The Outer Critics Circle announced their selections for the 2021-22 season, with Six taking home the award for Outstanding New Broadway Musical (plus two other awards), Kimberly Akimbo that for Off-Broadway (plus three others), and Company for revival (plus two others). A Strange Loop, MJ: The Musical and Paradise Square each also received a single award. Congrats to all of this year’s winners!
Here’s a full list of this year’s nominees and winners:
Outstanding New Broadway Play
The Lehman Trilogy
Birthday Candles
Clyde’s
Skeleton Crew
The Minutes
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
Six
MJ: The Musical
Mr. Saturday Night
Mrs. Doubtfire
Paradise Square
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Prayer for the French Republic
Morning Sun
On Sugarland
Sanctuary City
The Chinese Lady
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Kimberly Akimbo
Black No More
Harmony
Intimate Apparel
Little Girl Blue
John Gassner Award (presented to a new American play, preferably by a new playwright)
English by Sanaz Toossi
Cullud Wattah by Erika Dickerson-Despenza
Selling Kabul by Sylvia Khoury
Tambo and Bones by Dave Harris
Thoughts of a Colored Man by Keenan Scott II
Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Take Me Out
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
How I Learned to Drive
A Touch of the Poet
Trouble in Mind
Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Company
Assassins
Caroline, or Change
The Music Man
The Streets of New York
Outstanding Book of a Musical
David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo
Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, Mr. Saturday Night
Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, Mrs. Doubtfire
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel
Bruce Sussman, Harmony
Outstanding Score
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Six
Jason Howland, Nathan Tysen, and Masi Asare, Paradise Square
Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, Mrs. Doubtfire
Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, Harmony
Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo
Outstanding Actor in a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Simon Russell Beale, The Lehman Trilogy
Patrick J. Adams, Take Me Out
Adam Godley, The Lehman Trilogy
Adrian Lester, The Lehman Trilogy
Sam Rockwell, American Buffalo
Outstanding Actress in a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
LaChanze, Trouble in Mind
Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French Republic
Stephanie Berry, On Sugarland
Edie Falco, Morning Sun
Debra Messing, Birthday Candles
Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
Myles Frost, MJ: The Musical
Rob McClure, Mrs. Doubtfire
Chip Zien, Harmony
Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo
Kearstin Piper Brown, Intimate Apparel
Sharon D Clarke, Caroline, or Change
Carmen Cusack, Flying Over Sunset
Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out
Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind
Brandon J. Dirden, Skeleton Crew
Michael Oberholtzer, Take Me Out
Austin Pendleton, The Minutes
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s
Chanté Adams, Skeleton Crew
Francis Benhamou, Prayer for the French Republic
Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew
Nancy Robinette, Prayer for the French Republic
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Matt Doyle, Company
Quentin Earl Darrington, MJ: The Musical
Steven Pasquale, Assassins
A.J. Shively, Paradise Square
Will Swenson, Assassins
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Patti LuPone, Company
Shoshana Bean, Mr. Saturday Night
Jenn Colella, Suffs
Judy Kuhn, Assassins
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo
Outstanding Solo Performance
Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord
Alex Edelman, Just For Us
Jenn Murray, A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing
Arturo Luís Soria, Ni Mi Madre
Outstanding Director of a Play
Sam Mendes, The Lehman Trilogy
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Scott Ellis, Take Me Out
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Skeleton Crew
Anna D. Shapiro, The Minutes
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo
Warren Carlyle, Harmony
Moisés Kaufman, Paradise Square
Christopher Wheeldon, MJ: The Musical
Jerry Zaks, Mrs. Doubtfire
Outstanding Choreographer
Christopher Wheeldon and Rich + Tone Talauega, MJ: The Musical
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Warren Carlyle, Harmony
Warren Carlyle, The Music Man
Bill T. Jones, Alex Sanchez, Garrett Coleman, and Jason Oremus, Paradise Square
Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical)
Adam Rigg, The Skin of Our Teeth
Beowulf Boritt, Flying Over Sunset
Es Devlin, The Lehman Trilogy
Scott Pask, American Buffalo
David Zinn, The Minutes
Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical)
Gabriella Slade, Six
Jane Greenwood, Plaza Suite
Santo Loquasto, The Music Man
Emilio Sosa, Trouble in Mind
Catherine Zuber, Mrs. Doubtfire
Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical)
Jon Clark, The Lehman Trilogy
Natasha Katz, MJ: The Musical
Bradley King, Flying Over Sunset
Brian MacDevitt, The Minutes
Jen Schreiver, Lackawanna Blues
Outstanding Video/Projection Design (Play or Musical)
Luke Halls, The Lehman Trilogy
59 Productions and Benjamin Pearcy, Flying Over Sunset
Stefania Bulbarella and Alex Basco Koch, Space Dogs
Shawn Duan, Letters of Suresh
Jeff Sugg, Mr. Saturday Night
Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical)
Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey, The Lehman Trilogy
André Pluess, The Minutes
Ben and Max Ringham, Blindness
Dan Moses Schreier, Harmony
Matt Stine, Assassins
Outstanding Orchestrations
Jason Howland, Paradise Square
John Clancy, Kimberly Akimbo
David Holcenberg and Jason Michael Webb, MJ: The Musical
Greg Jarrett, Assassins
Doug Walter, Harmony
Special Achievement Awards
Johanna Day, David Morse, Mary-Louise Parker, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson for reprising their outstanding performances in How I Learned to Drive and Lackawanna Blues two decades later. All had been eligible in previous seasons.
Outer Critics Circle Commendations
The Standbys, Understudies, and Swings of the theatrical community who step up to perform, often on hours’ notice, to keep their shows running.
The Covid Safety Supervisors, Managers, and Compliance Officers who put themselves in harm’s way eight times a week to keep the curtains up.
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