The Stage

Doubt and Spamalot lead Outer Critics Circle Awards

Published Tuesday 24 May 2005 at 09:35 by Judd Hollander

Wins for John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt and Monty Python musical Spamalot have dominated proceedings at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, which mark the beginning of New York’s theatre prizegiving season.

Doubt was named as Outstanding Play, beating off tough competition from Michael Frayn’s Democracy and Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. The production had further success with wins for Cherry Jones (Outstanding Actress) and Brian F O’Byrne (Outstanding Actor), as well Outstanding Direction for Doug Hughes.

Others nominated in the Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Play categories included Natasha Richardson for A Streetcar Named Desire, Kathleen Turner for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Billy Crudup for The Pillowman and James Earl Jones for On Golden Pond.

On the musical side, the big winner was Monty Python’s Spamalot, which won the categories of Outstanding Musical, Featured Actress (Sara Ramirez as The Lady of the Lake) Direction of a Musical (Mike Nichols) and costume design for Tim Hatley .

Winning Outstanding Revival of a Play was the courtroom drama Twelve Angry Men, which is scheduled to be produced in London next year by Bill Kenwright. Remarkably, it is the first time the play has been staged on Broadway.

The Outstanding Actor in a Musical prize went to Norbert Leo Butz for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the 1988 movie starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. Butz plays Martin’s role and saw off competition for the award from Tim Curry, who plays King Arthur in Spamalot.

Other shows which walked away with a single award included The Pillowman, where Jeff Goldblum won Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was honored for Anthony Ward’s sets.

Also collecting one award were The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical) and A Streetcar Named Desire (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play).

Outstanding Actress in a Musical was Victoria Clark for The Light in the Piazza, which also won praise with the Outstanding Lighting Design award. Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer, it tells the story of a caring mother and her daughter with a hidden secret.

Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical was Altar Boyz, a show about an all-boy Christian rock band. There was a tie in the off-Broadway play category, with the honour going to both Fat Pig, a drama about a man’s relationship with an overweight woman, and Going to St Ives, which deals with a British surgeon’s relationship with the mother of a brutal dictator.

La Cage Aux Folles was Outstanding Revival of a Musical, the show also taking a prize for Jerry Mitchell’s choreography. Mitchell beat himself in this category as he was also nominated for his work in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

The prize for Outstanding Solo Performance went to Billy Crystal’s one-man show, 700 Sundays, while the John Gassner Award, presented for “an American play, preferably by a new playwright,” was given to Ron Hutchinson for Moonlight and Magnolias.

The awards, which are chosen by writers who cover New York theatre, were announced on May 8. The full list of winners is:

Outstanding Broadway Play: Doubt

Outstanding Broadway Musical: Monty Python’s Spamalot

Outstanding Off-Broadway Play: Fat Pig, Going to St Ives (tie)

Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical: Altar Boyz

Outstanding Revival of a Play: Twelve Angry Men

Outstanding Revival of a Musical: La Cage aux Folles

Outstanding Actor in a Play: Brian F O’Byrne - Doubt

Outstanding Actress in a Play: Cherry Jones - Doubt

Outstanding Actor in a Musical: Norbert Leo Butz - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Outstanding Actress in a Musical: Victoria Clark - The Light in the Piazza

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: Jeff Goldblum - The Pillowman

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play: Amy Ryan - A Streetcar Named Desire

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: Dan Fogler - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Sara Ramirez - Monty Python’s Spamalot

Outstanding Solo Performance: Billy Crystal - 700 Sundays

Outstanding Direction of a Play: Doug Hughes - Doubt

Outstanding Direction of a Musical: Mike Nichols - Monty Python’s Spamalot

Outstanding Choreography: Jerry Mitchell - La Cage aux Folles

Outstanding Set Design: Anthony Ward - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Outstanding Costume Design: Tim Hatley - Monty Python’s Spamalot

Outstanding Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind - The Light in the Piazza

John Gassner Award: Ron Hutchinson - Moonlight and Magnolias

Special Achievement Award: Marjorie Gunner

• Doubt and The Pillowman shared the honours at the New York Drama Critics Circle annual awards with John Patrick Shanley’s drama about abuse in the priesthood taking Best Play of 2005 while Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy picked up Best Foreign Play of 2005.

The awards, which are voted for by 20 New York drama critics, controversially decided not to give a prize for Best Musical this year. The move was surprising given the wide range on offer, including Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Light in the Piazza.

Shanley and McDonagh will receive their awards at a private cermony later this month.