The Outer Critics Circle (OCC), an organization which represents writers who cover the New York theater scene for publications outside New York City, has announced its latest slate of award winners. The OCC jointly acknowledges productions that played on Broadway and Off-Broadway during the 2023-2024 season.
An awards ceremony for winners will be held on May 23 in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Leading the Outer Critics Circle Award winners is “Stereophonic,” which was given four OCC Awards, followed by “Suffs,” “Dead Outlaw” and recent Pulitzer Prize winner “Primary Trust,” each of which won three. Just behind were “The Great Gatsby,” “I Can Get It for You Wholesale” and the Broadway-bound “Oh, Mary!,” each of which took home two awards.
A full list of winners can be found below, indicated in bold.
Outstanding New Broadway Play
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
“Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions”
“Patriots”
“Stereophonic”
“The Shark Is Broken”
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
“Days of Wine and Roses”
“Suffs”
“The Great Gatsby”
“The Outsiders”
“Water for Elephants”
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Dead Outlaw”
“Illinoise”
“Teeth”
“The Connector”
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
“Dig”
“King of the Jews”
“King James”
“Primary Trust”
“Swing State”
John Gassner Award for New American Play (preferably by a new playwright)
“Job”
“Manahatta”
“Oh, Mary!”
“The Apiary”
“Wet Brain”
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
“Cabaret”
“Here Lies Love”
“I Can Get It for You Wholesale”
“Monty Python’s Spamalot”
“The Who’s Tommy”
Outstanding Revival of a Play
“An Enemy of the People”
“Appropriate”
“Doubt: A Parable”
“Mary Jane”
“Philadelphia, Here I Come!”
“Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
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 (tie)
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 (tie)
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
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
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
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
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
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 (tie)
David Korins — “Here Lies Love”
David Zinn — “Stereophonic”
Dots — “Appropriate”
Paul Tate dePoo III — “The Cottage”
Paul Tate dePoo III — “The Great Gatsby”
Outstanding Costume Design
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
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
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
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”
Shows with Multiple Award Wins
4: “Stereophonic”
3: “Dead Outlaw,” “Primary Trust,” “Suffs”
2: “The Great Gatsby,” “I Can Get It for You Wholesale,” “Oh, Mary!”
Broadway Productions Considered in Full
“Grey House,” “Once Upon a One More Time,” “The Cottage,” “Back to the Future,” “The Shark Is Broken,” “Purlie Victorious,” “Melissa Etheridge: My Window,” “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” “I Need That,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” “How to Dance in Ohio,” “Appropriate,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Doubt,” “The Notebook,” “An Enemy of the People,” “Water for Elephants,” “The Who’s Tommy,” “The Outsiders,” “Lempicka,” “The Wiz,” “Suffs,” “Stereophonic,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Cabaret,” “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” “Patriots,” “Uncle Vanya,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Mother Play”
Only New Elements of the Following Productions Were Considered
“Just for Us,” “Here Lies Love,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Harmony,” “Prayer for the French Republic,” “Mary Jane”
Founded during the 1949-50 Broadway season by theater journalist John Gassner, the Outer Critics Circle has members affiliated with more than 90 newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations and online news organizations in America and abroad. Led by its current president, David Gordon, its board of directors also includes vice president Richard Ridge, recording secretary Joseph Cervelli, corresponding secretary Patrick Hoffman and treasurer David Roberts, in addition to Cynthia Allen, Harry Haun, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler. Simon Saltzman is president emeritus and board member (non-nominating) and Stanley L. Cohen serves as financial consultant and board member (non-nominating). Lauren Yarger serves as the Outer Critics Circle Awards’ ceremony executive producer.
