The theater journalism organization the Outer Critics Circle has announced winners of its 2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards. This latest slate of winners represents shows that opened during the 2024-2025 Broadway and Off-Broadway season. Winners will be honored at an awards ceremony to be held on May 22 at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Leading the winners with four awards was “Maybe Happy Ending,” followed by “Boop! The Musical” and “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” with three apiece. Shows earning two awards each included “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Drag: The Musical,” “John Proctor Is the Villain” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
A full winners list can be found below; winners are identified in bold and preceded by an asterisk.
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
“Boop! The Musical”
“Death Becomes Her”
*“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Operation Mincemeat”
“Real Women Have Curves”
Outstanding New Broadway Play
“Cult of Love”
“The Hills of California”
*“John Proctor Is the Villain”
“Purpose”
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
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”
*André 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 and Michael Thurber, “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 more than three decades of service to the theater community, during which time he ensured the preservation of more than 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.”
Tally of Awards
4 — “Maybe Happy Ending”
3 — “Boop! The Musical,” “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
2 — “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Drag: The Musical,” “John Proctor Is the Villain,” “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
1 — “Liberation,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “The Hills of California,” “Hold On to Me Darling,” “Just in Time,” “Operation Mincemeat,” “Table 17,” “Vanya,” “Yellow Face”
The Outer Critics Circle is an association of journalists affiliated with more than 90 newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations and online news organizations in America and abroad. Led by its current president, David Gordon, the Outer Critics Circle board of directors also includes vice president Richard Ridge, recording secretary Joseph Cervelli, corresponding secretary Patrick Hoffman and treasurer David Roberts, along with Cynthia Allen, Harry Haun, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler. Simon Saltzman is president emeritus and board member (non-nominating) and Stanley L. Cohen serves as financial consultant and board member (non-nominating). Lauren Yarger serves as the Outer Critics Circle Awards ceremony executive producer.
