The 2017 Lucille Lortel Awards ceremony was held on the evening of May 7 at NYU's Skirball Center. Recent Hamilton star Taran Killam hosted the celebration of off-Broadway. J.T. Rogers' new play Oslo, which debuted at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater before its Broadway transfer to the Vivian Beaumont Theater, took home four Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Play. The new musical The Band's Visit, which made its world premiere with the Atlantic Theater Company, took home two awards, including Outstanding Musical. Dear Evan Hansen stars Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones took home acting awards for their performances in the show's off-Broadway debut with Second Stage. Adam Bock's play A Life, which debuted at Playwrights Horizons, also took home two awards, for scenic designer Laura Jellinek and sound designer Mikhail Fiksel. The full list of winners can be found below, noted in bold and preceded by an asterisk.
Outstanding Play
Indecent, Written by Paula Vogel
*Oslo, Written by J.T. Rogers
Underground Railroad Game, Written by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard
Vietgone, Written by Qui Nguyen
The Wolves, Written by Sarah DeLappe
Outstanding Musical
*The Band's Visit, Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek, Book by Itamar Moses
Dear Evan Hansen, Book by Steven Levenson, Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Hadestown, Written by Anaïs Mitchell
Ride the Cyclone, Book, Music, and Lyrics by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond
The Total Bent, Text by Stew, Music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Outstanding Revival
The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead, Written by Suzan-Lori Parks
Othello, Written by William Shakespeare
Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro, Written by Edward Albee, María Irene Fornés and Adrienne Kennedy
*Sweeney Todd, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by Hugh Wheeler, Adaptation by Christopher Bond
Sweet Charity, Book by Neil Simon, Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Outstanding Solo Show
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide, Written and Performed by Chris Gethard
Latin History for Morons, Written and Performed by John Leguizamo
*Notes From the Field, Created, Written, and Performed by Anna Deavere Smith
The Outer Space, Book and Lyrics by Ethan Lipton, Music by Ethan Lipton, Vito Dieterle, Eben Levy, and Ian M. Riggs, Performed by Ethan Lipton
Sell/Buy/Date, Written and Performed by Sarah Jones
Outstanding Director
Will Davis, Men on Boats
Anne Kauffman, A Life
Lila Neugebauer, The Wolves
*Bartlett Sher, Oslo
Rebecca Taichman, Indecent
Outstanding Choreographer
Joshua Bergasse, Sweet Charity
*David Dorfman, Indecent
Georgina Lamb, Sweeney Todd
David Neumann, Hadestown
David Neumann, The Total Bent
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, Man From Nebraska
Michael Emerson, Wakey, Wakey
Lucas Hedges, Yen
*Joe Morton, Turn Me Loose
David Hyde Pierce, A Life
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Johanna Day, Sweat
*Jennifer Ehle, Oslo
Jennifer Kidwell, Underground Railroad Game
Kecia Lewis, Marie and Rosetta
Maryann Plunkett, Women of a Certain Age
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
*Michael Aronov, Oslo
Charlie Cox, Incognito
Matthew Maher, Othello
Justice Smith, Yen
Paco Tolson, Vietgone
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jocelyn Bioh, Everybody
Hannah Cabell, The Moors
*Randy Graff, The Babylon Line
Ari Graynor, Yen
Nana Mensah, Man From Nebraska
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
Ato Blankson-Wood, The Total Bent
Shuler Hensley, Sweet Charity
Patrick Page, Hadestown
*Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen
Jeremy Secomb, Sweeney Todd
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Sweet Charity
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Jo Lampert, Joan of Arc: Into the Fire
*Katrina Lenk, The Band’s Visit
Siobhan McCarthy, Sweeney Todd
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Nathan Lee Graham, The View UpStairs
Gus Halper, Ride the Cyclone
*Joel Perez, Sweet Charity
Ari’el Stachel, The Band’s Visit
Chris Sullivan, Hadestown
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Asmeret Ghebremichael, Sweet Charity
*Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen
Betsy Morgan, Sweeney Todd
Emily Rohm, Ride the Cyclone
Karen Ziemba, Kid Victory
Outstanding Scenic Design
Scott Davis, Ride the Cyclone
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
*Laura Jellinek, A Life
Mimi Lien, Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro
Jason Sherwood, The View UpStairs
Outstanding Costume Design
Montana Blanco, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead
Tilly Grimes, Underground Railroad Game
*Susan Hilferty, Love, Love, Love
Sarah Laux, The Band’s Visit
Emily Rebholz, Indecent
Outstanding Lighting Design
*Mark Barton, Signature Plays: Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés' Drowning and Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro
Jane Cox, Othello
Greg Hofmann, Ride the Cyclone
Amy Mae, Sweeney Todd
Ben Stanton, Yen
Outstanding Sound Design
*Mikhail Fiksel, A Life
Robert Kaplowitz, Hadestown
Stowe Nelson, Small Mouth Sounds
Nevin Steinberg, Wakey, Wakey
Matt Stine, Sweeney Todd
Outstanding Projection Design
Elaine McCarthy, Notes From the Field
Duncan McLean, Privacy
*Jared Mezzocchi, Vietgone
Peter Nigrini, Dear Evan Hansen
Peter Nigrini, Wakey, Wakey
Honorary Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award
William Ivey Long
Playwrights Sidewalk Inductee
Lynn Nottage
Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award
Harold Wolpert
Wins by Production:
Oslo - 4
The Band's Visit - 2
Dear Evan Hansen - 2
A Life - 2
The Babylon Line - 1
Indecent - 1
Love, Love, Love - 1
Notes From the Field - 1
Signature Plays - 1
Sweeney Todd - 1
Sweet Charity - 1
Turn Me Loose - 1
Vietgone - 1