Yesterday, husband and wife musical performers Jeremy Jordan and Ashley Spencer announced the nominees of the 35th annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The 2020 awards ceremony will be presented online May 3, beginning at 7 p.m. The virtual host and presenters will be announced later. The Outstanding Musical nominations included the following five new works.
In the Green: This play with music explores the origins of one of Medieval history’s most powerful and creative women: Hildegard of Bingen. Presented June 27-Aug. 4, 2019, at Lincoln Center Theater. The creative team included Grace McLean (playwright), Lee Sunday Evans (director), Kristen Robinson (sets), Oana Botez (costumes), Barbara Samuels (lights), Nicholas Pope (sound), Amanda Villalobos (puppets), and Ada Westfall (music direction). The cast included Rachael Duddy (Clementia, Volmar, Hildegard), Grace McLean (Jutta), Mia Pak (Shadow, Sigewize), Ashley Perez (Maria, Hildegard’s Mother, Marchioness, Hildegard), and Hannah Whitney (Osanna, Hildegard).
Octet: In this a cappella musical, eight Internet addicts in the support group “Friends of Saul” gather in a church basement to share their stories. Presented May 19-June 30, 2019, at Signature Theater. The creative team included Dave Malloy (book, lyrics, music), Annie Tippe (director), Amy Rubin and Brittany Vasta (sets), Brenda Abbandandolo (costumes), Christopher Bowser (lights), Hidenori Nakajo (sound), and Or Matias (music direction). The cast included Adam Bashian (Ed), Kim Blanck (Karly), Starr Busby (Paula), Alex Gibson (Henry), Justin Gregory Lopez (Toby), J.D. Mollison (Marvin), Margo Seibert (Jessica), and Kuhoo Verma (Velma).
Soft Power: Presented Oct. 15-Nov. 17, 2019, at the Public Theater. The Asian exoticism of The King and I is one issue that ignites this musical about a Shanghai theater producer who forges a powerful bond with Hillary Clinton. The creative team included David Henry Hwang (book, lyrics), Jeanine Tesori (addl. lyrics, music), Leigh Silverman (director), Sam Pinkleton (choreographer), Clint Ramos (sets), Anita Yavich (costumes), Mark Barton (lights), Kai Harada (sound), Tom Watson (hair & makeup), Bryce Cutler (video), and Chris Fenwick (music direction). The cast included Jon Hoche (Chief Justice, Hali Aohala), Kendyl Ito (Jing, Prof. Li Biyu), Francis Jue (DHH), Austin Ku (Bobby Bob, Ju Ming), Raymond J. Lee (Randy Ray, Yao Tuo, Veep), Alyse Alan Louis (Zoe, Hillary), Jaygee Macapugay (Betsy, Long Lin Kun), Geena Quintos (Airport Greeter), and Conrad Ricamora (Xue Xing).
The Secret Life of Bees: Presented June 13-July 21, 2019, at Atlantic Theater Company. In this musical adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s 2001 novel, a young girl and her black caregiver find refuge in the world of bees and spirituality. The creative team included Lynn Nottage (book), Susan Birkenhead (lyrics), Duncan Sheik (music), Sam Gold (director), Chris Walker (choreographer), Mimi Lien (sets), Dede M. Ayite (costumes), Jane Cox (lights), Dan Moses Schreier (sound), Cookie Jordan (hair & makeup), Achesonwalsh Studios (puppets), and Jason Hart (music direction). The cast included Romelda T. Benjamin (Queenie), Joe Cassidy (Clayton), Vita E. Cleveland (Violet), Eisa Davis (June), Matt DeAngelis (Silas), Manoel Feliciano (T-Ray), Brett Gray (Zachary), Jai’Len Christine Li Josey (Sugar Girl), LaChanze (August), Anastacia McCleskey (May), Saycon Sengbloh (Rosaleen), Nathaniel Stampley (Neil), and Elizabeth Teeter (Lily).
A Strange Loop: Usher works a job he hates while writing a musical, about a writer working a job he hates while writing a musical. Can he break out of this strange loop? Presented June 17-July 28, 2019, at Playwrights Horizons. The creative team included Michael R. Jackson (book, lyrics, music), Stephen Brackett (director), Raja Feather Kelly (choreographer), Arnulfo Maldonado (sets), Montana Levi Blanco (costumes), Jen Schriever (lights), Alex Hawthorn (sound), Cookie Jordan (hair), and Rona Siddiqui (music direction). The cast included Larry Owens (Usher), L Morgan Lee (Thought 1), James Jackson Jr. (Thought 2), John-Michael Lyles (Thought 3), John-Andrew Morrison (Thought 4), Jason Veasey (Thought 5), and Antwayn Hopper (Thought 6).