On April 25, writer-actor Cole Escola and actor Conrad Ricamora announced the 2025 Outer Critics Circle nominees at the Museum of Broadway. The awards recognize excellence in the 2024-2025 Broadway and Off-Broadway season. The Outer Critics Circle (OCC) is the official organization of writers from out-of-town, national and digital news publications who cover New York theater. This year marks the 75th anniversary of OCC’s founding.
There are 27 categories of awards, recognizing plays and musicals, new productions and revivals. Leading the pack, with 12 nominations, is the new musical “Death Becomes Her.” The most-nominated play is “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” with seven nominations, followed closely by “The Hills of California” with six.
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!”
“All In: Comedy About Love” and “Ben Platt: Live at the Palace” were not eligible for awards this season.
Winners will be announced on May 12, with an awards ceremony on May 22.
See the full list of nominees below.
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 Thunderf*ck, “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.
Shows with Multiple Nominations
12 - “Death Becomes Her”
7 - “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
6 - “Operation Mincemeat”
5 - “Drag: The Musical
5 - “Purpose”
4 - “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
4 - “We Live in Cairo”
3 - “The Big Gay Jamboree”
3 - “Cult of Love”
3 - “Gypsy”
3 - “Just in Time”
3 - “Real Women Have Curves”
3 - “Swept Away”
2 - “Beckett Briefs”
2 - “Becoming Eve”
2 - “Floyd Collins”
2 - “Glengarry Glen Ross”
2 - “Grangeville”
2 - “Hold On to Me Darling”
2 - “John Proctor Is the Villain”
2 - “Liberation”
2 - “Once Upon a Mattress”
2 - “Pirates! The Penzance Musical”
2 - “Romeo + Juliet”
2 - “Safety Not Guaranteed”
2 - “Still”
2 - “Table 17”
2 - “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
2 - “Vanya”
2 - “Yellow Face”
