Something Rotten! & On the Twentieth Century Top List of 2015 Outer Critics Circle Nominations

The nominations for the 65th annual Outer Critics Circle Awards were announced on April 20. Something Rotten! led the pack with 12 nominations. Additional top nominees included On the Twentieth Century with nine nods and An American in Paris with eight. Wolf Hall garnered the most nominations of any play with seven. Winners for the following competitive categories will be announced on May 11, with a presentation ceremony set for May 21 at Sardi’s Restaurant. The Outer Critics Circle is an organization of writers and commentators covering New York theater for various out-of-town media outlets.

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 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 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 Orem, 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 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

The Broadway productions of Fun Home, Disgraced and Hand to God were not eligible for nominations this year, as they had previously been considered during their off-Broadway engagements. Fun Home won Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical in 2014; Disgraced and Hand to God were nominated for the John Gassner Award in 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Shows with three or more nominations:
Something Rotten! - 12
On the Twentieth Century - 9
An American in Paris - 8
Wolf Hall - 7
It Shoulda Been You - 6
The Audience - 6
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - 6
Hamilton - 5
The Elephant Man - 5
The King and I - 5
The Visit - 5
On The Town - 4
You Can’t Take It With You - 4
The Heidi Chronicles - 3
The Last Ship - 3