South Pacific Is Big Winner in Outer Critics Circle Awards

By Andrew Gans
May 12, 2008

Winners of the 58th annual Outer Critics Circle Awards were announced May 12. Top prizes went to August: Osage County, Xanadu, Young Frankenstein, Dividing the Estate, Adding Machine, South Pacific and The Homecoming.

Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama August: Osage County also fared well, picking up three awards: Outstanding New Broadway Play, Director of a Play and Actress in a Play.

There were ties in two categories: Young Frankenstein and Xanadu were both named Outstanding New Broadway Musical, and Adding Machine and Next to Normal — both seen Off-Broadway — were awarded the prize for Outstanding New Score.

The Outer Critics Circle Awards are decided upon by a group of writers "covering New York theatre for out-of town newspapers, national publications and other media beyond Broadway."

Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba and stage and screen star Sandy Duncan announced the Outer Critics Circle nominations April 21. The new Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein had earned the most nominations, ten.

Winners will be celebrated with an awards dinner May 22 at Sardi's Restaurant.

The 2007-2008 Outer Critics Circle Award winners follow (winners names are in bold with an asterisk)

Outstanding New Broadway Play
*August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
A Catered Affair
Cry-Baby The Musical
*TIEXanadu
*Young Frankenstein

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
*Dividing the Estate
The Drunken City
From Up Here
The Receptionist

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
*Adding Machine
The Glorious Ones
Make Me a Song—The Music of William Finn
Next to Normal

Outstanding New Score
*TIEAdding Machine
*Next to Normal
Passing Strange
Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Come Back, Little Sheba
Cyrano de Bergerac
*The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Gypsy
*South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George
Take Me Along

Outstanding Director of a Play Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Rupert Goold, Macbeth
Rufus Norris, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
*Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County

Outstanding Director of a Musical
David Cromer, Adding Machine
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
*Bartlett Sher, South Pacific
Susan Stroman, Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Choreographer
*Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby The Musical
Graciela Daniele, The Glorious Ones
Christopher Gattelli, South Pacific
Susan Stroman, Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical)
*David Farley, Timothy Bird, Sunday in the Park with George
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Robin Wagner, Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan, South Pacific

Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical)
David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George
*Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
William Ivey Long, Young Frankenstein
Jessica Jahn, Michael Bottari and Ronald Case, Die Mommie Die!
Catherine Zuber, South Pacific

Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical)
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
*Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George
Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Peter Kaczorowski, Young Frankenstein

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Kevin Anderson, Come Back Little Sheba
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
*Kevin Kline, Cyrano de Bergerac
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Eve Best, The Homecoming
*Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Laura Linney, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Roger Bart, Young Frankenstein
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy
*Paulo Szot, South Pacific

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
*Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Raul Esparza, The Homecoming
*James Earl Jones, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jessica Collins, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Jayne Houdyshell, The New Century
*Laurie Metcalf, November
Sian Phillips, Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
*Danny Burstein, South Pacific
Christopher Fitzgerald, Young Frankenstein
Shuler Hensley, Young Frankenstein
Tony Yazbeck, Gypsy

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
*Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Harriet Harris, Cry-Baby The Musical
Sherie Rene Scott, The Little Mermaid
Amy Warren, Adding Machine

Outstanding Solo Performance
*Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Stephen Lang, Beyond Glory
Chazz Palminteri, A Bronx Tale
April Yvette Thompson, Liberty City

John Gassner Award (Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Bob Clyman, Secret Order
*Liz Flahive, From Up Here
Michael Hollinger, Opus
George Packer, Betrayed

For more information visit www.outercritics.org.