Breaking News: HADESTOWN, SWEENEY TODD, INDECENT, OSLO and More Top 2017 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations
By: BWW News Desk Apr. 04, 2017
The Off-Broadway League today announced nominations in 19 categories for the 32nd Annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway.
The Lortel Awards will be presented on Sunday, May 7, 2017 at NYU Skirball Center beginning at 7:00 PM EST. This year's event will be hosted by actor and comedian, Taran Killam, and will once again serve as a benefit for The Actors Fund.
Leading the nominations this year with 7 each are the new musical, Hadestown - a folk opera produced by New York Theatre Workshop - and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, currently at the Barrow Street Theatre, which has been converted into a pie shop for the intimate staging.
In the category of plays, both Paula Vogel's Indecent and J.T. Rogers' Oslo, current Broadway transfers, earned a total of 4 nominations, including for Outstanding Play. Playwrights Horizons' A Life also earned 4 total nominations, including for star David Hyde Pierce and director Anne Kauffman, earning her 4th career Lortel Award nomination; as did MCC Theater's YEN, including one for recent Academy Award nominee Lucas Hedges for Outstanding Lead Actor. Lighting Designer Ben Stanton earned a nomination for the fifth consecutive year - and his seventh career nomination, including a win in 2011 - for his work on YEN.
The newly added Outstanding Projection Design category netted a dual nomination for Peter Nigrini for his work on Dear Evan Hansen and Wakey, Wakey.
As previously announced, celebrated costume designer William Ivey Long will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage will be inducted onto the famed Playwrights' Sidewalk in front of the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Former Managing Director of the Roundabout Theatre Company, Harold Wolpert, will be presented with the Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award.
A breakfast reception honoring the nominees will take place from 10 AM - 12 PM on Wednesday, April 26, at Playwrights Horizons (416 West 42nd Street, New York).
2017 LUCILLE LORTEL AWARDS NOMINATIONS:
Outstanding Play
Indecent
Produced by Vineyard Theatre in association with La Jolla Playhouse and Yale Repertory Theatre
Written by Paula Vogel, Created by Paula Vogel & Rebecca Taichman
Oslo
Produced by Lincoln Center Theater
Written by J.T. Rogers
Underground Railroad Game
Produced by Ars Nova
Written by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard
Vietgone
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club in association with South Coast Repertory
Written by Qui Nguyen
The Wolves
Produced by The Playwrights Realm in association with New York Stage and Film and Vassar's Powerhouse Theatre Season
Written by Sarah DeLappe
Outstanding Musical
The Band's Visit
Produced by Atlantic Theater Company
Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek, Book by Itamar Moses, Based on the screenplay by Eran Kolirin
Dear Evan Hansen
Produced by Second Stage Theatre in association with Stacey Mindich Productions
Book by Steven Levenson, Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Hadestown
Produced by New York Theatre Workshop
Written by Anaïs Mitchell
Ride the Cyclone
Produced by MCC Theater
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond
The Total Bent
Produced by The Public Theater
Text by Stew, Music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Outstanding Revival
The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks
Othello
Produced by New York Theatre Workshop
Written by William Shakespeare
Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Edward Albee, María Irene Fornés, and Adrienne Kennedy
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Produced by Rachel Edwards, Jenny Gersten, Seaview Productions, Nate Koch, Fiona Rudin, Barrow Street Theatre, Jean Doumanian, Rebecca Gold, and Tooting Arts Club
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by Hugh Wheeler, Adaptation by Christopher Bond
Sweet Charity
Produced by The New Group in association with Kevin McCollum
Book by Neil Simon, Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Outstanding Solo Show
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide
Produced by Judd Apatow, Mike Berkowitz, Brian Stern, Mike Lavoie, and Carlee Briglia
Written and Performed by Chris Gethard
Latin History for Morons
Produced by The Public Theater in a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Written and Performed by John Leguizamo
Notes From The Field
Produced by Second Stage Theatre and American Repertory Theater
Created, Written, and Performed by Anna Deavere Smith
The Outer Space
Produced by The Public Theater
Book and Lyrics by Ethan Lipton, Music by Ethan Lipton, Vito Dieterle, Eben Levy, and Ian M. Riggs
Performed by Ethan Lipton
Sell/Buy/Date
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club
Written and Performed by Sarah Jones
Outstanding Director
Will Davis, Men On Boats
Anne Kauffman, A Life
Lila Neugebauer, The Wolves
Bartlett Sher, Oslo
Rebecca Taichman, Indecent
Outstanding Choreographer
Joshua Bergasse, Sweet Charity
David Dorfman, Indecent
Georgina Lamb, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
David Neumann, Hadestown
David Neumann, The Total Bent
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, Man From Nebraska
Michael Emerson, Wakey, Wakey
Lucas Hedges, YEN
Joe Morton, Turn Me Loose
David Hyde Pierce, A Life
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Johanna Day, Sweat
Jennifer Ehle, Oslo
Jennifer Kidwell, Underground Railroad Game
Kecia Lewis, Marie and Rosetta
Maryann Plunkett, Women of a Certain Age
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Michael Aronov, Oslo
Charlie Cox, Incognito
Matthew Maher, Othello
Justice Smith, YEN
Paco Tolson, Vietgone
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jocelyn Bioh, Everybody
Hannah Cabell, The Moors
Randy Graff, The Babylon Line
Ari Graynor, YEN
Nana Mensah, Man From Nebraska
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
Ato Blankson-Wood, The Total Bent
Shuler Hensley, Sweet Charity
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen
Jeremy Secomb, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Sweet Charity
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Jo Lampert, Joan of Arc: Into the Fire
Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit
Siobhan McCarthy, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Nathan Lee Graham, The View UpStairs
Gus Halper, Ride the Cyclone
Joel Perez, Sweet Charity
Ari'el Stachel, The Band's Visit
Chris Sullivan, Hadestown
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Asmeret Ghebremichael, Sweet Charity
Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen
Betsy Morgan, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Emily Rohm, Ride the Cyclone
Karen Ziemba, Kid Victory
Outstanding Scenic Design
Scott Davis, Ride the Cyclone
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, A Life
Mimi Lien, Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro
Jason Sherwood, The View UpStairs
Outstanding Costume Design
Montana Blanco, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead
Tilly Grimes, Underground Railroad Game
Susan Hilferty, Love, Love, Love
Sarah Laux, The Band's Visit
Emily Rebholz, Indecent
Outstanding Lighting Design
Mark Barton, Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro
Jane Cox, Othello
Greg Hofmann, Ride the Cyclone
Amy Mae, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ben Stanton, YEN
Outstanding Sound Design
Mikhail Fiksel, A Life
Robert Kaplowitz, Hadestown
Stowe Nelson, Small Mouth Sounds
Nevin Steinberg, Wakey, Wakey
Matt Stine, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Outstanding Projection Design
Elaine McCarthy, Notes From The Field
Duncan McLean, Privacy
Jared Mezzochi, Vietgone
Peter Nigrini, Dear Evan Hansen
Peter Nigrini, Wakey, Wakey
HONORARY AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Award
William Ivey Long
Playwrights' Sidewalk Inductee
Lynn Nottage
Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award
Harold Wolpert
NOMINATIONS BY SHOW
Hadestown
7
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
7
Sweet Charity
6
Ride the Cyclone
5
The Band's Visit
4
Dear Evan Hansen
4
Indecent
4
A Life
4
Oslo
4
YEN
4
Othello
3
Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro
3
The Total Bent
3
Underground Railroad Game
3
Vietgone
3
Wakey, Wakey
3
The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead
2
Man From Nebraska
2
Notes From The Field
2
The View UpStairs
2
The Wolves
2
The Babylon Line
1
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide
1
Everybody
1
Incognito
1
Joan of Arc: Into the Fire
1
Kid Victory
1
Latin History for Morons
1
Love, Love, Love
1
Marie and Rosetta
1
Men On Boats
1
The Moors
1
The Outer Space
1
Privacy
1
Sell/Buy/Date
1
Small Mouth Sounds
1
Sweat
1
Turn Me Loose
1
Women of a Certain Age
1
The Off-Broadway League's Lortel Awards Producing & Administration Committee (Pamela Adams, Terry Byrne, Margaret Cotter, Carol Fishman, George Forbes, Danielle Karliner Naish, Michael Page, Catherine Russell, Lindsey Sag, and Seth Shepsle) produces the Lortel Awards Ceremony. Acclaimed writer/director Michael Heitzman returns to direct the Lortel Awards for the eighth consecutive year. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Additional support is provided by Theatre Development Fund.
Representatives of the Off-Broadway League, Actors' Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, in addition to theatre journalists and academics and other Off-Broadway professionals, serve on the Voting Committee.
Members of the general public are welcome to view the 7:00 PM ceremony. Public tickets are $75.00 and currently on sale via phone at 212.998.4941, online at www.nyuskirball.org and in person at the Skirball Center's Shagan Box Office (556 LaGuardia) from Tuesday - Saturday from 12 - 6 PM, and two hours before showtime.
For updates and news about the ceremony, hosts, presenters and more, visit www.LortelAwards.org. Follow the Lortel Awards on Twitter at twitter.com/OffBroadwayNYC, using the hashtag #LortelAwards and like the awards on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OffBroadwaycom-52621521267.
The Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway were created in 1985 by the Off-Broadway League. The Lortel Awards recognize excellence in Off-Broadway by honoring the invaluable contribution of artists to the theatre community. Representatives of the Off-Broadway League, Actors' Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, in addition to theatre journalists and academics and other Off-Broadway professionals, serve on the Voting Committee. Awards may be given in the following categories: Play, Musical, Solo Show, Revival, Alternative Theatrical Experience, Director, Choreographer, Lead Actor and Actress in a Play and Musical, Featured Actor and Actress in a Play and Musical, Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Design. The following honorary awards may also be given: Lifetime Achievement Award, Body of Work (awarded to an institution), the Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award and induction onto the Playwrights' Sidewalk in front of the historic Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City. For more information, please see www.LortelAwards.org.
Lucille Lortel Foundation was created by Lucille Lortel to foster excellence and diversity in the theatre, as well as to faithfully preserve the rich history and support the continued prosperity of Off-Broadway. The Foundation has several major programs, including its general operating support program that has provided millions of dollars to small to mid-size theatres in New York City, universities, and theatre service organizations. The Foundation created and maintains the Internet Off-Broadway Data Base (www.IOBDB.com). For a listing of all the Foundation's programs, previous Lortel Award nominees and recipients, information on the Lucille Lortel Theatre and Playwrights' Sidewalk, and much more, visit www.lortel.org.
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
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