And The Winners Of The 2016 NY Outer Critics Circle Awards Go To...

Dear Broadway and Off Broadway Theatre Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to give you the inside scoop on the winners of the 1st major awards show of the 2015-2016 theater season in New York City.  The NY Outer Critics Circle Awards, unlike the Tony Awards, are to recognize the outstanding achievement in Broadway and Off Broadway Theatre. The voters are made up of writers that cover the Broadway and Off Broadway theatre for out of town and national newspapers, magazines, radio and other media types.

This years award for Outstanding Musical went to Bright Star, the new and original show that was written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.  Bright Star takes place during the 1920's-1940's time period and follows a literary agent who has been searching for the child she gave up in earlier years.  I personally saw the show last month and really enjoyed it very much.  Unfortunately Bright Star is not selling enough tickets since its opening night and most weeks it fails to cover its operating costs. Lately, though, it has experienced growing demand since being nominated for some Tony Awards.  Winning the NY Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Musical of the season should easily increase sales for the show starting right away.

The Humans, a new play, is another one that I thoroughly enjoyed this season and this show was given the great honor  to win the NY Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Play this year.  This terrific new show was written by Stephen Karam and is doing fairly well at the box office in terms of ticket sales.

She Loves Me, a romantic comedy about two parfumerie clerks who can't ever seem to get along but are pen pals that don't realize that they're falling in love with each other, has won 4 awards, the most of any show.

Below please enjoy the complete list of 2016 NY Outer Critics Circle Award Nominees (with an * next to the winning show).

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
Eclipsed
The Father
* The Humans
King Charles III
Thérèse Raquin

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
American Psycho the Musical
* Bright Star
On Your Feet!
Tuck Everlasting the Musical
Waitress

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
* The Christians
Familiar
Gloria
Hold On to Me Darling
The Legend of Georgia McBride

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Cagney
Daddy Long Legs
* Dear Evan Hansen
Lazarus
Southern Comfort

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Bright Star
Daddy Long Legs
* Dear Evan Hansen
Lazarus
On Your Feet!

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
American Psycho the Musical
* Bright Star
Daddy Long Legs
Dear Evan Hansen
Waitress

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Blackbird
The Crucible
Fool for Love
* Long Day’s Journey Into Night
A View From the Bridge

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Color Purple the Musical
Dames at Sea
Fiddler on the Roof
* She Loves Me
Spring Awakening

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Evan Cabnet Gloria
Mike Donahue The Legend of Georgia McBride
Rupert Goold King Charles III
Joe Mantello The Humans
* Ivo van Hove A View From the Bridge

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
* Michael Arden Spring Awakening
Walter Bobbie Bright Star
Scott Ellis She Loves Me
Rupert Goold American Psycho the Musical
Michael Greif Dear Evan Hansen

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Joshua Bergasse Cagney
Spencer Liff Spring Awakening
Josh Rhodes Bright Star
Randy Skinner Dames at Sea
* Sergio Trujillo On Your Feet!

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Beowulf Boritt Thérèse Raquin
David Korins Misery
Mimi Lien John
* David Rockwell She Loves Me
Walt Spangler Tuck Everlasting the Musical

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
ESosa On Your Feet!
Jane Greenwood Bright Star
Katrina Lindsay American Psycho the Musical
* Jeff Mahshie She Loves Me
Tom Scutt King Charles III

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Donald Holder She Loves Me
Natasha Katz Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Kenneth Posner On Your Feet!
Ben Stanton Spring Awakening
* Justin Townsend American Psycho the Musical

OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Lucy MacKinnon Spring Awakening
Peter Nigrini Grounded
Peter Nigrini Dear Evan Hansen
* Finn Ross American Psycho the Musical
Tal Yarden Lazarus

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Reed Birney The Humans
Gabriel Byrne Long Day’s Journey Into Night
* Frank Langella The Father
Mark Strong A View From the Bridge
Ben Whishaw The Crucible

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Jayne Houdyshell The Humans
* Jessica Lange Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Lupita Nyong’o Eclipsed
Nicola Walker A View From the Bridge
Michelle Williams Blackbird

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Alex Brightman School of Rock the Musical
* Danny Burstein Fiddler on the Roof
Robert Creighton Cagney
Ben Platt Dear Evan Hansen
Benjamin Walker American Psycho the Musical

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Laura Benanti She Loves Me
Carmen Cusack Bright Star
* Cynthia Erivo The Color Purple the Musical
Jessie Mueller Waitress
Ana Villafañe On Your Feet!

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Sanjit De Silva Dry Powder
Matt McGrath The Legend of Georgia McBride
Jim Norton The Crucible
Robert Sella Sylvia
* Michael Shannon Long Day’s Journey Into Night

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY (tie)
* Pascale Armand Eclipsed
Zainab Jah Eclipsed
* Judith Light Thérèse Raquin
Saycon Sengbloh Eclipsed
Myra Lucretia Taylor Familiar

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Nicholas Barasch She Loves Me
Roger Bart Disaster!
Michael Esper Lazarus
* Christopher Fitzgerald Waitress
Terrence Mann Tuck Everlasting the Musical

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Danielle Brooks The Color Purple the Musical
Andrea Burns On Your Feet!
Sophia Anne Caruso Lazarus
* Jane Krakowski She Loves Me 
Heléne Yorke American Psycho the Musical

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Mike Birbiglia Thank God For Jokes
Kathleen Chalfant Rose
Anne Hathaway Grounded
* James Lecesne The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey
Daphne Rubin-Vega Empanada Loca

JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Lindsey Ferrentino Ugly Lies the Bone
Lauren Gunderson I and You
Martyna Majok Ironbound
* Marco Ramirez The Royale
Anna Ziegler Boy

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
James Houghton Signature Theatre Company

I hope you enjoyed this article on the NY Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Regards,
Rich Gladstone
Applause-Tickets.com
723 7th Avenue, Suite 902
NY NY 10019

Phone 212-307-7050
On Facebook at Applause Theatre & Entertainment Service Inc.