2008-2009 Awards

2008-2009 AWARDS

The New York Drama Critics’ Circle met on May 4, 2009, to determine the winners of its annual awards. The results were as follows:

Best Play: Ruined, by Lynn Nottage
Best Foreign Play: Black Watch, by Gregory Burke
Best Musical: Billy Elliot, by Elton John and Lee Hall
Special Citation: Angela Lansbury, for her contribution to the American theater
Special Citation: Gerard Alessandrini, for Forbidden Broadway
Special Citation: Matthew Warchus and the cast of The Norman Conquests

Ruined won on the first ballot for Best Play, with 12 of the 19 votes cast.

The Circle then moved to the award for Best Foreign Play. None of the contenders received a majority on the first ballot; Blasted received the most votes, with seven, while National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch—a holdover from last year—received five. A second vote was then taken to determine whether an award would be given at all. Having agreed that one should, the Circle moved to a weighted third ballot, which Black Watch squeaked out a victory with 30 points, versus 27 each for Blasted and God of Carnage. (The minimum number of points necessary to win was 28.)

Moving to the vote for Best Musical, the members narrowly decided—by a vote of 10 to 9—that the Broadway musical Next to Normal had undergone substantial enough changes to be considered as a new work this year. No musical attained a majority of votes on the first ballot: Billy Elliot led the pack with seven, versus five for Next to Normal and four for Road Show. One the third ballot, Billy Elliot won a clear victory, earning 36 points—well above the threshhold of 28. Next to Normal placed second with 22 points, and Road Show came in third with 19.

After some discussion as to how many Special Citations could be given in a single year, the Circle decided to give three—its most ever for a single season. Angela Lansbury and Gerard Alessandrini won unanimously; Matthew Warchus and the cast of The Norman Conquests received 13 of the 18 votes cast.
The awards will be presented at a private ceremony at the Algonquin Hotel on May 11, 2009.

Best Play, first ballot:

Hilton Als: The Shipment
Melissa Rose Bernardo: Ruined
David Cote: Ruined
Joe Dziemianowicz: Ruined
Michael Feingold: Ruined
Robert Feldberg: God of Carnage
Adam Feldman: Becky Shaw
Elysa Gardner: Port Authority
John Heilpern: Ruined
Michael Kuchwara: reasons to be pretty
David Rooney: Ruined
Frank Scheck: Ruined
David Sheward: Ruined
John Simon: reasons to be pretty
Alexis Soloski: Ruined
Terry Teachout: Ruined
Elisabeth Vincentelli : Becky Shaw
Linda Winer: Ruined
Richard Zoglin: Ruined

Best Foreign Play, first ballot:

Hilton Als: Blasted
Melissa Rose Bernardo: Black Watch
David Cote: Blasted
Joe Dziemianowicz: Blasted
Michael Feingold: Chair
Robert Feldberg: God of Carnage
Adam Feldman: Black Watch
Elysa Gardner: Port Authority
John Heilpern: Black Watch
Michael Kuchwara: Blasted
David Rooney:Port Authority
Frank Scheck: God of Carnage
David Sheward: Black Watch
John Simon: God of Carnage
Alexis Soloski: Blasted
Terry Teachout: abstain
Elisabeth Vincentelli: Blasted
Linda Winer: Blasted
Richard Zoglin: Black Watch

Best Foreign Play, third ballot:

Hilton Als:
Blasted
God of Carnage
Black Watch

Melissa Rose Bernardo:
Black Watch
Port Authority
Rafta, Rafta…

David Cote:
Blasted
Black Watch
God of Carnage

Joe Dziemianowicz:
Blasted
God of Carnage
Black Watch

Michael Feingold:
Black Watch
Chair
Port Authority

Robert Feldberg:
God of Carnage
Port Authority
Black Watch

Adam Feldman:
Black Watch
God of Carnage
Port Authority

Elysa Gardner:
Port Authority
God of Carnage
Blasted

John Heilpern:
Black Watch
God of Carnage
Port Authority

Michael Kuchwara:
Blasted
God of Carnage
Port Authority

David Rooney:
Port Authority
Black Watch
Blasted

Frank Scheck:
God of Carnage
Black Watch
Blasted

David Sheward:
Black Watch
God of Carnage
Blasted

John Simon:
God of Carnage
Rafta, Rafta…
Palace of the End

Alexis Soloski :
Blasted
Rafta, Rafta…
Port Authority

Elisabeth Vincentelli :
Blasted
God of Carnage
Black Watch

Linda Winer:
Blasted
Black Watch
God of Carnage

Richard Zoglin:
Black Watch
Blasted
Rafta, Rafta…

Best Musical, first ballot:

Hilton Als: Road Show
Melissa Rose Bernardo: Next to Normal
David Cote: Next to Normal
Joe Dziemianowicz: Fela!
Michael Feingold: Road Show
Robert Feldberg: Next to Normal
Adam Feldman: Next to Normal
Elysa Gardner: Road Show
John Heilpern: abstain
Michael Kuchwara: Next to Normal
David Rooney: Road Show
Frank Scheck: Billy Elliot
David Sheward: Billy Elliot
John Simon: Billy Elliot
Alexis Soloski: Billy Elliot
Terry Teachout: abstain
Elisabeth Vincentelli: Billy Elliot
Linda Winer: Billy Elliot
Richard Zoglin: Billy Elliot

Best Musical, third ballot:

Hilton Als:
Road Show
Forbidden Broadway
La Didone

Melissa Rose Bernardo:
Next to Normal
Billy Elliot
What's That Smell

David Cote:
Next to Normal
Billy Elliot
La Didone

Joe Dziemianowicz:
Fela!
Next to Normal
Billy Elliot

Michael Feingold:
Road Show
Next to Normal
This Beautiful City

Robert Feldberg:
Next to Normal
Billy Elliot
Forbidden Broadway

Adam Feldman:
Next to Normal
Billy Elliot
This Beautiful City

Elysa Gardner:
Road Show
Forbidden Broadway
Happiness

John Heilpern:
Billy Elliot
What's That Smell
Everyday Rapture

Michael Kuchwara:
Next to Normal
Road Show
Billy Elliot

David Rooney:
Road Show
Billy Elliot
Next to Normal

Frank Scheck:
Billy Elliot
Fela!
This Beautiful City

David Sheward:
Billy Elliot
Next to Normal
13

John Simon:
Billy Elliot
Fela!
Happiness

Alexis Soloski :
Billy Elliot
Road Show
Fela!

Elisabeth Vincentelli :
Billy Elliot
Everyday Rapture
Saved

Linda Winer:
Billy Elliot
Road Show
Forbidden Broadway

Richard Zoglin:
Billy Elliot
Forbidden Broadway
Road Show