2024 Lucille Lortel Awards winners: Kecia Lewis and Eli Gelb scoop up victories ahead of Tony Awards

Winners of the 2024 Lucille Lortel Awards, honoring outstanding achievements in Off-Broadway theater, were announced on Sunday, May 5, in a ceremony at NYU Skirball. The show was hosted by Rosalind Chao, Jen Colella, Michael Esper, 2024 Tony nominee Eden Espinosa (“Lempicka”), 2024 Tony nominee Nikki M. James (“Suffs”) and BD Wong. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League and Lucille Lortel Theatre, with additional support provided by TDF.

It was a banner evening for Ars Nova. Not only did the theater company receive an honorary award for Best Body of Work, their show “(pray)” was also the top winner of the night. This co-production with National Black Theatre took home three trophies including Best Musical, Best Director for NicHi douglas and Best Ensemble.

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Four other productions earned multiple awards, with “Buena Vista Social Club,” “The Comeuppance,” “Stereophonic,” and “Wet Brain” each claiming two prizes.

“Stereophonic” is a frontrunner for Best Play at this year’s Tony Awards. Playwright David Adjmi wasn’t able to win that corresponding prize at the Lortel Awards, as he was bested by critical darling “The Comeuppance.” As it so happens, that play is written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins who is also up for a Tony Award this year, for the revival of his drama “Appropriate.” It wasn’t all bad news for “Stereophonic,” however, as it took home Best Sound Design and the Best Featured Performer in a Play for Eli Gelb. Both wins could be repeated at the Tonys in June, though Gelb will have to surge past two of his costars (Will Brill and Tom Pecinka) who were not nominated at the Lortels.

Of course, competing against a costar didn’t hold back Kecia Lewis from winning Best Featured Performance in a Musical for her thunderous role in “Hell’s Kitchen.” Just as with the Tonys, she was nominated alongside castmate Shoshana Bean at the Lortel Awards.

SEE‘Merrily We Roll Along’ predicted to match Tony Awards haul of ‘Company’ revival

See the full list of nominees and winners below:

Best Play

X – “The Comeuppance”
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

“Plays For The Plague Year”
Produced by The Public Theater
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks

“Primary Trust”
Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company
Written by Eboni Booth

“Stereophonic”
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by David Adjmi

“Wet Brain”
Produced by Playwrights Horizons and MCC Theater
Written by John J. Caswell, Jr.

Best Musical

X – “(pray)”
Produced by Ars Nova and National Black Theatre
Created by nicHi douglas, with music by S T A R R Busby and JJJJJerome Ellis

“Buena Vista Social Club”
Produced by Atlantic Theater Company
Book by Marco Ramirez, Music by Buena Vista Social Club

“Dead Outlaw”
Produced by Audible Theater
Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek & Erik Della Penna, Book by Itamar Moses, Conceived by David Yazbek

“Hell’s Kitchen”
Produced by The Public Theater
Music and Lyrics by Alicia Keys, Book by Kristoffer Diaz

“Teeth”
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Book and Music by Anna K. Jacobs, Book and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson

Best Revival

“Danny and the Deep Blue Sea”
Produced by Play Hooky Productions, Seaview, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Jayne Baron Sherman, Stella La Rue, Roth-Manella Productions, Sony Music Masterworks, Jillian Robbins, David Binder, Folk Productions, Antonio Marion, Daniel Schwartz, Wessex Grove, Stephanie Choate, Hillary Wyatt
Written by John Patrick Shanley

“I Can Get It for You Wholesale”
Produced by Classic Stage Company
Book by Jerome Weidman (based on his novel), Music and Lyrics by Harold Rome, Book revisions by John Weidman

“Philadelphia, Here I Come!”
Produced by Irish Repertory Theatre Company
Written by Brian Friel

“Sunset Baby”
Produced by Signature Theatre Company
Written by Dominique Morisseau

X – “Translations”
Produced by Irish Repertory Theatre
Written by Brian Friel

Best Solo Show

X – “All The Devils Are Here – How Shakespeare Invented the Villain”
Produced by Mara Isaacs, Thomas M. Neff, Willette and Manny Klausner, 42nd.Club, Daryl Roth
Written and Performed by Patrick Page

“I Love You So Much I Could Die”
Produced by New York Theatre Workshop
Written and Performed by Mona Pirnot

“Make Me Gorgeous!”
Produced by triangle productions!
Written by Donnie, Additional Material by Wade McCollum
Performed by Wade McCollum

“Sorry For Your Loss”
Produced by Audible
Written and Performed by Michael Cruz Kayne

“Triple Threat”
Produced by Brendan Gaul, Brett Henenberg, James T. Lane, and T32 Theatrical
Written and Performed by James T. Lane

Best Director

Daniel Aukin – “Stereophonic”
David Cromer – “Dead Outlaw”
X – nicHi douglas – “(pray)”
Eric Ting – “The Comeuppance”
Dustin Wills – “Wet Brain”

Best Choreographer

Camille A. Brown – “Hell’s Kitchen”
Graciela Daniele and Alex Sanchez – “The Gardens of Anuncia”
X – Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck – “Buena Vista Social Club”
nicHi douglas – “(pray)”
Raja Feather Kelly – “Teeth”

Best Lead Performer in a Play

Christopher Abbott – “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea”
X – Gabby Beans – “Jonah”
William Jackson Harper – “Primary Trust”
Nicole Ari Parker – “The Refuge Plays”
Josh Radnor – “The Ally”
A.J. Shively – “Philadelphia, Here I Come!”
Paco Tolson – “The Knight of the Burning Pestle”

Best Featured Performer in a Play

Arnie Burton – “Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors”
X – Eli Gelb – “Stereophonic”
Carmen M. Herlihy – “The Apiary”
Florencia Lozano – “Wet Brain”
Julio Monge – “Wet Brain”
Bubba Weiler – “Swing State”
Frank Wood – “Toros”

Best Lead Performer in a Musical

X – Natalie Venetia Belcon – “Buena Vista Social Club”
Jeb Brown – “Dead Outlaw”
Andrew Durand – “Dead Outlaw”
Santino Fontana – “I Can Get It for You Wholesale”
Priscilla Lopez – “The Gardens of Anuncia”
Alyse Alan Louis – “Teeth”
Maleah Joi Moon – “Hell’s Kitchen”

Best Featured Performer in a Musical

Shoshana Bean – “Hell’s Kitchen”
Rodrick Covington – “Rock & Roll Man”
X – Kecia Lewis – “Hell’s Kitchen”
Jessica Molaskey – “The Connector”
Steven Pasquale – “Teeth”
Mel Semé – “Buena Vista Social Club”
Thom Sesma – “Dead Outlaw”

Best Ensemble

X – “(pray)”
Ariel Kayla Blackwood, S T A R R Busby, Ashely De La Rosa, Tina Fabrique, Satori Folkes-Stone, Amara Granderson, Taylor Symone Jackson, Ziiomi Louise Law, Aigner Mizzelle, Gayle Turner, Darnell White, D. Woods

“The Comeuppance”
Brittany Bradford, Caleb Eberhardt, Susannah Flood, Bobby Moreno, Shannon Tyo

“Flex”
Brittany Bellizeare, Christiana Clark, Eboni Edwards, Renita Lewis, Erica Matthews, Ciara Monique, Tamera Tomakili

Best Scenic Design

Jason Ardizzone-West – “shadow/land”
Arnulfo Maldonado – “Buena Vista Social Club”
Arnulfo Maldonado – “Dead Outlaw”
X – Kate Noll – “Wet Brain”
David Zinn – “Stereophonic”

Best Costume Design

Dede Ayite – “Buena Vista Social Club”
Enver Chakartash – “Stereophonic”
Linda Cho – “The Half-God of Rainfall”
DeShon Elem – “(pray)”
X – Lux Haac – “Manahatta”

Best Lighting Design

X – Amith Chandrashaker – “The Comeuppance”
Jiyoun Chang – “Stereophonic”
Jen Schriever – “Spain”
Cha See – “Wet Brain”
John Torres – “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea”

Best Sound Design

Tei Blow & John Gasper – “Wet Brain”
Jonathan Deans – “Buena Vista Social Club”
Palmer Hefferan – “The Comeuppance”
X – Ryan Rumery – “Stereophonic”
Mikaal Sulaiman – “(pray)”

Best Projection Design

59 Productions – “Corruption”
X – Nick Hussong – “Wet Brain”
Jared Mezzocchi – “Poor Yella Rednecks”
Jared Mezzocchi – “Russian Troll Farm”
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew – “The Connector”

HONORARY AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement Award
Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee
Dominique Morisseau

Best Body of Work
Ars Nova

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