Bright Star, the original new musical with a score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, was named Outstanding New Broadway Musical of the 2015-2016 season by the Outer Critics Circle.
Stephen Karam's The Humans was named Outstanding New Broadway Play. With four wins, She Loves Me earned the most OCC Awards of any single production including Outstanding Revival of a Musical.
The highly competitive category of Outstanding Actress in a Musical was won by Cynthia Erivo of The Color Purple, topping Jessie Mueller of Waitress, Carmen Cusack of Bright Star, Laura Benanti of She Loves Me and Ana Villafañe of On Your Feet!
There was a tie in the category of Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play. Pascale Armand of Eclipsed will share the award with Judith Light of Thérèse Raquin.
Only new elements of Hamilton, Disaster! and Blackbird, which were eligible in their Off-Broadway incarnations in 2015, were considered for 2016 nominations. Owing to its late opening date, Shuffle Along will be considered eligible in the 2016-17 season.
Outer Critics Circle Awards, recognizing achievement in both Broadway and Off-Broadway, were revealed at 12:01 AM May 9.
The 66th Annual Awards were given in 25 categories, adding a new one this year: Outstanding Video/Projection Design. The inaugural winner in that category was Finn Ross for work done on American Psycho.
The awards will be bestowed at the OCC's annual Gala Awards Dinner 4 PM May 26 at Sardi's Restaurant.
The Outer Critics Circle is the organization of writers covering New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers, national publications and other media beyond Broadway representing more than 90 newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, websites and theatre publications in America and abroad. The Outer Critics Circle nominations are the first major Broadway/Off-Broadway award nominations of the New York theatre season.
Here is a full list of the 2016 nominations. The winners are marked with an asterisk (*):
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
Eclipsed
The Father
* The Humans
King Charles III
Thérèse Raquin
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
American Psycho the Musical
* Bright Star
On Your Feet!
Tuck Everlasting the Musical
Waitress
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
* The Christians
Familiar
Gloria
Hold On to Me Darling
The Legend of Georgia McBride
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Cagney
Daddy Long Legs
* Dear Evan Hansen
Lazarus
Southern Comfort
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Bright Star
Daddy Long Legs
* Dear Evan Hansen
Lazarus
On Your Feet!
OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
American Psycho the Musical
* Bright Star
Daddy Long Legs
Dear Evan Hansen
Waitress
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Blackbird
The Crucible
Fool for Love
* Long Day’s Journey Into Night
A View From the Bridge
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Color Purple the Musical
Dames at Sea
Fiddler on the Roof
* She Loves Me
Spring Awakening
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Evan Cabnet Gloria
Mike Donahue The Legend of Georgia McBride
Rupert Goold King Charles III
Joe Mantello The Humans
* Ivo van Hove A View From the Bridge
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
* Michael Arden Spring Awakening
Walter Bobbie Bright Star
Scott Ellis She Loves Me
Rupert Goold American Psycho the Musical
Michael Greif Dear Evan Hansen
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Joshua Bergasse Cagney
Spencer Liff Spring Awakening
Josh Rhodes Bright Star
Randy Skinner Dames at Sea
* Sergio Trujillo On Your Feet!
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Beowulf Boritt Thérèse Raquin
David Korins Misery
Mimi Lien John
* David Rockwell She Loves Me
Walt Spangler Tuck Everlasting the Musical
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
ESosa On Your Feet!
Jane Greenwood Bright Star
Katrina Lindsay American Psycho the Musical
* Jeff Mahshie She Loves Me
Tom Scutt King Charles III
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Donald Holder She Loves Me
Natasha Katz Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Kenneth Posner On Your Feet!
Ben Stanton Spring Awakening
* Justin Townsend American Psycho the Musical
OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Lucy MacKinnon Spring Awakening
Peter Nigrini Grounded
Peter Nigrini Dear Evan Hansen
* Finn Ross American Psycho the Musical
Tal Yarden Lazarus
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Reed Birney The Humans
Gabriel Byrne Long Day’s Journey Into Night
* Frank Langella The Father
Mark Strong A View From the Bridge
Ben Whishaw The Crucible
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Jayne Houdyshell The Humans
* Jessica Lange Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Lupita Nyong’o Eclipsed
Nicola Walker A View From the Bridge
Michelle Williams Blackbird
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Alex Brightman School of Rock the Musical
* Danny Burstein Fiddler on the Roof
Robert Creighton Cagney
Ben Platt Dear Evan Hansen
Benjamin Walker American Psycho the Musical
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Laura Benanti She Loves Me
Carmen Cusack Bright Star
* Cynthia Erivo The Color Purple the Musical
Jessie Mueller Waitress
Ana Villafañe On Your Feet!
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Sanjit De Silva Dry Powder
Matt McGrath The Legend of Georgia McBride
Jim Norton The Crucible
Robert Sella Sylvia
* Michael Shannon Long Day’s Journey Into Night
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY (tie)
* Pascale Armand Eclipsed
Zainab Jah Eclipsed
* Judith Light Thérèse Raquin
Saycon Sengbloh Eclipsed
Myra Lucretia Taylor Familiar
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Nicholas Barasch She Loves Me
Roger Bart Disaster!
Michael Esper Lazarus
* Christopher Fitzgerald Waitress
Terrence Mann Tuck Everlasting the Musical
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Danielle Brooks The Color Purple the Musical
Andrea Burns On Your Feet!
Sophia Anne Caruso Lazarus
* Jane Krakowski She Loves Me
Heléne Yorke American Psycho the Musical
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Mike Birbiglia Thank God For Jokes
Kathleen Chalfant Rose
Anne Hathaway Grounded
* James Lecesne The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey
Daphne Rubin-Vega Empanada Loca
JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Lindsey Ferrentino Ugly Lies the Bone
Lauren Gunderson I and You
Martyna Majok Ironbound
* Marco Ramirez The Royale
Anna Ziegler Boy
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
James Houghton Signature Theatre Company
The following shows won three or more awards:
She Loves Me: 4; Long Day’s Journey Into Night : 3.
The 2015-16 Outer Critics Circle Executive / Nominating Committee consisted of Simon Saltzman (President), Mario Fratti (Vice-President), Stanley L. Cohen (Treasurer), Patrick Hoffman (Corresponding Secretary), Joseph Cervelli (Recording Secretary), Glenn Loney (Historian & Member-at-Large), Aubrey Reuben, David Gordon and Harry Haun (Members-at-Large).
