Variety
Outer Critics Circle Nominations: ‘Anastasia,’ ‘Hello, Dolly!’ Lead the Pack (Full List)
By Gordon Cox
April 4/25/2017
New musical “Anastasia” and the megaselling revival of “Hello, Dolly!” with Bette Midler took the lead in the nominations for the 2017 Outer Critics Circle Awards, with Paula Vogel and Rebecca Taichman’s “Indecent” at the front of the pack of play nominees. Actors on the nominations list include Midler, Daniel Craig (“Othello”), Allison Janney (“Six Degrees of Separation”), Nathan Lane (“The Front Page”) and “War Paint” leads Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole.
“Anastasia” racked up 13 noms, with “Dolly!” taking ten and “Indecent” scoring seven. The Off Broadway musical “The Band’s Visit,” which is hoping for a move to Broadway based on its Off Broadway success, notched seven, as did sleeper-hit musical “Come From Away.”
Made up of journalists who cover Broadway and Off Broadway theater for outlets based outside of New York, the Outer Critics often deviate from the trends and voting patterns that are established in the subsequent weeks of the theater trophy season. That’s usuallyt due to the fact that in many years, the season’s biggest frontrunners aren’t eligible for OCC consideration because they had previously been in the mix in prior seasons for their earlier Off Broadway incarnations.
This year, big titles “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” weren’t considered for that reason; nor was “In Transit.” New elements in Broadway transfers were considered, however, which resulted in three nods in design categories for “Great Comet.”
Despite being an imperfect bellwether for the Tonys, the OCC noms and awards can offer an early glimpse of shows attracting heat, especially beyond the season’s obvious frontrunners, and could also offer insight into what shows will have real legs in the markets beyond New York. The freshly opened “Anastasia,” for instance, has so far flexed impressive muscle at the box office, and looks poised to do good business on the road.
Winners of the 2017 Outer Critics Circles Awards will be announced May 8, with statuettes to be handed out at a May 25 ceremony at Sardi’s. The full list of 2016-17 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations follows.
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
A Doll’s House, Part 2
Indecent
Oslo
Sweat
OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
Anastasia
A Bronx Tale
Come From Away
Groundhog Day
Holiday Inn
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
If I Forget
Incognito
A Life
Linda
Love, Love, Love
OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
The Band’s Visit
Hadestown
Himself and Nora
Kid Victory
Spamilton
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Terrence McNally Anastasia
Itamar Moses The Band’s Visit
Chazz Palminteri A Bronx Tale
Danny Rubin Groundhog Day
Irene Sankoff & David Hein Come From Away
OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens Anastasia
Alan Menken & Glenn Slater A Bronx Tale
Tim Minchin Groundhog Day
Irene Sankoff & David Hein Come From Away
David Yazbek The Band’s Visit
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Front Page
Jitney
The Little Foxes
Othello
The Price
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Finian’s Rainbow
Hello, Dolly!
Miss Saigon
Sunset Boulevard
Sweeney Todd
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Lila Neugebauer The Wolves
Jack O’Brien The Front Page
Daniel Sullivan The Little Foxes
Rebecca Taichman Indecent
Kate Whoriskey Sweat
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Christopher Ashley Come From Away
David Cromer The Band’s Visit
Darko Tresnjak Anastasia
Matthew Warchus Groundhog Day
Jerry Zaks Hello, Dolly!
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Andy Blankenbuehler Bandstand
Warren Carlyle Hello, Dolly!
Savion Glover Shuffle Along
Kelly Devine Come From Away
Denis Jones Holiday Inn
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Alexander Dodge Anastasia
Nigel Hook The Play That Goes Wrong
Mimi Lien Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Scott Pask The Little Foxes
Douglas W. Schmidt The Front Page
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Linda Cho Anastasia
Susan Hilferty Present Laughter
Santo Loquasto Hello, Dolly!
Ann Roth Shuffle Along
Catherine Zuber War Paint
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Christopher Akerlind Indecent
Donald Holder Anastasia
Natasha Katz Hello, Dolly!
Bradley King Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Kenneth Posner War Paint
OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Duncan McLean Privacy
Jared Mezzocchi Vietgone
Benjamin Pearcy for 59 Productions Oslo
Aaron Rhyne Anastasia
Tal Yarden Indecent
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Gareth Fry & Pete Malkin The Encounter
Gareth Owen Come From Away
Nicholas Pope Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Matt Stine Sweeney Todd
Nevin Steinberg Bandstand
OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS
Doug Besterman Anastasia
Larry Blank Holiday Inn
Bill Elliott & Greg Anthony Rassen Bandstand
Larry Hochman Hello, Dolly!
Jamshied Sharifi The Band’s Visit
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Daniel Craig Othello
Michael Emerson Wakey, Wakey
Kevin Kline Present Laughter
David Oyelowo Othello
David Hyde Pierce A Life
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Janie Dee Linda
Sally Field The Glass Menagerie
Allison Janney Six Degrees of Separation
Laura Linney The Little Foxes
Laurie Metcalf A Doll’s House, Part 2
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Christian Borle Falsettos
Nick Cordero A Bronx Tale
Andy Karl Groundhog Day
David Hyde Pierce Hello, Dolly!
Tony Shalhoub The Band’s Visit
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Christy Altomare Anastasia
Christine Ebersole War Paint
Katrina Lenk The Band’s Visit
Patti LuPone War Paint
Bette Midler Hello, Dolly!
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Michael Aronov Oslo
Danny DeVito The Price
Nathan Lane The Front Page
Richard Thomas The Little Foxes
Richard Topol Indecent
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Johanna Day Sweat
Jayne Houdyshell A Doll’s House, Part 2
Katrina Lenk Indecent
Nana Mensah Man From Nebraska
Cynthia Nixon The Little Foxes
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
John Bolton Anastasia
Jeffry Denman Kid Victory
Gavin Creel Hello, Dolly!
Shuler Hensley Sweet Charity
Andrew Rannells Falsettos
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kate Baldwin Hello, Dolly!
Stephanie J. Block Falsettos
Jenn Colella Come From Away
Caroline O’Connor Anastasia
Mary Beth Peil Anastasia
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Ed Dixon Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose
Marin Ireland On the Exhale
Sarah Jones Sell / Buy / Date
Judith Light All the Ways to Say I Love You
Simon McBurney The Encounter
JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Jaclyn Backhaus Men on Boats
Sarah DeLappe The Wolves
Paola Lázaro Tell Hector I Miss Him
Qui Nguyen Vietgone
Bess Wohl Small Mouth Sounds
