Hansol Jung for Wolf Play, and Brian Watkins for Epiphany. A Special Achievement Award will be presented to B.H. Barry, one of the world’s foremost fight directors, in recognition of a distinguished six-decade career capped off with Camelot at Lincoln Center Theater. As previously announced, this is the first season with newly reconstructed acting categories, which have removed gender specifications, and been expanded to separately include off-Broadway performers. In the previous configuration, actors in Broadway and off-Broadway productions had been nominated together in the same category. Winners of the 72nd Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards will be announced on Tuesday, May 16, and the awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 25 in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for The Performing Arts (111 Amsterdam Avenue, NYC). Founded during the 1949-50 Broadway season by respected theater journalist John Gassner, The Outer Critics Circle is an esteemed association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations, and online news organizations, in America and abroad. Led by its current president David Gordon, the OCC Board of Directors also includes Vice President Richard Ridge, Recording Secretary Joseph Cervelli, Corresponding Secretary Patrick Hoffman, Treasurer David Roberts, Harry Haun, Cynthia Allen, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler. Simon Saltzman is President Emeritus & Board Member (Non-nominating) and Stanley L. Cohen serves as Financial Consultant & Board Member (Non-nominating). 2023 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS Outstanding New Broadway Musical & Juliet A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical New York, New York Shucked Some Like It Hot Outstanding New Broadway Play Good Night, Oscar Leopoldstadt Life of Pi Peter Pan Goes Wrong Summer, 1976 Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical The Bedwetter Between the Lines The Harder They Come Only Gold Without You Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play Becomes a Woman A Case for the Existence of God Chester Bailey Downstate Letters from Max, a ritual John Gassner Award for New American Play (Preferably by a New Playwright) Dark Disabled Stories by Ryan J. Haddad Epiphany by Brian Watkins Fat Ham by James Ijames Wolf Play by Hansol Jung You Will Get Sick by Noah Diaz Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway) Death of a Salesman Endgame Ohio State Murders Topdog/Underdog Wedding Band Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) A Man of No Importance Into the Woods Merrily We Roll Along Parade Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical Micaela Diamond – Parade J. Harrison Ghee – Some Like It Hot Caroline Innerbichler – Shucked Colton Ryan – New York, New York Anna Uzele – New York, New York Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical Kevin Del Aguila – Some Like It Hot Julia Lester – Into the Woods Alex Newell – Shucked NaTasha Yvette Williams – Some Like It Hot Betsy Wolfe – & Juliet Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play Hiran Abeysekera – Life of Pi Jessica Chastain – A Doll’s House Corey Hawkins – Topdog/Underdog Sean Hayes – Good Night, Oscar Audra McDonald – Ohio State Murders Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play Danielle Brooks – The Piano Lesson Sharon D Clarke – Death of a Salesman Michael Potts – The Piano Lesson Brandon Uranowitz – Leopoldstadt David Zayas – Cost of Living Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play Ephraim Birney – Chester Bailey Brittany Bradford – Wedding Band Marylouise Burke – Epiphany Bill Irwin – Endgame Emma Pfitzer Price – Becomes a Woman Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play Veanne Cox – Wedding Band Glenn Davis – Downstate K. Todd Freeman – Downstate Francis Guinan – Downstate Susanna Guzman – Downstate Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical Nicholas Barasch – The Butcher Boy Callum Francis – Kinky Boots Jonathan Groff – Merrily We Roll Along Natey Jones – The Harder They Come Marla Mindelle – Titanique Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical Vicki Lewis – Between the Lines Lindsay Mendez – Merrily We Roll Along Daniel Radcliffe – Merrily We Roll Along A.J. Shively – A Man of No Importance Mare Winningham – A Man of No Importance Outstanding Solo Performance Mike Birbiglia – The Old Man & the Pool Jodie Comer – Prima Facie Jefferson Mays – A Christmas Carol Sam Morrison – Sugar Daddy Anthony Rapp – Without You Outstanding New Score Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel – Between the Lines Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally – Shucked John Kander and Lin-Manuel Miranda – New York, New York Adam Schlesinger and Sarah Silverman – The Bedwetter Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman – Some Like It Hot Outstanding Book of a Musical Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli – Titanique Robert Horn – Shucked Matthew López and Amber Ruffin – Some Like it Hot Suzan-Lori Parks – The Harder They Come David West Read – & Juliet Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical) Jason Ardizzone-West – Wedding Band John Lee Beatty – Epiphany Beowulf Boritt – New York, New York Mimi Lien – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Simon Scullion – Peter Pan Goes Wrong Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) Dede Ayite – Topdog/Underdog Gregg Barnes – Some Like it Hot Brigitte Reiffenstuel – Leopoldstadt Paloma Young – & Juliet Donna Zakowska – New York, New York Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical) Neil Austin – Leopoldstadt Ken Billington – New York, New York Ken Elliott and Ben Stanton – A Christmas Carol Natasha Katz – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Tim Lutkin – Life of Pi Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical) John Gromada – Jasper Kai Harada – New York, New York Daniel Kluger – Epiphany André Pluess – Good Night, Oscar Joshua D. Reid – A Christmas Carol Outstanding Video or Projection Design (Play or Musical) Christopher Ash and Beowulf Boritt – New York, New York Andrzej Goulding – Life of Pi Lucy Mackinnon – A Christmas Carol Isaac Madge – Leopoldstadt Sven Ortel – Parade Outstanding Orchestrations Bryan Carter and Charlie Rosen – Some Like It Hot Sam Davis and Daryl Waters – New York, New York Jason Howland – Shucked Bill Sherman – & Juliet Jonathan Tunick – Merrily We Roll Along Outstanding Director of a Musical Michael Arden – Parade Maria Friedman – Merrily We Roll Along Casey Nicholaw – Some Like It Hot Jack O’Brien – Shucked Susan Stroman – New York, New York Outstanding Choreography Andy Blankenbuehler – Only Gold Edgar Godineaux – The Harder They Come Casey Nicholaw – Some Like It Hot Susan Stroman – New York, New York Jennifer Weber – & Juliet Outstanding Director of a Play Kenny Leon – Topdog/Underdog Pam MacKinnon – Downstate Patrick Marber – Leopoldstadt Adam Meggido – Peter Pan Goes Wrong Max Webster – Life of Pi Special Achievement Award To B.H. Barry, one of the world’s foremost fight directors, in recognition of a distinguished six-decade career capped off with Camelot at Lincoln Center Theater. NOTES Only new elements of Cost of Living, Kimberly Akimbo, Ain’t No Mo’, Between Riverside and Crazy, and Kinky Boots were considered. The Broadway productions considered in full during this cycle are (in order of opening) Macbeth, The Kite Runner, Into the Woods, Leopoldstadt, 1776, Death of a Salesman, The Piano Lesson, Topdog/Underdog, Walking with Ghosts, Almost Famous, Kimberly Akimbo, Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool, & Juliet, A Christmas Carol, KPOP, A Beautiful Noise, Ohio State Murders, Some Like It Hot, The Collaboration, Pictures from Home, A Doll’s House, Parade, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, Bad Cinderella, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Life of Pi, Shucked, Fat Ham, Camelot, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Thanksgiving Play, Prima Facie, Good Night, Oscar, Summer, 1976, New York, New York, and The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window. SHOWS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS 12 – New York, New York 10 – Some Like It Hot 7 – Shucked 6 – Downstate 6 – Merrily We Roll Along 6 – Leopoldstadt 6 – & Juliet 5 – Life of Pi 4 – A Christmas Carol 4 – The Harder They Come 4 – Topdog/Underdog 4 – Parade 4 – Epiphany 4 – Wedding Band 3 – Good Night, Oscar 3 – Peter Pan Goes Wrong 3 – Between the Lines 3 – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 2 – Only Gold 2 – Becomes a Woman 2 – Into the Woods 2 – Chester Bailey 2 – Titanique 2 – The Bedwetter |