With five nods each, the American Repertory Theater production of Jagged Little Pill and SpeakEasy Stage Company's staging of Once lead the nominations for The Boston Theater Critics Association's 37th edition of the Elliot Norton Awards. The annual awards celebrating Boston's vibrant theatre scene will be presented May 20 at Huntington Theatre.
Jagged Little Pill, which is set to open on Broadway in the fall, received nominations for musical production, choreography (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui), musical direction (Bryan Perri), as well as nods to Lauren Patten and Elizabeth Stanley for their performances.
The musical, helmed by Tony-winning ART Artistic Director Diane Paulus, weaves the songs of Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard's Grammy-winning 1995 album (plus new material) with a book by Oscar winner Diablo Cody (Juno) to tell the story of a multi-generation, multiracial suburban family grappling with a series of distressing events.
Once was nominated for musical production, direction (Paul Melone), choreography (Ilyse Robbins), and musical direction (Steven Ladd Jones). Mackenzie Lesser-Roy was nominated for her performance as Girl.
Huntington Theatre's production of Michael Cristofer's play Man in the Ring was close behind with a total of four nominations, including production in a large theatre, along with nods to director Michael Greif and performers John Douglas Thompson and Kyle Vincent Terry.
SpeakEasy's Between Riverside and Crazy, Stephen Adly Guirgis' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, also received four nods: to actors Tyrees Allen and Octavia Chavez-Richmond, director Tiffany Nichole Greene, and for production in a midsize theatre; along with Lyric Stage Company of Boston's revival of The LIttle Foxes, which was nominated for production and design, as well as in the performance category (Remo Airaldi and Amelia Broome).
In the small theatre category, Zeitgeist's Love! Valour! Compassion! received four nods: for production, ensemble, performance (Brooks Reeves), and direction (David J. Miller).
The Broadway-bound Moulin Rouge! musical also received nominations for its design as well as Sonya Tayeh's choreography.
The Elliot Norton Awards will present actor and playwright Melinda Lopez with this year’s Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence. Faye Dunaway is the guest of honor, and Zeitgeist Stage Company will receive a special citation.
For the complete list of nominees, visit ElliotNortonAwards.com.
