The Outer Critics Circle, an organization of out-of-town writers who cover New York theater, has announced nominees for the 72nd Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2022-2023 Broadway and Off-Broadway season. Winners will be announced on May 16 ahead of an official awards ceremony on May 25 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
As previously announced, this is the first year that gender specifications have been removed from all acting categories. In addition, Off-Broadway performers are now housed under separate acting categories to distinguish from Broadway productions.
On the nominations front, “New York, New York” leads all Broadway musicals with twelve nods total, followed by “Some Like It Hot” with ten and “Shucked” with seven. “Leopoldstadt” garnered the most nominations for a Main Stem play with six.
James Ijames’ “Fat Ham” is among the nominees for the annual John Gassner Award, honoring a new American play, preferably by a new playwright.
Also of note is an Outstanding Solo Performance nod for Jodie Comer’s recently opened Broadway debut in “Prima Facie.”
Additionally, B.H. Barry will be acknowledged with a Special Achievement Award for his six-decade career as a fight director, a role in which he served for the current revival of “Camelot.”
Note: Only new elements were considered for “Cost of Living,” “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Ain’t No Mo’,” “Between Riverside and Crazy” and “Kinky Boots,” all of which were eligible for Outer Critics Circle Awards in prior years.
A full list of 2023 Outer Critics Circle Award nominees can be found below.
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”
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, Fred Ebb 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 and 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”
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”
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”
The Outer Critics Circle is run under the leadership of president David Gordon. The board of directors includes Richard Ridge, Joseph Cervelli, Patrick Hoffman, David Roberts, Harry Haun, Cynthia Allen, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the nominees of “New York, New York” for Outstanding Score. This has been corrected.
