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Nominations for 2017-2018 Outer Critics Circle Awards

John Gassner Playwriting Award
Kate Benson, [PORTO]
Jocelyn Bioh, School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play
Lindsey Ferrentino, Army and the Orphans
Meghan Kennedy, Napoli, Brooklyn
Dominique Morisseau, Pipeline

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Carousel
David M. Lutken, Woody Sez
Conor Ryan, Desperate Measures
Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants
Continue reading “Nominations for 2017-2018 Outer Critics Circle Awards”

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Nominations for 2018 Lucille Lortel Awards

Outstanding Play
Cost of Living  Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club in association with Williamstown Theatre Festival Written by Martyna Majok
Miles for Mary Produced by Playwrights Horizons. Written by Marc Bovino, Joe Curnutte, Michael Dalto, Lila Neugebauer, and Stephanie Wright Thompson
Pipeline Produced by Lincoln Center Theater. Written by Dominique Morisseau
School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play Produced by MCC Theater. Written by Jocelyn Bioh
The Treasurer Produced by Playwrights Horizons. Written by Max Posner

Outstanding Musical
Bella: An American Tall Tale Produced by Playwrights Horizons. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Kirsten Childs
Desperate Measures  Produced by The York Theatre Company in association with Cecilia Lin and Hu Guo. Book and Lyrics by Peter Kellogg, Music by David Friedman
Hundred Days Produced by New York Theatre Workshop. By The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher
Jerry Springer – The Opera Produced by The New Group. Music and Lyrics by Richard Thomas. Book and Additional Lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas
KPOP  Produced by Ars Nova in association with Ma-Yi Theater Company and Woodshed Collective. Conceived by Woodshed Collective and Jason Kim. Book by Jason Kim, Music and Lyrics by Helen Park and Max Vernon, Immersive Design by Woodshed Collective Continue reading “Nominations for 2018 Lucille Lortel Awards”

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Review: Sunset Baby, Gate Theatre

“Life goes by with a bunch of confusion and impossible moments that nobody can explain”

Forming the final part of the Gate Theatre’s RESIST! season, Dominique Morisseau’s Sunset Baby is a fierce ball of familial recriminations, fatherly regret and flawed characters. Kenyatta Shakur, along with his wife Ashanti X, was a figurehead of the Black Revolutionary movement and not even fatherhood could mellow him as he continued the struggle and served time inside for his trouble. His wife died from her drug addictions and all that is left is Nina, his daughter, whose feelings of estrangement burn brighter than ever, even when he begins the process of trying to reconcile with her.

Michelle Asante’s Nina is a bolshy, self-assured presence, adamant in her unshakeable view of the world that she constantly rails against. With her boyfriend Damon, they deal drugs and run robbery scams together, and she does not take kindly to the reappearance of Ben Onwukwe’s Kenyatta in her life, especially once she figures out what she thinks is his ulterior motive. Ashanti left a stash of love letters from her husband to Nina in her will and having had their considerable value assessed, she’s unwilling to let them go without securing the right price. Continue reading “Review: Sunset Baby, Gate Theatre”