Good People, written by David Lindsay-Abaire, today won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (NYDCC) for Best Play of the 2010-2011 season. The award for Best Foreign Play play went to Jerusalem, written by Jez Butterworth. The Book of Mormon received the award for Best Musical. The selections were made at the 76th annual voting meeting of the organization today at the offices of Time Out New York in Manhattan.
Special Citations were awarded to the Broadway revival of The Normal Heart;
Mark Rylance for La Bête and Jerusalem; and the direction, design and puppetry of
War Horse.
The awards will be presented at a cocktail reception to be held on Monday, May 16, at Angus McIndoe Restaurant.
The award for best play carries a cash prize of $2,500. Also, a cash award of $1,000 goes to the winner for best foreign play. The prizes are made possible by a grant from the
Lucille Lortel Foundation.
Good People, written by
David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by
Daniel Sullivan, had its world premiere at Broadway's at
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, produced by
Manhattan Theatre Club. The play opened March 3, 2011, and is scheduled to close on Sunday, May 29, 2011.
Jerusalem, written by
Jez Butterworth and directed by
Ian Rickson, had its New York premiere on April 21, 2011, at Broadway's Music Box Theatre, where it is currently playing. The play received its world premiere at London's
Royal Court Theatre in July 2009.
The Book of Mormon received its world premiere on March 24, 2011, at Broadway's
Eugene O'Neill Theatre, where it is currently playing. The musical has book, music, and lyrics by
Robert Lopez,
Matt Stone, and
Trey Parker. It is directed by
Trey Parker and
Casey Nicholaw.
The Normal Heart, written by
Larry Kramer and directed by
Joel Grey and
George C. Wolfe, had its Broadway premiere on April 27, 2011, at the
John Golden Theatre. The play received its world premiere at the New York Shakespeare Festival/
Public Theater on April 21, 1985.
Mark Rylance currently stars on Broadway in Jerusalem. His most recent New York appearances were the Broadway revival of La Bête and Boeing-Boeing, for which he won a Tony Award. In America he has acted with the Theatre for a New Audience,
St. Ann's Warehouse, the Guthrie Theater, ART, the Pittsburgh
Public Theater and the Little Theatre (Milwaukee). In London, Mark was the artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (1996-2006). During his 31-year career Mark has acted in 48 productions of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
War Horse is based on the novel by
Michael Morpurgo, adapted by
Nick Stafford, with Handspring Puppet Company, and directed by
Marianne Elliott and
Tom Morris. The play, a production of
Lincoln Center Theater, opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on April 14, 2011, where it is currently playing. The play had its world premiere at London's
National Theatre in November 2007. After two runs at the
National Theatre,
War Horse moved to London's West End in March 2009 where it continues to play at the New London Theatre.
For more information on the New York Drama Critics' Circle and details of this year's voting, visit www.dramacritics.org. In keeping with NYDCC's tradition of openness, a full breakdown of the vote will be posted on the website.
The New York Drama Critics' Circle comprises 25 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines, wire services and websites based in the New York metropolitan area. The New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, which has been awarded every year since 1936 to the best new play of the season (with optional awards for foreign or American plays, musicals and performers), is the nation's second-oldest theatre award, after the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
Adam Feldman, theatre critic for Time Out New York, has served as president of the NYDCC since 2005.
Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post serves as vice president;
Joe Dziemianowicz of the Daily News is treasurer. Eric Grode is recording secretary.
In addition to Feldman, Vincentelli, Dziemianowicz and Grode, the members of the New York Drama Critics' Circle are:
Hilton Als, The New Yorker; Melissa Rose Bernardo, Entertainment Weekly;
Scott Brown, New York;
David Cote, Time Out New York;
Michael Feingold, Village Voice; Robert Feldberg, Bergen Record;
David Finkle, TheaterMania; Elysa Gardner, USA Today;
Erik Haagensen, Back Stage;
Mark Kennedy, Associated Press;
Jesse Oxfeld, New York Observer;
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter; Frank Scheck, New York Post;
David Sheward, Back Stage;
John Simon, Westchester Guardian; Alexis Soloski, Village Voice; Marilyn Stasio, Variety;
Steven Suskin, Variety; Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal; Linda Winer, Newsday; and Richard Zoglin, Time.
Howard Kissel and Michael Sommers serve as emeritus members.
