'Nice Work If You Can Get It' Leads Outer Critics Circle Nominations

"Nice Work If You Can Get It," the new musical using the Gershwin songbook, received the most nominations from the Outer Critics Circle for its annual awards. The tuner is up for nine OCC awards, but ironically, it's not in the running for best Broadway musical. The nominated productions in that category are "Bonnie & Clyde," "Newsies," "Once," and "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." "Newsies" and "Once" tied for second place in the nomination sweepstakes with seven each. The announcement was made by actors Lily Rabe and Richard Thomas on Monday, April 23 in a press conference at the Friars Club in Manhattan.
 
Also present were Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, who presented a special award to the Public Theater in honor of its 50th anniversary of presenting free theater at the Delacorte in Central Park. In addition to their long joint career as comedy performers, Stiller and Meara are alumni of Shakespeare in the Park and many Public Theater productions. Before presenting the citation to the Public's artistic director Oskar Eustis and executive director Patrick Willingham, the duo regaled the industry crowd with tales of their experiences playing the Bard's work.



Stiller recalled getting fired for a production of "Richard III" by the Public's legendary first producer, Joseph Papp. He was playing the second murderer and "I didn’t get along with the first murderer," Stiller joked. When her husband mentioned appearing in a production with movie tough guy Jack Palance, Meara  interjected, "What a schmuck he was." The couple first appeared with the Public in "Romeo and Juliet" in 1957, before the Delacorte was built. "Then we were performing on a flat bed truck," Meara said, "and the audience was sitting on the grass or smoking it. One or the other."



Celebrating its 62nd year, the Outer Critics Circle is an organization of writers and commentators covering New York theater for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and media beyond Broadway. The group gives separate prizes for the outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway play and musical, but makes no distinction between the two areas for all of its other categories. The nominations were chosen by the organization's executive committee and the awards are voted on by the general membership. Broadway shows "Venus in Fur," "Clybourne Park," "Peter and the Starcatcher," and "Other Desert Cities" were considered in previous seasons for their Off-Broadway runs, but new cast members were eligible for this season's nominations.

New York theater award season will continue in rapid succession in the coming days with nomination announcements for the Drama League (April 24), Drama Desk (April 27), and Tony Awards (May 1).



The OCC winners will be announced on May 14, and the awards will be presented on May 24 at Sardi's Restaurant in New York. A complete list of nominees follows:

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
"The Lyons"
"One Man, Two Guvnors"
"Seminar"
"Stick Fly"

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
"Bonnie & Clyde"
"Newsies"
"Once"
"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
"Blood and Gifts"
"The School for Lies"
"Sons of the Prophet"
"Tribes"

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
"Death Takes a Holiday"
"Lucky Guy"
"Play It Cool"
"Queen of the Mist"

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
"Newsies"
"Nice Work If You Can Get It"
"Once"
"Queen of the Mist"

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
"Bonnie & Clyde"
"Death Takes a Holiday"
"Newsies"
"Queen of the Mist"

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
"The Best Man"
"Death of a Salesman"
"The Lady From Dubuque"
"Private Lives"

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
"Carrie"
"Evita"
"Follies"
"Porgy and Bess"

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Mark Brokaw, "The Lyons"
David Cromer, "Tribes"
Nicholas Hytner, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
Mike Nichols, "Death of a Salesman"

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Jeff Calhoun, "Newsies"
Michael Grandage, "Evita"
Kathleen Marshall, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
John Tiffany, "Once"

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Rob Ashford, "Evita"
Christopher Gattelli, "Newsies"
Steven Hoggett, "Once"
Kathleen Marshall, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Bob Crowley, "Once"
Derek McLane, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
Christopher Oram, "Evita"
George Tsypin, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Gregg Barnes, "Follies"
Eiko Ishioka, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
William Ivey Long, "Don’t Dress for Dinner"
Martin Pakledinaz, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Neil Austin, "Evita"
Donald Holder, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
Brian MacDevitt, "Death of a Salesman"
Hugh Vanstone, "Ghost: The Musical"

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
James Corden, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
Santino Fontana, "Sons of the Prophet"
Russell Harvard, "Tribes"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Death of a Salesman"
Hamish Linklater, "The School for Lies"

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Tracie Bennett, "End of the Rainbow"
Tyne Daly, "Master Class"
Linda Lavin, "The Lyons"
Nicole Ari Parker, "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Laila Robins, "The Lady From Dubuque"

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Danny Burstein, "Follies"
Raúl Esparza, "Leap of Faith"
Jeremy Jordan, "Newsies"
Steve Kazee, "Once"
Norm Lewis, "Porgy and Bess"

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Jan Maxwell, "Follies"
Marin Mazzie, "Carrie"
Audra McDonald, "Porgy and Bess"
Cristin Milioti, "Once"
Kelli O’Hara, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Will Brill, "Tribes"
Tom Edden, "One Man, Two Guvnors"
Andrew Garfield, "Death of a Salesman"
James Earl Jones, "The Best Man"
Jefferson Mays, "Blood and Gifts"

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Joanna Gleason, "Sons of the Prophet"
Spencer Kayden, "Don't Dress for Dinner"
Angela Lansbury, "The Best Man"
Judith Light, "Other Desert Cities"
Daphne Rubin-Vega, "A Streetcar Named Desire"

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Phillip Boykin, "Porgy and Bess"
Andrew Keenan-Bolger, "Newsies"
Michael McGrath, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
Patrick Page, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
Chris Sullivan, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Jayne Houdyshell, "Follies"
Judy Kaye, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
Rebecca Luker, "Death Takes a Holiday"
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, "Ghost: The Musical"
Melissa Van Der Schyff, "Bonnie & Clyde"

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Judy Gold, "My Life as a Sitcom"
David Greenspan, "The Patsy"
Denis O’Hare, "An Iliad"
Stephen Spinella, "An Iliad"

JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Robert Askins, "Hand to God"
Gabe McKinley, "CQ/CX"
Erika Sheffer, "Russian Transport"
Jeff Talbot, "The Submission"