Lucille Lortel Nominees Include The Flick, Murder Ballad, Jake Gyllenhaal, Vanessa Redgrave

By Kenneth Jones
April 3, 2013

Nominations for the 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards, noting excellence in Off-Broadway theatre, were announced on April 3. Signature Theatre's The Piano Lesson earned the most nominations, with 6, followed by the rock musical Murder Ballad (5) and Annie Baker's play The Flick (4).

The Off-Broadway League announced nominations in 14 categories and two additional special awards for the 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway.

Two special award recipients were announced. The 2013 Outstanding Body of Work Award, "which recognizes a significant contribution to Off-Broadway," will be presented to Theatre Development Fund. Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience will go to Signature Theatre's extended current production of Old Hats, created and performed by Bill Irwin and David Shiner, with music by and featuring Nellie McKay.

Three titles from Playwrights Horizons, including The Whale, Detroit and the controversial The Flick, are nominated in the category of Outstanding Play. This is serious recognition for the not-for-profit that prides itself on being a writer's theatre and a safe place for new work.

Scattered among many nominees are songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dogfight) and composer-lyricist Michael John LaChiusa (Giant); actors Vanessa Redgrave, Shuler Hensley, Danny Burstein, Eisa Davis, Chuck Cooper, Zach Grenier, America Ferrera, Amanda Quaid; playwrights Martin Moran (for his new solo show All the Rage), Laura Marks and Lisa D'Amour; designers Beowulf Boritt, Mark Wendland, Anita Yavich, Clint Ramos (in two categories for The Public's Wild With Happy), Toni-Leslie James and Ben Stanton (twice for his lighting design for Belleville and Murder Ballad); directors Sam Gold, Anne Kauffman and Ruben Santiago-Hudson; and choreographers Alex Sanchez and Christopher Gattelli.

This year's awards for work seen in 2012-13 will be handed out on May 5 at NYU Skirball Center beginning at 7 PM. Actors Aasif Mandvi and Maura Tierney will host. This year's event will once again benefit The Actors Fund.

The Off-Broadway League's Lortel Awards Producing & Administration Committee (Terry Byrne, Denise Cooper, Margaret Cotter, George Forbes, Melanie Herman, Catherine Russell and Steven Showalter) produces the Lortel Awards Ceremony. Writer and director Michael Heitzman returns to direct the Lortel Awards for the fourth consecutive year. The Lucille Lortel Awards is produced by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Additional support 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, academics and other Off-Broadway professionals, serve on the Voting Committee.

General-public tickets for the ceremony are $75 will be available at (212) 352-3101, online at nyuskirball.org and in person at the Skirball Center's Shagan Box Office at 556 LaGuardia. For more information, visit LortelAwards.org.

The 2013 Lortel nominees are:

Outstanding Play
Bethany
Produced by Women's Project Theater
Written by Laura Marks

Cock
Produced by Stuart Thompson, Jean Doumanian, Royal Court Theatre, William Berlind, Scott Delman, Dena Hammerstein, Jon B. Platt, Scott Rudin, Ted Snowdon, True Love Productions
Written by Mike Bartlett

Detroit
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Lisa D'Amour

The Flick
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Annie Baker

The Whale
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Samuel D. Hunter

Outstanding Musical
Dogfight
Produced by Second Stage Theatre
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Book by Peter Duchan

Giant
Produced by The Public Theater in association with The Dallas Theater Center
Book by Sybille Pearson, Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa
Based on the novel by Edna Ferber

Murder Ballad
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club
Conceived by and with Book and Lyrics by Julia Jordan
Music and Lyrics by Juliana Nash

The Other Josh Cohen
Produced by Amas Musical Theatre in association with Scandobean Productions, LLC
Book, Music and Lyrics by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen

Skippyjon Jones
Produced by TheatreworksUSA
Book and Lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila
Music by Eli Bolin

Outstanding Revival
All In The Timing
Produced by Primary Stages in association with Jamie deRoy Written by David Ives

My Children! My Africa!
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Athol Fugard

Passion
Produced by Classic Stage Company
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine

The Piano Lesson
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by August Wilson

Talley's Folly
Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company
Written by Lanford Wilson

Outstanding Solo Show
All the Rage
Produced by piece by piece productions, Rising Phoenix Repertory in association with The Barrow Group
Written and Performed by Martin Moran

Jackie
Produced by Women's Project Theater
Written by Elfriede Jelinek
Performed by Tina Benko

Title and Deed
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Will Eno
Performed by Conor Lovett

Outstanding Director
Sam Gold, The Flick
Anne Kauffman, Belleville
Tina Landau, A Civil War Christmas
James Macdonald, Cock
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, The Piano Lesson

Outstanding Choreographer
George De La Peña, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Christopher Gattelli, Dogfight
Kyle Mullins, TRIASSIC PARQ: The Musical
Alex Sanchez, Giant
Doug Varone, Murder Ballad

Outstanding Lead Actor
Danny Burstein, Talley's Folly
Brandon J. Dirden, The Piano Lesson
Daniel Everidge, Falling
Shuler Hensley, The Whale
Aasif Mandvi, Disgraced

Outstanding Lead Actress
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Neva
America Ferrera, Bethany
Vanessa Redgrave, The Revisionist
Roslyn Ruff, The Piano Lesson
Sharon Washington, Wild With Happy

Outstanding Featured Actor
David Wilson Barnes, Don't Go Gentle
Chuck Cooper, The Piano Lesson
Zach Grenier, Storefront Church
Jake Gyllenhaal, If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet
Mark Nelson, My Name Is Asher Lev

Outstanding Featured Actress
Eisa Davis, Luck of the Irish
Annie Funke, If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet
Rebecca Naomi Jones, Murder Ballad
Amanda Quaid, Luck of the Irish
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, What Rhymes with America

Outstanding Scenic Design
Beowulf Boritt, If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet
Miriam Buether, Cock
Clint Ramos, Wild With Happy
Louisa Thompson, Detroit
Mark Wendland, Murder Ballad

Outstanding Costume Design
Toni-Leslie James, A Civil War Christmas
Jessica Pabst, The Whale
Clint Ramos, Wild With Happy
Emily Rebholz, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Anita Yavich, Golden Child

Outstanding Lighting Design
Jane Cox, The Flick
Rui Rita, The Piano Lesson
Ben Stanton, Belleville
Ben Stanton, Murder Ballad
Scott Zielinski, A Civil War Christmas

Outstanding Sound Design
Leah Gelpe, Slowgirl
Bray Poor, The Flick
Shane Rettig, Detroit '67
Jane Shaw, Jackie
Matt Tierney, Detroit

SPECIAL AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement Award
Todd Haimes

Playwrights' Sidewalk Inductee
Neil LaBute

Outstanding Body of Work Award
Theatre Development Fund

Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience
Old Hats
Created and performed by Bill Irwin and David Shiner
Music by and featuring Nellie McKay
Produced by Signature Theatre