The Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town, national, and digital news publications, has announced the nominees for the 2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2024-2025 Broadway and Off-Broadway season.

Leading the pack with the most honors of the season is the Broadway musical Death Becomes Her, with twelve nominations, followed by Maybe Happy Ending with nine nominations. Stranger Things: The First Shadow leads in the play categories with a total of seven nominations, followed by The Hills of California with six.

Nominees for the annual John Gassner Award — for a new American play, preferably by a new playwright — are: Becoming Eve by Emil Weinstein; Good Night, and Good Luck by George Clooney and Grant Heslov; Pre-Existing Condition by Marin Ireland; Still by Lia Romeo; and Walden by Amy Berryman.

Today’s live announcement event at the Museum of Broadway was hosted by Oh, Mary! stars Cole Escola and Conrad Ricamora – both of whom were nominees last season for their roles in the hit play, with Escola taking home two 2024 OCC Awards.

This year's ceremony marks the 75th anniversary of the organization's founding, when the first-ever awards were presented to T.S. Elliot's The Cocktail Party (Play), Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul, and performers Sheila Guyse (Lost in the Stars) and Daniel Reed (Come Back, Little Sheba). The Outer Critics Circle will commemorate the milestone this spring, with a special 75th Anniversary Cocktail Reception to honor this year’s nominees, past winners, and its members. The reception will be held this Monday, April 28, at West Bank Café.

Founded during the 1949-50 Broadway season by respected theater journalist John Gassner, The Outer Critics Circle is an esteemed association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations, and online news organizations, in America and abroad. Led by its current President David Gordon, the OCC Board of Directors also includes Vice President Richard Ridge, Recording Secretary Joseph Cervelli, Corresponding Secretary Patrick Hoffman, Treasurer David Roberts, Cynthia Allen, Harry Haun, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler. Simon Saltzman is President Emeritus & Board Member (Non-nominating) and Stanley L. Cohen serves as Financial Consultant & Board Member (Non-nominating). Lauren Yarger serves as the Outer Critics Circle Awards ceremony executive producer.

The full list of 2025 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations is below. The winners of the 75th Anniversary Outer Critics Circle Awards will be announced on Monday, May 12, 2025 followed by an awards ceremony held on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

2025 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS

Outstanding New Broadway Play

Cult of Love

The Hills of California

John Proctor Is the Villain

Purpose

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Outstanding New Broadway Musical

Boop! The Musical

Death Becomes Her

Maybe Happy Ending

Operation Mincemeat

Real Women Have Curves

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical

The Big Gay Jamboree

Drag: The Musical

We Live in Cairo

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play

The Antiquities

Grangeville

Here There Are Blueberries

Liberation

Table 17

John Gassner Award (new American play preferably by a new playwright)

Amy Berryman, Walden

George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck

Marin Ireland, Pre-Existing Condition

Lia Romeo, Still

Emil Weinstein, Becoming Eve

Outstanding Revival of a Musical

Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Floyd Collins

Gypsy

Once Upon a Mattress

Sunset Boulevard

Outstanding Revival of a Play

Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave

Glengarry Glen Ross

Romeo + Juliet

Vanya

Yellow Face

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play

Kit Connor, Romeo + Juliet

Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California

Mia Farrow, The Roommate

Jon Michael Hill, Purpose

Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play

Kieran Culkin, Glengarry Glen Ross

LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose

Francis Jue, Yellow Face

Mare Winningham, Cult of Love

Kara Young, Purpose

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical

Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending

Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins

Audra McDonald, Gypsy

Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical

Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard

Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical

Danny Burstein, Gypsy

Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat

Michele Pawk, Just in Time

Christopher Sieber, Death Becomes Her

Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical

Nick Adams, Drag: The Musical

Marla Mindelle, The Big Gay Jamboree

Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Safety Not Guaranteed

Alaska Thunderfuck, Drag: The Musical

Taylor Trensch, Safety Not Guaranteed

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical

Ali Louis Bourzgui, We Live in Cairo

Paris Nix, The Big Gay Jamboree

Eddie Korbich, Drag: The Musical

J. Elaine Marcos, Drag: The Musical

Andre De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Henry Stram, Three Houses

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play

Caroline Aaron, Conversations with Mother

F. Murray Abraham, Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave

Jayne Atkinson, Still

Adam Driver, Hold On to Me Darling

Anthony Edwards, The Counter

Paul Sparks, Grangeville

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play

Betsy Aidem, Liberation

Sean Bell, The Beacon

Michael Rishawn, Table 17

Richard Schiff, Becoming Eve

Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling

Outstanding Solo Performance

David Greenspan, I'm Assuming You Know David Greenspan

Khawla Ibraheem, A Knock on the Roof

Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings

Andrew Scott, Vanya

Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending

David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat

Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour, We Live in Cairo

Bob Martin, Boop! The Musical

Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending

David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat

David Foster and Susan Birkenhead, Boop! The Musical

Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves

Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending

Doug Besterman, Death Becomes Her

Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical

Daniel Lazour and Michael Starobin, We Live in Cairo

Andrew Resnick, Just in Time

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending

Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her

Robert Hastie, Operation Mincemeat

Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Musical

Outstanding Direction of a Play

Trip Cullman, Cult of Love

Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Sam Mendes, The Hills of California

Phylicia Rashad, Purpose

Danya Taymor, John Proctor Is the Villain

Outstanding Choreography

Jenny Arnold, Operation Mincemeat

Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical

Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her

Shannon Lewis, Just in Time

Jerry Mitchell, Boop! the Musical

Outstanding Scenic Design

Miriam Buether, Jamie Harrison, and Chris Fisher, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Rachel Hauck, Swept Away

Rob Howell, The Hills of California

Dane Laffrey, Maybe Happy Ending

Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Costume Design

Gregg Barnes, Boop! The Musical

Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young, Real Women Have Curves

Rob Howell, The Hills of California

Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Lighting Design

Kevin Adams, Swept Away

Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California

Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending

Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Sound Design

Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard

Peter Hylenski, Death Becomes Her

Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending

John Shivers, Swept Away

Outstanding Video/Projections

59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Boulevard

David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Hana S. Kim, Redwood

Finn Ross, Boop! The Musical

Special Awards

Patrick Hoffman, the recently retired curator of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, in honor of over three decades of service to the theater community, during which time he ensured the preservation of over 1,200 productions.

Note on Eligibility

The following productions were considered in previous seasons, with only new elements eligible during this cycle: Buena Vista Social Club; Dead Outlaw; English; Hold On to Me Darling; Job; and Oh, Mary!. The following productions were not eligible for awards this season: All In: Comedy About Love, and Ben Platt: Live at the Palace.

Shows with Multiple Nominations

12 - Death Becomes Her

9 - Maybe Happy Ending

8 - Boop! The Musical

7 - Stranger Things: The First Shadow

6 - The Hills of California, Operation Mincemeat

5 - Drag: The Musical, Purpose

4 - Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Sunset Boulevard, We Live in Cairo

3 - The Big Gay Jamboree, Cult of Love, Gypsy, Just in Time, Real Women Have Curves, Swept Away

2 - Beckett Briefs, Becoming Eve, Floyd Collins, Glengarry Glen Ross, Grangeville, Hold On to Me Darling, John Proctor Is the Villian, Liberation, Once Upon a Mattress, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, Romeo + Juliet, Safety Not Guaranteed, Still, Table 17, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Vanya, Yellow Face

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