The Outer Critics Circle (OCC) has revealed nominations for its 73rd annual awards. The trio of stars from the currently running revival of “Merrily We Roll Along,” Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, announced the nominations on April 23 at the Museum of Broadway. As previously reported, winners will be announced on May 13 ahead of the OCC’s ceremony on May 23.
The OCC, which represents writers who cover the New York theater scene for publications outside New York City, jointly acknowledges productions that played on Broadway and Off-Broadway during the 2023-2024 season. Nominators had an April 19 deadline to see eligible shows.
Leading the crop of acknowledged Broadway productions is David Adjmi’s play “Stereophonic,” which received seven nominations. The new musical “Days of Wine and Roses” and the revival of “The Who’s Tommy” were also well represented among the Broadway nominees, receiving six nominations each. “Back to the Future,” “Suffs” and “Water for Elephants” received five nominations apiece, while “Appropriate,” “Mother Play,” “Purlie Victorious” and “The Great Gatsby” were nominated four times each.
“Here Lies Love” also received four nominations, however it is important to note that only elements that were deemed new to the Broadway mounting compared to its 2013 Off-Broadway run were considered eligible. The same ruling was in effect for the Broadway productions of “Harmony,” “Just for Us,” “Mary Jane,” “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Prayer for the French Republic.”
“Illinoise,” which will begin its Broadway transfer on April 24, was considered eligible for its Off-Broadway run at Park Avenue Armory; the production received six nominations.
Several artists received multiple nods across the creative and design categories. Paul Tate dePoo III received three nominations, the most of any individual, for his scenic design work on “The Cottage” and “The Great Gatsby,” as well as for his “Gatsby” projection design. “Days of Wine and Roses” composer and orchestrator Adam Guettel was doubly nominated for his efforts, as was sound designer Gareth Owen (for “Back to the Future” and “The Who’s Tommy”) as well as Shaina Taub for writing the book and score for “Suffs.” Costume designer Enver Chakartash was nominated for Broadway’s “Stereophonic” and Off-Broadway’s “Teeth.”
In total, 25 Broadway productions were honored, 19 of which received more than one nomination.
However, Broadway did not make a showing among the five titles nominated for the John Gassner Award. The award, named for the founder of the OCC awards, honors a new American play, preferably written by a new playwright.
For the second year in a row, the OCC awards encompass genderless performance categories, but separate categories honoring Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
OCC operates under the leadership of president David Gordon. The OCC board of directors includes Richard Ridge, Joseph Cervelli, Patrick Hoffman, David Roberts, Harry Haun, Cynthia Allen, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler. The OCC awards ceremony is executive produced by Lauren Yarger and will be livestreamed on BroadwayWorld.com.
A complete list of nominees can be found below:
Outstanding New Broadway Play
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” by Jocelyn Bioh
“Mother Play” by Paula Vogel
“Patriots” by Peter Morgan
“Stereophonic” by David Adjmi
“The Shark Is Broken” by Joseph Nixon and Ian Shaw
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
“Days of Wine and Roses”
“Suffs”
“The Great Gatsby”
“The Outsiders”
“Water for Elephants”
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
“Dig” by Theresa Rebeck
“King of the Jews” by Leslie Epstein
“King James” by Rajiv Joseph
“Primary Trust” by Eboni Booth
“Swing State” by Rebecca Gilman
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Dead Outlaw”
“Illinoise”
“Teeth”
“The Connector”
John Gassner Award (new American play preferably by a new playwright)
“Job” by Max Wolf Friedlich
“Manahatta” by Mary Kathryn Nagle
“Oh, Mary!” by Cole Escola
“The Apiary” by Kate Douglas
“Wet Brain” by John J. Caswell Jr.
Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
“Cabaret”
“Here Lies Love”
“I Can Get It for You Wholesale”
“Spamalot”
“The Who’s Tommy”
Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
“An Enemy of the People”
“Appropriate”
“Doubt”
“Mary Jane”
“Philadelphia, Here I Come!”
“Purlie Victorious”
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play
Jessica Lange, “Mother Play”
Rachel McAdams, “Mary Jane”
Sarah Paulson, “Appropriate”
Jeremy Strong, “An Enemy of the People”
Michael Stuhlbarg, “Patriots”
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play
Billy Eugene Jones, “Purlie Victorious”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, “Mother Play”
Alex Moffat, “The Cottage”
Jim Parsons, “Mother Play”
Sarah Pidgeon, “Stereophonic”
Kara Young, “Purlie Victorious”
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui, “The Who’s Tommy”
Brian d’Arcy James, “Days of Wine and Roses”
Casey Likes, “Back to the Future”
Kelli O’Hara, “Days of Wine and Roses”
Maryann Plunkett, “The Notebook”
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
Roger Bart, “Back to the Future”
Justin Guarini, “Once Upon a One More Time”
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, “Spamalot”
Kecia Lewis, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Bebe Neuwirth, “Cabaret”
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Jeb Brown, “Dead Outlaw”
Andrew Durand, “Dead Outlaw”
Alyse Alan Louis, “Teeth”
Ben Levi Ross, “The Connector”
Ricky Ubeda, “Illinoise”
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Ben Cook, “Illinoise”
Hannah Cruz, “The Connector”
Julia Knitel, “Dead Outlaw”
Judy Kuhn, “I Can Get It For You Wholesale”
Jessica Molaskey, “The Connector”
Thom Sesma, “Dead Outlaw”
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Cole Escola, “Oh, Mary!”
Mary Beth Fisher, “Swing State”
William Jackson Harper, “Primary Trust”
Marie Mullen, “The Saviour”
Paul Sparks, “Waiting for Godot”
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Gus Birney, “Our Class”
April Matthis, “Primary Trust”
Conrad Ricamora, “Oh, Mary!”
Jay O. Sanders, “Primary Trust”
Bubba Weiler, “Swing State”
Outstanding Solo Performance
Eddie Izzard, “Hamlet”
Patrick Page, “All the Devils are Here”
Mona Pirnot, “I Love You So Much I Could Die”
Robert Montano, “Small”
John Rubenstein, “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground”
Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury, “Illinoise”
Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson, “Teeth”
Itamar Moses, “Dead Outlaw”
Jonathan Marc Sherman, “The Connector”
Shaina Taub, “Suffs”
Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jason Robert Brown, “The Connector”
Will Butler, “Stereophonic”
Adam Guettel, “Days of Wine and Roses”
David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, “Dead Outlaw”
Shaina Taub, “Suffs”
Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Timo Andres, “Illinoise”
Adam Guettel and Jamie Lawrence, “Days of Wine and Roses”
Marco Paguia, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Michael Starobin, “Suffs”
Erik Della Penna, Dean Sharenow and David Yazbek, “Dead Outlaw”
Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
David Cromer, “Dead Outlaw”
Michael Greif, “Days of Wine and Roses”
Daisy Prince, “The Connector”
Leigh Silverman, “Suffs”
Jessica Stone, “Water for Elephants”
Outstanding Direction of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Knud Adams, “Primary Trust”
Daniel Aukin, “Stereophonic”
Robert Falls, “Swing State”
Kenny Leon, “Purlie Victorious”
Lila Neugebauer, “Appropriate”
Outstanding Choreography (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, “Water for Elephants”
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, “The Outsiders”
Lorin Latarro, “The Who’s Tommy”
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Justin Peck, “Illinoise”
Outstanding Scenic Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Paul Tate dePoo III, “The Cottage”
Paul Tate dePoo III, “The Great Gatsby”
Dots, “Appropriate”
David Korins, “Here Lies Love”
David Zinn, “Stereophonic”
Outstanding Costume Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Dede Ayite, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
Enver Chakartash, “Stereophonic”
Enver Chakartash, “Teeth”
Linda Cho, “The Great Gatsby”
Sydney Maresca, “The Cottage”
Outstanding Lighting Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Bradley King, “Water for Elephants”
Brian MacDevitt, “The Outsiders”
Justin Townsend, “Here Lies Love”
Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone, “Back to the Future”
Amanda Zieve, “The Who’s Tommy”
Outstanding Sound Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Tom Gibbons, “Grey House”
Gareth Owen, “Back to the Future”
Gareth Owen, “The Who’s Tommy”
Ryan Rumery, “Stereophonic”
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, “Here Lies Love”
Outstanding Video/Projections (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
David Bengali, “Water for Elephants”
Paul Tate dePoo III, “The Great Gatsby”
Peter Nigrini, “The Who’s Tommy”
Finn Ross, “Back to the Future”
Ash J. Woodward, “Patriots”
Multiple nominations by Broadway show:
“Stereophonic” — 7
“Days of Wine and Roses — 6
“The Who’s Tommy” — 6
“Back to the Future” — 5
“Suffs” — 5
“Water for Elephants” — 5
“Appropriate” — 4
“Here Lies Love” — 4
“Mother Play” — 4
“Purlie Victorious” — 4
“The Great Gatsby” — 4
“Patriots” — 3
“The Cottage” — 3
“The Outsiders” — 3
“Cabaret” — 2
“An Enemy of the People” — 2
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” — 2
“Mary Jane” — 2
“Spamalot” — 2
The Off-Broadway runs of “Here We Are,” “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea” and “Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice” were not considered eligible, as OCC nominators were not invited.
