Drama Critics’ Circle Names Stereophonic Best Play, Dead Outlaw Best Musical

On May 13, the New York Drama Critics' Circle named David Adjmi’s Stereophonic best play of the 2023-24 season. The award for best musical went to Dead Outlaw, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and book by Itamar Moses.

A joint special citation was awarded to the revivals of Merrily We Roll Along and Purlie Victorious. A joint special citation was also awarded to acting couple Maryann Plunkett and Jay O. Sanders for lifetime achievement; Plunkett appeared this season in The Notebook and Deep Blue Sound, Sanders in Primary Trust and Purlie Victorious. A third special citation was awarded to writer-composer Heather Christian, whose non-narrative song cycle Terce: A Practical Breviary premiered this season.

The selections were made at the organization’s 88th annual voting meeting. The awards will be presented during a private ceremony on May 21 and include a cash prize of $2,500 for best play, made possible by a grant from the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

The New York Drama Critics’ Circle comprises 21 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines, wire services and websites based in the New York metropolitan area. The New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, which has been awarded every year since 1936 to the best new play of the season, with optional awards for foreign or American plays, musicals and special achievements, is the nation's second-oldest playwriting award, after the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.