Billy Elliot, God of Carnage Take Top Outer Critics Circle Musical, Play Awards; Toxic Avenger, Ruined Head Off-Broadway Winners

Billy Elliot won Best Musical and God of Carnage won Best Play on Broadway in the 2009 Outer Critics Circle Awards announced this morning. Billy Elliot received a total of seven awards, followed by Shrek with four.

The Toxic Avenger and Ruined took the top awards for Off-Broadway.

Sutton Foster and Lisa Scaglione tied for Outstanding Actress in a Musical honors. The awards celebration will be held at Sardi's on May 21. To see revews of the shows, scroll down at left and click on the show title under "Theater Reviews."

The complete list (winners are in bold):

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
* God of Carnage *
Irena’s Vow
Reasons To Be Pretty
33 Variations

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
* Billy Elliot the Musical *
Rock of Ages
Shrek the Musical
A Tale of Two Cities

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Becky Shaw
Farragut North
* Ruined *
Shipwrecked! The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told By Himself)
Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Happiness
Rooms A Rock Romance
* The Toxic Avenger *
What’s That Smell? The Music of Jacob Sterling

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
* Billy Elliot the Musical *
Happiness
Rooms A Rock Romance
Shrek the Musical

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Blithe Spirit
The Cripple of Inishmaan
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
* The Norman Conquests *
Waiting for Godot

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Enter Laughing
* Hair *
Pal Joey
West Side Story

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Garry Hynes The Cripple of Inishmaan
Anthony Page Waiting for Godot
Bartlett Sher Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
* Matthew Warchus The Norman Conquests *
Moisés Kaufman 33 Variations

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
* Stephen Daldry Billy Elliot the Musical *
Arthur Laurents West Side Story
Jason Moore Shrek the Musical
Diane Paulus Hair
Susan Stroman Happiness

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Karole Armitage Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler 9 to 5
* Peter Darling Billy Elliot the Musical *
Josh Prince Shrek the Musical
Susan Stroman Happiness

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
* Tim Hatley Shrek the Musical *
Santo Loquasto Waiting for Godot
Derek McLane 33 Variations
Ian MacNeil Billy Elliot the Musical
Walt Spangler Desire Under the Elms

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
(Play or Musical)
Nicky Gillibrand Billy Elliot the Musical
* Tim Hatley Shrek the Musical *
John Napier Equus
Martin Pakledinaz Blithe Spirit
Catherine Zuber Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
(Play or Musical) Kevin Adams Hair
* Rick Fisher Billy Elliot the Musical *
David Hersey Equus
Peter Kaczorowski Ruined
David Lander 33 Variations

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Raúl Esparza Speed-the-Plow
Bill Irwin Waiting for Godot
Nathan Lane Waiting for Godot
* Geoffrey Rush Exit the King *
Thomas Sadoski Reasons To Be Pretty

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Saidah Arrika Ekulona Ruined
Carla Gugino Desire Under the Elms
* Marcia Gay Harden God of Carnage *
Janet McTeer Mary Stuart
Harriet Walter Mary Stuart

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
James Barbour A Tale of Two Cities
Matt Cavenaugh West Side Story
* Brian d’Arcy James Shrek the Musical *
Josh Grisetti Enter Laughing
David Pittu What’s That Smell? The Music of Jacob Sterling

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
* Sutton Foster Shrek the Musical *
Megan Hilty 9 to 5
Leslie Kritzer Rooms A Rock Romance
Nancy Opel The Toxic Avenger
* Josefina Scaglione West Side Story *

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Zach Grenier 33 Variations
John Benjamin Hickey Mary Stuart
Russell G. Jones Ruined
Patrick Page A Man For All Seasons
* David Pearse The Cripple of Inishmaan *

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
* Angela Lansbury Blithe Spirit *
Andrea Martin Exit the King
Kristine Nielsen Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them
Susan Louise O’Connor Blithe Spirit
Condola Rashad Ruined

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Daniel Breaker Shrek the Musical
Aaron Simon Gross 13
* Gregory Jbara Billy Elliot the Musical *
Christopher Sieber Shrek the Musical
Wesley Taylor Rock of Ages

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kathy Fitzgerald 9 to 5
* Haydn Gwynne Billy Elliot the Musical *
Karen Olivo West Side Story
Martha Plimpton Pal Joey
Carole Shelley Billy Elliot the Musical

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Mike Birbiglia Sleepwalk With Me
Mike Burstyn Lansky
Mike Daisey If You See Something Say Something
* Lorenzo Pisoni Humor Abuse *
Matt Sax Clay

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
* Amelia Bullmore Jessica Hynes Stephen Mangan
Ben Miles Paul Ritter Amanda Root
Cast of The Norman Conquests *

JOHN GASSNER AWARD
(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Annie Baker Body Awareness
* Gina Gionfriddo Becky Shaw *
Beau Willimon Farragut North

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
* David Alvarez Trent Kowalik Kiril Kulish
for their performances in Billy Elliot the Musical *

2008-2009 Outer Critics Circle Executive / Nominating Committee
Simon Saltzman (President), Marjorie Gunner (President Emerita), Mario Fratti (Vice-President), Patrick Hoffman (Corresponding Secretary), Louis A. Rachow (Treasurer), Glenn Loney (Historian & Member-at-Large), Rosalind Friedman (Recording Secretary) and Aubrey Reuben & Thomas Gentile (Members-at-Large)

NOTE:
The play Dividing the Estate was considered last season and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. The musical Next to Normal was also considered last year (nominated in three categories including Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, Outstanding Score & Outstanding Actress) and won the OCC Award for Outstanding Score.