The awards celebrating excellence in Off-Broadway theatre will be handed out May 3 at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Nominees were announced late April 5. For more information, visit www.LortelAwards.com.
A new category was announced this year: Outstanding Solo Show. The nominees are I Am My Own Wife, Sarah Jones: bridge & tunnel and Women on Fire. Wife just won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Frozen is expected to trasfer to Broadway before the season's out. It's competitors, aside from the closed Valhalla, include Tracy Letts' praised Bug, Paula Vogel's critical hit The Long Christmas Ride Home and Craig Lucas' Small Tragedy. Missing was Lisa Loomer's well received Living Out, though the play did net two acting nominations.
Each member in the three-person cast of Frozen was nominated for an acting award.
In the Outstanding Musical category, Caroline, or Change, due on Broadway, stands alone. Kathleen Chalfant, The Public Theater and Noche Flamenca each receive Special Awards in 2004 (the Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence, the Outstanding Body of Work Award, and the Unique Theatrical Experience Award, respectively). Tony Kushner was inducted onto the Playwrights Sidewalk.
The 2004 Lucille Lortel nominees are:
Outstanding Play
Bug by Tracy Letts
Frozen by Bryony Lavery
The Long Christmas Ride Home by Paula Vogel
Small Tragedy by Craig Lucas
Valhalla by Paul Rudnick
Outstanding Musical
Caroline, or Change, Book and Lyrics by Tony Kushner, Music by Jeanine Tesori
Johnny Guitar, Lyrics by Joel Higgins, Music by Martin Silvestri, Book by Nicholas van Hoogstraten
The Musical of Musicals - The Musical!, Music by Eric Rockwell, Lyrics by Joanne Bogart, Book by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart
Outstanding Solo Show
I Am My Own Wife, starring Jefferson Mays, written by Doug Wright
Sarah Jones: bridge & tunnel, starring and written by Sarah Jones
Women on Fire, starring Judith Ivey, written by Irene O'Garden
Outstanding Director
Christopher Ashley, Valhalla
Mark Brokaw, The Long Christmas Ride Home
Dexter Bullard, Bug
Doug Hughes, Frozen
Moisés Kaufman, I Am My Own Wife
Outstanding Choreographer
Hope Clarke, Caroline, or Change
Daniel Pelzig, Valhalla
Martín Santangelo, Noche Flamenca
Outstanding Lead Actor
Peter Frechette, Valhalla
Brían F. O'Byrne, Frozen
Lee Pace, Small Tragedy
Michael Shannon, Bug
Richard Thomas, The Stendhal Syndrome
Outstanding Lead Actress
Lisa Emery, Iron
Jayne Houdyshell, Well
Swoosie Kurtz, Frozen
Zilah Mendoza, Living Out
Tonya Pinkins, Caroline, or Change
Outstanding Featured Actor
Rob Campbell, Small Tragedy
Daniel Eric Gold, Small Tragedy
Gordon MacDonald, Trumbo
Will McCormack, The Long Christmas Ride Home
Mark Rosenthal, The Moonlight Room
Outstanding Featured Actress
Liza Colón-Zayas, Living Out
Kathryn Layng, The Moonlight Room
Laila Robins, Frozen
Anika Noni Rose, Caroline, or Change
Margaret Welsh, Big Bill
Outstanding Scenic Design
Scott Bradley, The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci
Tim Hatley, Humble Boy
Derek McLane, I Am My Own Wife
Ajene D. Washington, American Menu
Outstanding Costume Design
Linda Cho, The Two Noble Kinsmen
William Ivey Long, Valhalla
Paul Tazewell, Caroline, or Change
Kaye Voyce, Johnny Guitar
Catherine Zuber, The Beard of Avon
Outstanding Lighting Design
Christopher Akerlind, Well
David Lander, I Am My Own Wife
Tyler Micoleau, Bug
Kenneth Posner, Valhalla
Clifton Taylor, Frozen
Outstanding Sound Design
John Gromada, Small Tragedy
Robert Kaplowitz,The Story
Brian Ronan, Bug
David Van Tieghem, The Long Christmas Ride Home
MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS:
Six nominations:
Frozen
Valhalla
Five nominations:
Bug
Caroline, or Change
Small Tragedy
Four nominations:
I Am My Own Wife
The Long Christmas Ride Home
Two nominations:
Johnny Guitar
Living Out
The Moonlight Room
Well
