Broadway musical "Nice Work If You Can Get It" tops the list of Outer Critics Circle nominations, scoring nine noms in the first round of legit kudos to announce contenders this season. Two more Rialto offerings, "Newsies" and "Once," nabbed seven nods apiece.
Both "Newsies" and "Once" are in the race for the OCC's top Broadway musical trophy, as are "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." In an unusual twist, "Nice Work," a tuner that incorporates Gershwin songs into a new book, did not get nominated for that laurel despite being eligible. Its haul of nods includes book (by Joe DiPietro), director (Kathleen Marshall), choreographer (Marshall), and thesping noms for topliner Kelli O'Hara as well as Judy Kaye and Michael McGrath in features roles.
The Rialto play category includes "The Lyons," "One Man, Two Guvnors," "Seminar" and "Stick Fly." Four plays that could well attract attention at the Tonys -- "Clybourne Park," "Other Desert Cities," "Peter and the Starcatcher" and "Venus in Fur" -- weren't eligible for the Outer Critics this year, because those shows were previously nominated in their original, Off Broadway incarnations.
The OCC divides the new play and musical noms into Broadway and Off Broadway slots, although their revival categories consider productions from both. They make for iffy prognosticators of the Tonys, in part because the Tonys only considers Rialto productions.
The tuner revival race includes a trio of Broadway outings -- "Evita," "Follies" and "Porgy and Bess" -- as well as the Off Broadway staging of "Carrie." For play revival, Off Broadway alum "The Lady from Dubuque" squares off against Rialto outings "The Best Man," "Death of a Salesman" and "Private Lives."
Revivals "Salesman," "Follies" and "Evita" tallied five noms each, as did new musical "Spider-Man."
Nominees for the org's John Gassner Award, awarded to an American play penned by a new or emerging writer, are Robert Askins' "Hand of God," Gabe McKinley's "CQ/CX," Erika Sheffer's "Russian Transport" and Jeff Talbot's "The Submission."
Outer Critics membership is made up of scribes who cover New York theater for outlets based outside of Gotham. Award winners will be named May 14, with trophies handed out May 24.
Source: Chicago Tribune
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