It’s an Off Broadway awards show, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of stars lined up for it: The roster of actors to score nominations for the 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Vanessa Redgrave and American Ferrera.
The Lortels, which consider only Off Broadway productions eligible for their annual kudofest, is one of the earliest in the round of Gotham legit trophies to announce nominations and winners. The 2013 pack of nominations was led by Signature Theater Company’s much lauded revival of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson,” scoring six nods, with five notched by Manhattan Theater Club’s production of intimate rock-tuner “Murder Ballad” (currently in the works for a possible future production in Gotham).
Redgrave and Ferrera are both contenders for lead actress. Redgrave won raves for her current stint in Rattlestick Theater’s staging of Jessie Eisenberg play “The Revisionist,” while Ferrera toplined the Women Theater Project’s winter production of Laura Marks’ “Bethany.” Gyllenhaal snagged a featured actor nod for his role in Nick Payne’s “If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet,” which the Roundabout Theater Company produced last fall.
The star quotient of this year’s nominees looks poised to draw a little more attention than usual to the Lortels, which can be overshadowed by the Broadway kudos race during the jam-packed awards season leading up to the Tony Awards.
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“Bethany” is in the running for the top play award, as are the commercial production of Mike Bartlett’s “Cock” and three plays produced this season at nonprofit Playwrights Horizons: Lisa D’Amour’s “Detroit,” Samuel D. Hunter’s “The Whale” and Annie Baker’s current offering “The Flick.”
“Murder Ballad,” meanwhile, competes for new tuner with “Dogfight” at Second Stage, “Giant” at the Public, “Skippyjon Jones” from Theaterworks USA and Amas Musical Theater and Scandobeans Prods.’ “The Other Josh Cohen,” another tuner that’s attracted the attention of commercial producers.
Awards are due to be handed out May 5 in a ceremony hosted by Aasif Mandvi, a nominee for his leading role in “Disgraced,” and Maura Tierney, currently on the Rialto in “Lucky Guy.”
2013 LUCILLE LORTEL AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Outstanding Play
“Bethany”
Produced by Women’s Project Theater
Written by Laura Marks
“Cock “
Produced by Stuart Thompson, Jean Doumanian, RoyalCourtTheatre, William Berlind, Scott Delman, Dena Hammerstein, Jon B. Platt, Scott Rudin, Ted Snowdon, True Love Productions
Written by Mike Bartlett
“Detroit “
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Lisa D’Amour
“The Flick”
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Annie Baker
“The Whale”
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Samuel D. Hunter
Outstanding Musical
“Dogfight “
Produced by Second Stage Theatre
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul,
Book by Peter Duchan
“Giant”
Produced by The Public Theater in association with The Dallas Theater Center
Book by Sybille Pearson, music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa
Based on the novel by Edna Ferber
“Murder Ballad”
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club
Conceived by and with Book and Lyrics by Julia Jordan, Music and Lyrics by Juliana Nash
“The Other Josh Cohen”
Produced by Amas Musical Theatre in association with Scandobean Productions, LLC
Book, Music and Lyrics by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen
“Skippyjon Jones”
Produced by TheatreworksUSA
Book and Lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila, Music by Eli Bolin
Outstanding Revival
“All In The Timing”
Produced by Primary Stages in association with Jamie deRoy
Written by David Ives
“My Children! My Africa!”
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Athol Fugard
“Passion”
Produced by Classic Stage Company
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine
“The Piano Lesson”
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by August Wilson
“Talley’s Folly”
Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company
Written by Lanford Wilson
Outstanding Solo Show
“All the Rage”
Produced by piece by piece productions, Rising Phoenix Repertory in association with The Barrow Group
Written and Performed by Martin Moran
“Jackie”
Produced by Women’s Project Theater
Written by Elfriede Jelinek, Performed by Tina Benko
“Title and Deed”
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Will Eno, Performed by Conor Lovett
Outstanding Director
Sam Gold, “The Flick”
Anne Kauffman, “Belleville”
Tina Landau, “A Civil War Christmas”
James Macdonald, “Cock”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “The Piano Lesson”
Outstanding Choreographer
George De La Peña, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Christopher Gattelli, “Dogfight”
Kyle Mullins, “TRIASSIC PARQ: The Musical”
Alex Sanchez, “Giant”
Doug Varone, “Murder Ballad”
Outstanding Lead Actor
Danny Burstein, “Talley’s Folly”
Brandon J. Dirden, “The Piano Lesson”
Daniel Everidge, “Falling”
Shuler Hensley, “The Whale”
Aasif Mandvi, “Disgraced”
Outstanding Lead Actress
QuincyTyler Bernstine, “Neva”
America Ferrera, “Bethany”
Vanessa Redgrave, “The Revisionist”
Roslyn Ruff, “The Piano Lesson”
Sharon Washington, “Wild With Happy”
Outstanding Featured Actor
David Wilson Barnes, “Don’t Go Gentle”
Chuck Cooper, “The Piano Lesson”
Zach Grenier, “StorefrontChurch”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet”
Mark Nelson, “My Name Is Asher Lev”
Outstanding Featured Actress
Eisa Davis, “Luck of the Irish”
Annie Funke, “If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet”
Rebecca Naomi Jones, “Murder Ballad”
Amanda Quaid, “Luck of the Irish”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “What Rhymes with America”
Outstanding Scenic Design
Beowulf Boritt, “If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet”
Miriam Buether, “Cock”
Clint Ramos, “Wild With Happy”
Louisa Thompson, “Detroit”
Mark Wendland, “Murder Ballad”
Outstanding Costume Design
Toni-Leslie James, “A Civil War Christmas”
Jessica Pabst, “The Whale”
Clint Ramos, “Wild With Happy”
Emily Rebholz, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
Anita Yavich, “Golden Child”
Outstanding Lighting Design
Jane Cox, “The Flick”
Rui Rita, “The Piano Lesson”
Ben Stanton, “Belleville”
Ben Stanton, “Murder Ballad”
Scott Zielinski, “A Civil War Christmas”
Outstanding Sound Design
Leah Gelpe, “Slowgirl”
Bray Poor, “The Flick”
Shane Rettig, “Detroit ’67”
Jane Shaw, “Jackie”
Matt Tierney, “Detroit”
SPECIAL AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Award
Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee
Neil LaBute
Outstanding Body of Work Award
Theatre Development Fund
Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience
“Old Hats “
Created and performed by Bill Irwin and David Shiner
Music by and featuring Nellie McKay
Produced by Signature Theatre