Billy Elliot Wins Seven Outer Critics Circle Awards

Billy Elliot has been awarded seven Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical. Shrek the Musical won four awards, including a win for Sutton Foster as Best Actress in a tie with Josefina Scaglione of West Side Story. The winners were announced on May 11 and will be honored at a ceremony to be held on May 21 at Sardi’s.

The Outer Critics Circle is an association with members affiliated with more than 90 newspapers, magazines, web sites, radio and television stations and theater publications in America and abroad. The complete list of 2009 winners is as follows:

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
Billy Elliot

Outstanding New Broadway Play
God of Carnage

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
The Toxic Avenger

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Ruined

Billy Elliot the Musical

Outstanding New Score

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Hair

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Norman Conquests

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot

Outstanding Director of a Play
Matthew Warchus, The Norman Conquests

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Brian d’Arcy James, Shrek the Musical

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Shrek the Musical
Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
David Pearse, The Cripple of Inishmaan

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot

Outstanding Solo Performance
Lorenzo Pisoni, Humor Abuse

Outstanding Choreographer
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot

Outstanding Set Design
Tim Hatley, Shrek the Musical

Outstanding Costume Design
Tim Hatley, Shrek the Musical

Outstanding Lighting Design
Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot

John Gassner Award for an American Play
Becky Shaw

As previously announced, the OCC Executive Committee awarded Special Achievement Awards to David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish for their performances in Billy Elliot and an Outstanding Ensemble Performance Award to the cast of The Norman Conquests Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root.

The musical Next to Normal was considered last season, when it won three Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding Off-Broadway musical. Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate was also considered last season, when it won the OCC Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play.