The Off-Broadway League has announced winners of the 33rd Annual Lucille Lortel Awards, honoring outstanding achievement off-Broadway. Recent Meteor Shower stars Laura Benanti and Jeremy Shamos hosted the ceremony on May 6 at NYU's Skirball Center.
Lead acting honors went to current Mean Girls Tony nominee Ashley Park for her turn in KPOP, Damon Daunno for his performance in The Lucky Ones, Carrie Coon for Mary Jane and Sean Carvajal for Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train. Other winners of note include Harry Clarke star Billy Crudup, taking home the prize for Outstanding Solo Performance, and upcoming Moulin Rouge choreographer Sonya Tayeh, who netted a Lortel Award for her work on The Lucky Ones. The top prize of Outstanding Musical went to the immersive KPOP, with a tied win announced for the Outstanding Play award, going to both School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play and 2018 Pulitzer winner Cost of Living.
As previously announced, the Lortels honored playwright Eve Ensler with the Lifetime Achievement Award while composer Michael Friedman was posthumously inducted onto the Playwrights' Sidewalk in front of the Lucille Lortel Theatre. WP Theater was awarded by the Lortels for their outstanding body of work.
The full list of 2018 Lortel winners can be found below, in bold and preceded by an asterisk.
Outstanding Play
*Cost of Living: by Martyna Majok (tie)
Miles for Mary: by Marc Bovino, Joe Curnutte, Michael Dalto, Lila Neugebauer and Stephanie Wright Thompson
Pipeline: by Dominique Morisseau
*School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play: by Jocelyn Bioh (tie)
The Treasurer: by Max Posner
Outstanding Musical
Bella: An American Tall Tale: book, music and lyrics by Kirsten Childs
Desperate Measures: book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg, music by David Friedman
Hundred Days: by the Bengsons and Sarah Gancher
Jerry Springer — The Opera: music and lyrics by Richard Thomas, book and additional lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas
*KPOP: 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
Outstanding Revival
F**king A: by Suzan-Lori Parks
In the Blood: by Suzan-Lori Parks
*Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train: by Stephen Adly Guirgis
The Government Inspector: adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from Revizor by Nikolai Gogol
Torch Song: by Harvey Fierstein
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
*Sean Carvajal, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train
Peter Friedman, The Treasurer
Chukwudi Iwuji, The Low Road
Namir Smallwood, Pipeline
Michael Urie, Torch Song
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, The Amateurs
MaameYaa Boafo, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
*Carrie Coon, Mary Jane
Cristin Milioti, After the Blast
Karen Pittman, Pipeline
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
*Damon Daunno, The Lucky Ones
Steven Eng, Pacific Overtures
Terrence Mann, Jerry Springer — The Opera
Wade McCollum, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me
James Seol, KPOP
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Abigail Bengson, Hundred Days
Ashley D. Kelley, Bella: An American Tall Tale
Julia Knitel, A Letter to Harvey Milk
Lauren Molina, Desperate Measures
*Ashley Park, KPOP
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Marc Bovino, Miles for Mary
Edi Gathegi, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train
*Gregg Mozgala, Cost of Living
Paul Sparks, Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo: Homelife and The Zoo Story
John Tufts, Pride and Prejudice
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Vanessa Aspillaga, Amy and the Orphans
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, As You Like It
Liza Colón-Zayas, Mary Jane
*Mirirai Sithole, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Sean Patrick Doyle, Jerry Springer — The Opera
Brandon Gill, Bella: An American Tall Tale
Paolo Montalban, Bella: An American Tall Tale
Thom Sesma, Pacific Overtures
*Jason Tam, KPOP
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Vanessa Kai, KPOP
*Tiffany Mann, Jerry Springer – The Opera
Maryann Plunkett, The Lucky Ones
Myra Lucretia Taylor, The Lucky Ones
Adina Verson, The Lucky Ones
Outstanding Solo Show
*Harry Clarke: written by David Cale, performed by Billy Crudup
Who's Holiday!: written by Matthew Lombardo, performed by Lesli Margherita
Outstanding Director
Lileana Blain-Cruz, Pipeline
Michael Greif, The Low Road
*Anne Kauffman, Mary Jane
Lila Neugebauer, Miles for Mary
Leigh Silverman, Harry Clarke
Outstanding Choreographer
Camille A. Brown, Bella: An American Tall Tale
Bill Castellino, Desperate Measures
Byron Easley, X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation
*Sonya Tayeh, The Lucky Ones
Jennifer Weber, KPOP
Outstanding Scenic Design
Gabriel Hainer Evansohn, KPOP
Anna Fleischle, Hangmen
Laura Jellinek, Mary Jane
Amy Rubin, Miles for Mary
*Louisa Thompson, In the Blood
Outstanding Costume Design
Dede M. Ayite, Bella: An American Tall Tale
*Dede M. Ayite, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
Tricia Barsamian, KPOP
Tilly Grimes, The Government Inspector
Emily Rebholz, The Low Road
Outstanding Lighting Design
*Alan C. Edwards, Harry Clarke
Bradley King, The Treasurer
Ben Stanton, The Low Road
Japhy Weideman, Mary Jane
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, KPOP
Outstanding Projection Design
Lucy Mackinnon, After the Blast
Alexander V. Nichols, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me
Brad Peterson, The Stone Witch
*Hannah Wasileski, Pipeline
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Relevance
Outstanding Sound Design
Mikhail Fiksel, The Treasurer
*Leah Gelpe, Mary Jane
Bray Poor, The Last Match
Bray Poor, Office Hour
Brandon Wolcott, After the Blast
HONORARY AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Award
Eve Ensler
Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee
Michael Friedman
Outstanding Body of Work
WP Theater
Awards Tally by Show:
KPOP—3
Mary Jane—3
School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play—3
Cost of Living—2
Harry Clarke—2
Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train—2
The Lucky Ones—2
In The Blood—1
Jerry Springer — The Opera—1
Pipeline—1