Purpose Named Best Play, Maybe Happy Ending Named Best Musical by New York Drama Critics’ Circle

The New York Drama Critics' Circle has named Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ family drama Purpose Best Play of the 2024-25 season. The announcement took place on May 5, the same day the play was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The Circle also named the Will Aronson-Hue Park musical Maybe Happy Ending Best Musical.

Additionally, this year the Circle introduced new awards for the first time since 1962. The award for Best Individual Performance went to Andrew Scott for Vanya; while the award for Best Ensemble Performance went to the cast of Bess Wohl’s Liberation.

Special citations were awarded to Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!; Cats: The Jellicle Ball; and David Greenspan for lifetime achievement.

The awards, which will be presented in a private ceremony on May 15, 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 23 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines, wire services and websites based in the New York metropolitan area. The New York Drama Critics' Circle Award is the nation's second-oldest playwriting award after the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Adam Feldman, theater critic and editor for Time Out New York, has served as president of the NYDCC since 2005. Zachary Stewart of TheaterMania serves as vice president; Helen Shaw of The New Yorker is treasurer. The other members of the New York Drama Critics' Circle are David Barbour, David Cote, Joe Dziemianowicz, Greg Evans, Rhoda Feng, David Finkle, Elysa Gardner, Robert Hofler, Sara Holdren, Charles Isherwood, Chris Jones, Soraya Nadia McDonald, Jackson McHenry, Johnny Oleksinski, Brittani Samuel, Frank Scheck, David Sheward, Tim Teeman, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Matt Windman. Emeritus members include Melissa Rose Bernardo, Brian Scott Lipton, Michael Sommers, Steven Suskin and Linda Winer.