The Outer Critics Circle whose members comprise Theater critics whose reviews reach readers outside the boundaries of NYC announced their winners this morning. And surprise of surprises, the 24 year-old recent Julliard graduate Alex Sharp of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” beat out Hollywood Superstar Bradley Cooper for “The Elephant Man”!
I would’ve thought that the super-famous Cooper would’ve easily taken Best Actor in a Play, but no. The lacerating, dangerous portrayal of an autistic child (Sharp) in “Curious Incident” won the day! It helps Sharp’s “Curious Incident” that is it a hit and still running and Cooper’s “Elephant Man”, though it boasted rave reviews and a sold-out run is now closed. It successfully completed its’ limited run, but Voters’ attention spans are notoriously short, as Harvey Weinstein has always said.
Weinstein himself came a cropper at the Outer Critic’s Circle as it did with the Tony Nomination with a win of a goose egg for “Finding Neverland.”.
Helen Mirren, of course, won Best Actress in a Play for her superb return to the role of Queen Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan’s “The Audience.” And she’ll win the Drama Desk and Tony, too, I’m betting. No one can touch her.
The superlative “An American in Paris” won four awards including Best Musical. Its’ lead Robert Fairchild won Best Actor in a Musical for making us all forget Gene Kelly in the role, if only for a moment.
“A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” won the most Outer Critics Circle Awards with five including Sharp for Best Actor, Best Play and Best Lighting, Set and Sound Design and Best Direction of a Play.
“The King and I” won Best Revival of a Musical, and Ruthie Ann Miles won Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Kristin Chenowith’s over-the-top exertions in the exhausting “On the Twentieth Century” (which seemed at least 100 years long) won Best Actress in a Musical over Bway legend Chita Rivera which is very sad indeed. Rivera is 82 and this towering performance in Kander and Ebb’s last musical “The Visit” is a milestone for her and for the American Musical Theater. It’s just dispiriting that she was passed over for great stirring performance.
The Outer Critics Circle is the last major awards to be announced before the Drama Desks are given out the last day of May. There is an overlap in the memberships of these two groups, and they may be pointing the way, belle-weathers, if you will to the Tonys in June.
Interestingly “Something Rotten” came away empty-handed.
Broadway’s Michael Cerveris, Nick Cordero, Raúl Esparza, Katie Finneran, Montego Glover, William Ivey Long and Jefferson Mays will serve as gala award presenters at the upcoming 65th Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards ceremony on May 21st (4PM) at the legendary Sardis Restaurant. In addition to being acclaimed stage performers, the stars are also former recipients of the esteemed Outer Critics Circle Award.
Celebrating its 65th season of bestowing awards of excellence in the field of theatre, the Outer Critics Circle, is an association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, web sites, radio and television stations, and theatre publications in America and abroad.
The complete list is as follows ~
(Winners names are in bold preceded by an asterisk. *)
Outer Critics Circle
2014-2015 Award Nominations
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
The Audience
*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wolf Hall
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
*An American in Paris
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
*Between Riverside and Crazy
The City of Conversation
The Nether
Rasheeda Speaking
The Village Bike
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
A Christmas Memory
Disenchanted
The Fortress of Solitude
*Hamilton
Lonesome Traveler
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
*Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit
OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
*Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
The Heidi Chronicles
Skylight
*You Can’t Take It With You
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Into the Woods
*The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Stephen Daldry The Audience
*Marianne Elliott The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis The Elephant Man
Scott Ellis You Can’t Take It With You
Jeremy Herrin Wolf Hall
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Scott Ellis On the Twentieth Century
Thomas Kail Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw Something Rotten!
David Hyde Pierce It Shoulda Been You
*Christopher Wheeldon An American in Paris
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Joshua Bergasse On the Town
Andy Blankenbuehler Hamilton
Warren Carlyle On the Twentieth Century
Casey Nicholaw Something Rotten!
*Christopher Wheeldon An American in Paris
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
*Bunny Christie The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley An American in Paris
Scott Pask Something Rotten!
David Rockwell On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan The King and I
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Gregg Barnes Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley The Audience
William Ivey Long On the Twentieth Century
Christopher Oram Wolf Hall
*Catherine Zuber The King and I
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
*Paule Constable The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jeff Croiter Something Rotten!
Rick Fisher The Audience
Natasha Katz An American in Paris
Japhy Weideman The Visit
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Reed Birney I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Bradley Cooper The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles Wolf Hall
*Alex Sharp The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Greta Gerwig The Village Bike
Jan Maxwell The City of Conversation
*Helen Mirren The Audience
Elisabeth Moss The Heidi Chronicles
Tonya Pinkins Rasheeda Speaking
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Christian Borle Something Rotten!
Brian d’Arcy James Something Rotten!
*Robert Fairchild An American in Paris
Peter Gallagher On the Twentieth Century
Tony Yazbeck On the Town
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
*Kristin Chenoweth On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope An American in Paris
Tyne Daly It Shoulda Been You
Kelli O’Hara The King and I
Chita Rivera The Visit
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Paul Jesson Wolf Hall
*Richard McCabe The Audience
Alessandro Nivola The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker Wolf Hall
Bryce Pinkham The Heidi Chronicles
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
*Annaleigh Ashford You Can’t Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson The Elephant Man
Francesca Faridany The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Julie Halston You Can’t Take It With You
Lydia Leonard Wolf Hall
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
John Cariani Something Rotten!
Josh Grisetti It Shoulda Been You
*Andy Karl On the Twentieth Century
Paul Alexander Nolan Doctor Zhivago
Max von Essen An American in Paris
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Heidi Blickenstaff Something Rotten!
Victoria Clark Gigi
Megan Fairchild On the Town
*Ruthie Ann Miles The King and I
Mary Louise Wilson On the Twentieth Century
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Joe Assadourian The Bullpen
*Jim Dale Just Jim Dale
Tom Dugan Wiesenthal
Cush Jumbo Josephine and I
Benjamin Scheuer The Lion
JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
*Ayad Akhtar The Invisible Hand
Halley Feiffer I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Elizabeth Irwin My Mañana Comes
Markus Potter Stalking the Bogeyman
Benjamin Scheuer The Lion
Winners Talley for 3 or more:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – 5; An American in Paris – 4; Hamilton – 3; The King and I – 3
***Please note: Disgraced, Fun Home and Hand to God received nominations and/or awards from Outer Critics Circle in previous seasons and therefore were not considered for this year.
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