The Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national publications, today announced the winners of the 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2023-2024 Broadway and Off-Broadway season. The awards ceremony for the winners will beheld on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for The Performing Arts.
Founded during the 1949-50 Broadway season by respected theater journalist John Gassner, the Outer Critics Circle is an esteemed association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations, and online news organizations, in America and abroad.
Led by its current President David Gordon, the OCC Board of Directors also includes Vice President Richard Ridge, Recording Secretary Joseph Cervelli, Corresponding Secretary Patrick Hoffman, Treasurer David Roberts, Cynthia Allen, Harry Haun, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson, and Doug Strassler. Simon Saltzman is President Emeritus & Board Member (Non-nominating) and Stanley L. Cohen serves as Financial Consultant & Board Member (Non-nominating). Lauren Yarger serves as the Outer Critics Circle Awards ceremony executive producer.
Winners are noted below with stars (*) and in red:
Outstanding New Broadway Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding by Jocelyn Bioh
Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions by Paula Vogel
Patriots by Peter Morgan
Stereophonic by David Adjmi*
The Shark Is Broken by Joseph Nixon and Ian Shaw
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
Days of Wine and Roses
Suffs*
The Great Gatsby
The Outsiders
Water for Elephants
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw*
Illinoise
Teeth
The Connector
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Dig by Theresa Rebeck
King of the Jews by Leslie Epstein
King James by Rajiv Joseph
Primary Trust by Eboni Booth*
Swing State by Rebecca Gilman
John Gassner Award (new American play preferably by a new playwright)
Job by Max Wolf Friedlich
Manahatta by Mary Kathryn Nagle
Oh, Mary! by Cole Escola*
The Apiary by Kate Douglas
Wet Brain by John J. Caswell Jr.
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cabaret
Here Lies Love
I Can Get It for You Wholesale*
Monty Python’s Spamalot
The Who’s Tommy
Outstanding Revival of a Play
An Enemy of the People
Appropriate*
Doubt: A Parable
Mary Jane
Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play
Jessica Lange – Mother Play*
Rachel McAdams – Mary Jane
Sarah Paulson – Appropriate
Jeremy Strong – An Enemy of the People
Michael Stuhlbarg – Patriots
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play
Billy Eugene Jones – Purlie Victorious
Celia Keenan-Bolger – Mother Play
Alex Moffat – The Cottage
Jim Parsons – Mother Play
Sarah Pidgeon – Stereophonic
Kara Young – Purlie Victorious*
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui – The Who’s Tommy
Brian d’Arcy James – Days of Wine and Roses
Casey Likes – Back to the Future
Kelli O’Hara – Days of Wine and Roses*
Maryann Plunkett – The Notebook
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
Roger Bart – Back to the Future
Justin Guarini – Once Upon a One More Time
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer – Spamalot
Kecia Lewis – Hell’s Kitchen*
Bebe Neuwirth – Cabaret
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Jeb Brown – Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand – Dead Outlaw*
Alyse Alan Louis – Teeth
Ben Levi Ross – The Connector
Ricky Ubeda – Illinoise
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical (tie)
Ben Cook – Illinoise
Hannah Cruz – The Connector
Julia Knitel – Dead Outlaw
Judy Kuhn – I Can Get It For You Wholesale*
Jessica Molaskey – The Connector
Thom Sesma – Dead Outlaw*
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play (tie)
Cole Escola – Oh, Mary!*
Mary Beth Fisher – Swing State
William Jackson Harper – Primary Trust*
Marie Mullen – The Saviour
Paul Sparks – Waiting for Godot
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Gus Birney – Our Class
April Matthis – Primary Trust
Conrad Ricamora – Oh, Mary!
Jay O. Sanders – Primary Trust*
Bubba Weiler – Swing State
Outstanding Solo Performance
Eddie Izzard – Hamlet
Patrick Page – All the Devils Are Here*
Mona Pirnot – I Love You So Much I Could Die
Robert Montano – Small
John Rubenstein – Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground
Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury – Illinoise
Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson – Teeth
Itamar Moses – Dead Outlaw
Jonathan Marc Sherman – The Connector
Shaina Taub – Suffs*
Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jason Robert Brown – The Connector
Will Butler – Stereophonic
Adam Guettel – Days of Wine and Roses
David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna – Dead Outlaw
Shaina Taub – Suffs*
Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Timo Andres – Illinoise
Adam Guettel and Jamie Lawrence – Days of Wine and Roses
Marco Paguia – Buena Vista Social Club*
Michael Starobin – Suffs
Erik Della Penna, Dean Sharenow, and David Yazbek – Dead Outlaw
Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
David Cromer – Dead Outlaw
Michael Greif – Days of Wine and Roses
Daisy Prince – The Connector
Leigh Silverman – Suffs
Jessica Stone – Water for Elephants*
Outstanding Direction of a Play (Broadway of Off-Broadway)
Knud Adams – Primary Trust
Daniel Aukin – Stereophonic*
Robert Falls – Swing State
Kenny Leon – Purlie Victorious
Lila Neugebauer – Appropriate
Outstanding Choreography (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll – Water for Elephants
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman – The Outsiders
Lorin Latarro – The Who’s Tommy
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck – Buena Vista Social Club
Justin Peck — Illinoise*
Outstanding Scenic Design (tie)
Paul Tate dePoo III – The Cottage
Paul Tate dePoo III – The Great Gatsby*
Dots – Appropriate
David Korins – Here Lies Love
David Zinn – Stereophonic*
Outstanding Costume Design
Dede Ayite – Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Enver Chakartash – Stereophonic
Enver Chakartash – Teeth
Linda Cho – The Great Gatsby*
Sydney Maresca – The Cottage
Outstanding Lighting Design
Bradley King – Water for Elephants
Brian MacDevitt – The Outsiders*
Justin Townsend – Here Lies Love
Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone – Back to the Future
Amanda Zieve – The Who’s Tommy
Outstanding Sound Design
Tom Gibbons – Grey House
Gareth Owen – Back to the Future
Gareth Owen – The Who’s Tommy
Ryan Rumery – Stereophonic*
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer – Here Lies Love
Outstanding Video/Projections
David Bengali – Water for Elephants
Paul Tate dePoo III — The Great Gatsby
Peter Nigrini – The Who’s Tommy*
Finn Ross – Back to the Future
Ash J. Woodward – Patriots
