Awards Season Bulletin

The Lortels--you could say, the upscale OBIES--were announced last night. They cover all "legit" Off Broadway.

And they are...

Outstanding Play: Betrayed by George Packer
Nominated: Blackbird; The Brothers Size;New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656; Opus

Outstanding Musical: Adding Machine Original Music by Joshua Schmidt, Libretto by Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt
Nominated:Next to Normal; Passing Strange; The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island (or the Friends of Dr. Rushower); Wanda's World

Outstanding Solo Show: Dai (enough) Written and Performed by Iris Bahr
Nominated: Beyond Glory; Liberty City; Tings Dey Happen

Outstanding Revival: Ohio State Murders Written by Adrienne Kennedy
Produced by Theatre for a New Audience
Nominated: Beckett Shorts; Dividing the Estate; The Misanthrope (NYTW); Seussical (Theatreworks USA)

Outstanding Director: David Cromer, Adding Machine
Nominated: Annie Dorsen, Passing Strange; Elizabeth LeCompte, The Wooster Group's HAMLET; Bob McGrath, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island (or the Friends of Dr. Rushower); Terrence J. Nolen, Opus

Outstanding Choreographer: Peter Pucci, Queens Boulevard (the musical)

Nominated: Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Seussical; Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Wanda's World

Outstanding Lead Actor: Joel Hatch, Adding Machine

Nominated: Jeff Daniels, Blackbird; André De Shields, Black Nativity; Morlan Higgins, Exits and Entrances; Jeremy Strong, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656

Outstanding Lead Actress: Elizabeth Franz, The Piano Teacher
Nominated: Lisa Gay Hamilton, Ohio State Murders; Jayne Houdyshell, The Receptionist;
Alison Pill, Blackbird; Lynn Redgrave, Grace

Outstanding Featured Actor: Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Nominated: David Margulies, The Accomplices; Brian Murray, Gaslight; Lorenzo Pisoni, Election Day; Aaron Tveit, Next to Normal

Outstanding Featured Actress: Mare Winningham, 10 Million Miles

Nominated: Veanne Cox, Paradise Park;Veanne Cox, Spain;Zoe Kazan, 100 Saints You Should Know; Amy Warren, Adding Machine

Outstanding Scenic Design: Jim Findlay and Jeff Sugg, The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island (or the Friends of Dr. Rushower)

Nominated: Scott Bradley, Eurydice; Derek McLane, 10 Million Miles;Scott Pask, Blackbird;
David Zinn, The Four of Us

Outstanding Costume Design: Michael Bottari & Ronald Case, and Jessica Jahn, Die Mommie Die!

Nominated:Mara Blumenfeld, The Glorious Ones; Tracy Christensen, Seussical; Kristine Knanishu, Adding Machine; Jenny Mannis, The Drunken City

Outstanding Lighting Design: Keith Parham, Adding Machine

Nominated: Kevin Adams, Passing Strange;Kevin Adams, Next to Normal; Russell H. Champa, Eurydice; Peter Mumford, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?

Outstanding Sound Design: Jorge Cousineau, Opus

Nominated: Geoff Abbas, Joby Emmons, and Matt Schloss, The Wooster Group's HAMLET; Daniel Baker, The Four of Us; Frank Gaeta, Dai (enough);Darron L. West, Dead Man's Cell Phone

Adding Machine, I concur, is extraordinary. If only I had time to write about it. (And I hope I soon will.)

On the other hand, Betrayed I've seen, and it is simply not a very good play. Important story? Absolutely. But...really???