New York, New York, Some Like It Hot, Shucked Lead 2023 Outer Critics Circle Nominations

The Outer Critics Circle, an organization of out-of-town writers who cover New York theater, has announced nominees for the 72nd Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2022-2023 Broadway and off-Broadway season. Winners will be announced on May 16 ahead of an official awards ceremony on May 25 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

This is the first year that gender specifications have been removed from all acting categories. In addition, off-Broadway performers are now housed under separate acting categories to distinguish from Broadway productions.

On the nominations front, New York, New York leads all Broadway musicals with twelve nods total, followed by Some Like It Hot with ten and Shucked with seven. Leopoldstadt garnered the most nominations for a Main Stem play with six.

James Ijames’ Fat Ham is among the nominees for the annual John Gassner Award, honoring a new American play, preferably by a new playwright.

Also of note is an Outstanding Solo Performance nod for Jodie Comer’s recently opened Broadway debut in Prima Facie.

Additionally, B.H. Barry will be acknowledged with a Special Achievement Award for his six-decade career as a fight director, a role in which he served for the current revival of Camelot.

Note: Only new elements were considered for Cost of Living, Kimberly Akimbo, Ain’t No Mo’, Between Riverside and Crazy and Kinky Boots, all of which were eligible for Outer Critics Circle Awards in prior years.

A full list of 2023 Outer Critics Circle Award nominees can be found below.

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
& Juliet
A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot

Outstanding New Broadway Play
Good Night, Oscar
Leopoldstadt
Life of Pi
Peter Pan Goes Wrong
Summer, 1976

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
The Bedwetter
Between the Lines
The Harder They Come
Only Gold
Without You

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Becomes a Woman
A Case for the Existence of God
Chester Bailey
Downstate
Letters from Max, a ritual

John Gassner Award for New American Play (Preferably by a New Playwright)
Dark Disabled Stories by Ryan J. Haddad
Epiphany by Brian Watkins
Fat Ham by James Ijames
Wolf Play by Hansol Jung
You Will Get Sick by Noah Diaz

Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Death of a Salesman
Endgame
Ohio State Murders
Topdog/Underdog
Wedding Band

Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
A Man of No Importance
Into the Woods
Merrily We Roll Along
Parade
Sweeney Todd

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical
Micaela Diamond — Parade
J. Harrison Ghee — Some Like It Hot
Caroline Innerbichler — Shucked
Colton Ryan — New York, New York
Anna Uzele — New York, New York

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
Kevin Del Aguila — Some Like It Hot
Julia Lester — Into the Woods
Alex Newell — Shucked
NaTasha Yvette Williams — Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe — & Juliet

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play
Hiran Abeysekera — Life of Pi
Jessica Chastain — A Doll's House
Corey Hawkins — Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes — Good Night, Oscar
Audra McDonald — Ohio State Murders

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play
Danielle Brooks — The Piano Lesson
Sharon D Clarke — Death of a Salesman
Michael Potts — The Piano Lesson
Brandon Uranowitz — Leopoldstadt
David Zayas — Cost of Living

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Ephraim Birney — Chester Bailey
Brittany Bradford — Wedding Band
Marylouise Burke — Epiphany
Bill Irwin — Endgame
Emma Pfitzer Price — Becomes a Woman

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Veanne Cox — Wedding Band
Glenn Davis — Downstate
K. Todd Freeman – Downstate
Francis Guinan — “Downstate
Susanna Guzman — Downstate

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Nicholas Barasch — The Butcher Boy
Callum Francis — Kinky Boots
Jonathan Groff — Merrily We Roll Along
Natey Jones — The Harder They Come
Marla Mindelle — Titanique

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Vicki Lewis — Between the Lines
Lindsay Mendez — Merrily We Roll Along
Daniel Radcliffe — Merrily We Roll Along
A.J. Shively — A Man of No Importance
Mare Winningham — A Man of No Importance

Outstanding Solo Performance
Mike Birbiglia— The Old Man & the Pool
Jodie Comer — Prima Facie
Jefferson Mays — A Christmas Carol
Sam Morrison — Sugar Daddy
Anthony Rapp — Without You

Outstanding New Score
Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel — Between the Lines
Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally — Shucked
John Kander and Lin-Manuel Miranda — New York, New York
Adam Schlesinger and Sarah Silverman — The Bedwetter
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman — Some Like It Hot

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli — Titanique
Robert Horn — Shucked
Matthew López and Amber Ruffin — Some Like It Hot
Suzan-Lori Parks — The Harder They Come
David West Read — & Juliet

Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical)
Jason Ardizzone-West — Wedding Band
John Lee Beatty — Epiphany
Beowulf Boritt — New York, New York
Mimi Lien — Sweeney Todd
Simon Scullion — Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical)
Dede Ayite — Topdog/Underdog
Gregg Barnes — Some Like It Hot
Brigitte Reiffenstuel — Leopoldstadt
Paloma Young — & Juliet
Donna Zakowska — New York, New York

Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical)
Neil Austin — Leopoldstadt
Ken Billington — New York, New York
Ken Elliott and Ben Stanton — A Christmas Carol
Natasha Katz — Sweeney Todd
Tim Lutkin — Life of Pi

Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical)
John Gromada — Jasper
Kai Harada — New York, New York
Daniel Kluger — Epiphany
André Pluess — Good Night, Oscar
Joshua D. Reid — A Christmas Carol

Outstanding Video or Projection Design (Play or Musical)
Christopher Ash and Beowulf Boritt — New York, New York
Andrzej Goulding — Life of Pi
Lucy Mackinnon — A Christmas Carol
Isaac Madge — Leopoldstadt
Sven Ortel — Parade

Outstanding Orchestrations
Bryan Carter and Charlie Rosen — Some Like It Hot
Sam Davis and Daryl Waters — New York, New York
Jason Howland — Shucked
Bill Sherman —& Juliet
Jonathan Tunick — Merrily We Roll Along

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Michael Arden — Parade
Maria Friedman — Merrily We Roll Along
Casey Nicholaw — Some Like It Hot
Jack O'Brien — Shucked
Susan Stroman — New York, New York

Outstanding Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler — Only Gold
Edgar Godineaux — The Harder They Come
Casey Nicholaw — Some Like It Hot
Susan Stroman — New York, New York
Jennifer Weber — & Juliet

Outstanding Director of a Play
Kenny Leon — Topdog/Underdog
Pam MacKinnon — Downstate
Patrick Marber — Leopoldstadt
Adam Meggido — Peter Pan Goes Wrong
Max Webster — Life of Pi

The Outer Critics Circle is run under the leadership of president David Gordon. The board of directors includes Richard Ridge, Joseph Cervelli, Patrick Hoffman, David Roberts, Harry Haun, Cynthia Allen, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler.