Harry Potter, Spongebob, Admissions, Desperate Measures Take Top Outer Critics Awards

At the Lyric Theatre. Photo: Lauren Yarger

Desperate Measures at the York. Photo: Carol Rosegg

Jessica Hecht, Andrew Garman, and Ben Edelman Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Broadway stars Jenn Colella, Jim Dale, Christine Ebersole andMartha Plimpton will serve as gala award presenters at the upcoming 68^th annual Outer Critics Circle Awards ceremony May 24 at Sardi’s Restaurant.

(Winners names are in bold preceded by an asterisk. *)

Outer Critics Circle

2017-2018 Awards

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY

The Children

Farinelli and the King

*Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Junk

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL

Escape to Margaritaville

Frozen

Mean Girls

Prince of Broadway

*SpongeBob SquarePants

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY

*Admissions

Cost of Living

Hangmen

The Low Road

Mlima’s Tale

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL

Cruel Intentions

*Desperate Measures

Jerry Springer- The Opera

Miss You Like Hell

Woody Sez

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

*Tina Fey     Mean Girls

Quiara Alegría Hudes     Miss You Like Hell

Kyle Jarrow     SpongeBob SquarePants

Peter Kellogg     Desperate Measures

 OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

* Jonathan Coulton, David Bowie and Brian Eno, Plain White T’s, T.I., Domani Harris, and Darwin Quinn, Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman, Yolanda Adams, The Flaming Lips, Sara Bareilles, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Lady Antebellum, John Legend, They Might Be Giants, Andy Paley and Tom Kenny, Derek Drymon, Mark Harrison, Stephen Hillenburg, and Blaise Smith, and Tom Kitt –  SpongeBob SquarePants

David Friedman and Peter Kellogg          Desperate Measures

Imogen Heap                   Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Erin McKeown and Quiara Alegría Hudes            Miss You Like Hell

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez              Frozen

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

*Angels in America

Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train

Lobby Hero

Three Tall Women

Travesties

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Carousel

*My Fair Lady

Once on This Island

Pacific Overtures

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

Jo Bonney     Cost of Living

Marianne Elliott     Angels in America

Patrick Marber     Travesties

Joe Mantello     Three Tall Women

*John Tiffany     Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Michael Arden     Once on This Island

Bill Castellino     Desperate Measures

*Tina Landau     SpongeBob SquarePants  (tie)

Casey Nicholaw     Mean Girls

*Bartlett Sher     My Fair Lady  (tie)

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER

Camille A. Brown     Once on This Island

Christopher Gattelli     My Fair Lady

Christopher Gattelli     SpongeBob SquarePants

Steven Hoggett     Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

*Justin Peck     Carousel

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Miriam Buether     Three Tall Women

Myung Hee Cho     In the Body of the World

*Christine Jones     Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Michael Yeargan     My Fair Lady

David Zinn     SpongeBob SquarePants

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Katrina Lindsay     Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Clint Ramos     Once on This Island

Paloma Young     Time and the Conways

David Zinn     SpongeBob SquarePants

*Catherine Zuber     My Fair Lady

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Kevin Adams     SpongeBob SquarePants

*Neil Austin     Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Paule Constable     Angels in America

Paul Russell     Farinelli and the King

Lap Chi Chu     Mlima’s Tale

OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Tim Reid     1984

Finn Ross     Frozen

Finn Ross     In the Body of the World

Finn Ross and Adam Young     Mean Girls

*Finn Ross and Ash Woodward     Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

*Gareth Fry     Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Kate Marvin     [Porto]

Fitz Patton     Napoli, Brooklyn

Marc Salzberg     My Fair Lady

Darron L. West     Mlima’s Tale

OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS

Jason Robert Brown, Charlie Rosen, Larry Blank, & Sam Davis          Prince of Broadway

Tom Kitt     SpongeBob SquarePants

AnnMarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin     Once on This Island

*Jonathan Tunick     Carousel

Claire van Kampen     Farinelli and the King

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Sean Carvajal     Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train

*Andrew Garfield     Angels in America

Tom Hollander     Travesties

Gregg Mozgala     Cost of Living

Michael Urie     The Government Inspector

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

MaameYaa Boafo     School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play

Jessica Hecht     Admissions

*Glenda Jackson     Three Tall Women

Lauren Ridloff     Children of a Lesser God

Katy Sullivan     Cost of Living

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Harry Hadden-Paton     My Fair Lady

Joshua Henry     Carousel

David M. Lutken     Woody Sez

Conor Ryan     Desperate Measures

*Ethan Slater     SpongeBob SquarePants

  

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

*Lauren Ambrose     My Fair Lady

Erika Henningsen     Mean Girls

Hailey Kilgore     Once On This Island

Taylor Louderman     Mean Girls

Patti Murin     Frozen

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Anthony Boyle     Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Johnny Flynn     Hangmen

*Nathan Lane     Angels in America

David Morse     The Iceman Cometh

Paul Sparks     At Home at the Zoo

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Jamie Brewer     Amy and the Orphans

Denise Gough     Angels in America

Harriet Harris     The Low Road

* Laurie Metcalf     Three Tall Women

Mary Testa     The Government Inspector    

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

*Norbert Leo Butz     My Fair Lady

Alexander Gemignani     Carousel

Gavin Lee     SpongeBob SquarePants

Nick Wyman     Desperate Measures

Tony Yazbeck     Prince of Broadway

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Kerry Butler    Mean Girls

*Lindsay Mendez     Carousel

Lauren Molina     Desperate Measures

Ashley Park     Mean Girls  

Emily Skinner     Prince of Broadway

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

*Billy Crudup     Harry Clarke

Eve Ensler     In the Body of the World

Alison Fraser     Squeamish    

John Lithgow     Stories By Heart

Sharon Washington     Feeding the Dragon

JOHN GASSNER AWARD

(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)

Kate Benson     [Porto]

*Jocelyn Bioh     School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play

Lindsey Ferrentino     Amy and the Orphans

Meghan Kennedy     Napoli, Brooklyn

Dominique Morisseau     Pipeline

Celebrating its 68th season of bestowing awards of excellence in the field of theatre, the Outer Critics Circle, is an association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, web sites, radio and television stations, and theatre publications in America and abroad. 

Broadway Theater Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2 TOP PICK

Noma Dumezweni, Susan Heyward, Paul Thornley, Olivia Bond, Ben Wheelwright,
Jamie Parker, Poppy Miller, Sam Clemmett . Photo: Manuel Harlan

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2

By Jack Thorne, based on a story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

Directed by John Tiffany

Lyric Theatre

By Lauren Yarger
What's It All About?
The Broadway transfer of the London  hit sequel story to the Harry Potter books. The show is presented in two parts, each just over two and a half hours, and yes, you really do need to see both parts. And no, you don't have to know the story of Harry and his magical friends to enjoy this time-hopping story by Jack Thorne based on a story by Harry Potter book author J.K. Rowling and stage director John Tiffany.

Almost 20 years after the books ended, Harry (Jamie Parker),an employee of the Ministry of Magic and his wife, Ginny (Poppy Miller) are the parents of three kids, the eldest of which, Albus Severus (Sam Clemmett) is about to head off for wizard training at Hogwarts. Joke shop owner Ron Weasley (an amusing Paul Thornley) and Hermione Granger (Noma Dumezweni), who is now Minister of Magic, send their daughter, Rose (Susan Heyward) on the Hogwart's Express as well. Note: the color-blind casting of African-American Dumezweni threw me at first and had me wondering what happened to Hermione because in the one movie I had seen, Hermione was white. All Potter fans knew that Dumezweni was Hermione immediately, of course, because they knew from the books (which I hadn't read) that Hermione and Ron got married.

At school, Harry befriends Scorpius Malfoy (a delightful Anthony Boyle), the son of Harry's nemesis Draco.

I won't tell you more, as you will want to discover the plot yourself, but I will let you know that some events and characters from the past are revisited through time travel.

What Are the Highlights?
A thoroughly absorbing story with one of the most complex plots I ever have seen on stage.

The special effects are dazzling. Intricate and at the same time, surprisingly simple. I won't give too many details because I don't want to spoil, but the time-travel effects are amazing (illusions and magic by Jamie Harrison). Millions of dollars well spent.

Thoroughly enjoyed this play, even though the Harry Potter books never appealed to me. The more than six-hour run time (I saw both parts in one day) went by very quickly.

This show has virtually no competition to win the Tony Award for Best Play. Excellence at every level of performance and creative craft. Well done in an intimate setting that makes you feel you are part of the action. It is the highlight of my season,

What Are the Lowlights?
While the time travel is done very well, there is some confusion a couple of times when harry is remembering or dreaming about past events. We haven't traveled back in time and to someone not familiar with the books or movies, it is not immediately clear that these scenes are from the past. It's a small gripe-- 99 percent of the audience recognizes little Harry (Will Coombs and Landon Haas share the role).

More Information:
Harry Potter is doing theater magic at the Lyric Theatre, which has been refurbished to accommodate this show, at 214 West 43rd St., NYC.

Additional credits:
Movement by Steven Hoggett, (fabulous) Set by Christine Jones, Costumes by Katrina Lindsay, Musica and Arrangements by Imogen Heap, Lighting by Neil Austin, Sound by Gareth Fry, Music Supervision and Arrangements by Martin Lowe.

Tickets are hard to get and expensive, but there is a lottery. Check out the page at harrypottertheplay.com.
The running time of Part One is approximately 2 hours 40 minutes and Part Two runs approximately 2 hours 35 minutes. Both include one 20-minute intermission.

Photo: Matthew Murphy

I am not listing additional casting, because I don't want to spoil which characters might or might not appear in this sequel.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:
-- Magic

Broadway Theater Review: The Iceman Cometh

David Morse, Denzel Washington, and Colm Meaney. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

The Iceman Cometh
By Eugene O'Neill
Directed by George C. Wolfe
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre 

Through July 1

By Lauren Yarger
What's It All About?

The Eugene O'Neill 1939 marathon we all used to read in high school. You can brush up, or get your first taste, bu reading the Sparks Notes. This Broadway revival stars Denzel Washington.

What Are the highlights?

Anytime Denzel washington is on stage, it's a highlight. He gives a good turn as salesman Theodore Hickman "Hickey." who makes periodic visits to a Greenwich Village dive bar (Set Designer Santo Loquasto gives us the moody atmosphere) run by, metaphorically named Harry Hope (Colm Meaney). 

What Are the Lowlights?

Four hours of 12 drunk men thinking they are important. the women in the cast, of course, are prostitutes (and perhaps lesbians as portrayed by Director Goerge C. Wolfe?)  Two intermissions and a brief pause between the "action" didn't help convince me that this much of my time was well spent on a revival of a play that should have been retired a long time ago. Is there anyone making decisions about what gets on a Broadway stage who actually cares about parity or is that all talk? Let's produce some shows that are a little bit interesting to women, who make up more than 65 percent of the ticket buyers. A cute Hollywood star who will mean good box office isn't enough.

More information:

The Iceman Cometh provides a testosterone fix at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 west 45th st., NYC through July 1. Performances are at 7 pm Tuesday-Friday; 1:30 and 7:30 on Saturday and 1:30 pm on Sunday. Tickets are $79- $209: icemanonbroadway.com.

The company also features David Morse, Bill Irwin, Tammy Blanchard, Carolyn Braver, Austin Butler, Joe Forbrich, Nina Grollman, Thomas Michael Hammond, Neal Huff, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Dakin Matthews, Danny McCarthy, Jack McGee, Clark Middleton, Michael Potts, Reg Rogers and Frank Wood.

Note: If you leave your seat, you will not be permitted back in the theater until a break.The line for the restroom is ridiculously long and there isn't enough time for everyone to get through before the short intermissions are over. The day I attended, the theater was FREEZING -- bring a sweater.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:

-- PG 13 content

-- Language

-- Racial slur

-- Abuse of women

-- God's name taken in vain