at Sardi’s (ceremony)

XANASTEIN! OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE WINNERS By DAVID LEFKOWITZ Published May 16 2008 Xanastein? Frankendu?       Theaterphiles wondering which Broadway musical has the inside track for this year's Tony Award weren't helped much by recent announcement of the Outer Critics Circle Awards. The winner for Best Broadway Musical was Xanadu... AND Young Frankenstein, in a tie vote. The other tuner nominees were A Catered Affair and Cry-Baby, with The Little Mermaid and Passing Strange snubbed and In the Heights ineligible because it played off-Broadway last season and was considered for awards then.   Far less surprising is the OCC's choice for Outstanding Broadway Play, August: Osage County, which also recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Horton Foote's Broadway-bound Dividing the Estate scored for best off-Broadway play, while Adding Machine took best off-Broadway musical. The latter show also tied with Next to Normal for best score, while Liz Flahive's From Up Here took the John Gassner Award for a new American play. Harold Pinter's old, non-American play, The Homecoming, nabbed Best Play Revival, while South Pacific beat the estimable field of Gypsy, Sunday in the Park with George and Take Me Along to win for Musical Revival. The Rodgers & Hammerstein classic won the most awards - four - including nods for director Bartlett Sher, actor Paulo Szot and featured actor Danny Burstein. The 58th annual Outer Critics Circle Awards ceremony will be held May 22nd at Sardi's Restaurant in the theater district. Nominees were announced April 21 at the Algonquin Hotel. Mel Brooks' and Thomas Meehan's Young Frankenstein garnered the most nominations - ten - but came away with only one win, albeit a big one. Last year's Outer Critics winners included The Coast of Utopia, Spring Awakening, Indian Blood, In the Heights, and Nilaja Sun winning both the John Gassner Award and solo honors for No Child... 2007 - 2008 WINNERS (in bold): OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY August: Osage County, Rock 'N' Roll, The Seafarer The 39 Steps OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL Xanadu Young Frankenstein (TIE), A Catered Affair Cry-Baby The Musical OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY Dividing the Estate The Drunken City From Up Here The Receptionist OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL Adding Machine The Glorious Ones Make Me a Song - The Music of William Finn Next to Normal OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE Adding Machine Next to Normal Passing Strange Young Frankenstein OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY (Broadway or Off-Broadway) The Homecoming Come Back, Little Sheba Cyrano de Bergerac Les Liaisons Dangereuses OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway) South Pacific Gypsy Sunday in the Park With George Take Me Along OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY Anna D. Shapiro &ampampnbsp- August: Osage County Maria Aitken&ampampnbsp- The 39 Steps Rupert Goold &ampampnbsp- Macbeth Rufus Norris &ampampnbsp- Les Liaisons Dangereuses OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL Bartlett Sher - &ampampnbspSouth Pacific David Cromer&ampampnbsp- Adding Machine Arthur Laurents &ampampnbsp- Gypsy Susan Stroman - &ampampnbspYoung Frankenstein OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER Rob Ashford - &ampampnbspCry-Baby: The Musical Graciela Daniele - &ampampnbspThe Glorious Ones Christopher Gattelli - &ampampnbspSouth Pacific Susan Stroman - &ampampnbspYoung Frankenstein OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN (Play or Musical) David Farley / Timothy Bird - &ampampnbspSunday in the Park With George Scott Pask - &ampampnbspLes Liaisons Dangereuses Robin Wagner - &ampampnbspYoung Frankenstein Michael Yeargan - &ampampnbspSouth Pacific OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN (Play or Musical) Katrina Lindsay - &ampampnbspLes Liaisons Dangereuses David Farley - &ampampnbspSunday in the Park With George William Ivey Long - &ampampnbspYoung Frankenstein Jessica Jahn, Michael Bottari & Ronald Case - &ampampnbspDie Mommie Die! Catherine Zuber - &ampampnbspSouth Pacific OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN (Play or Musical) Ken Billington - &ampampnbspSunday in the Park With George Kevin Adams - &ampampnbspThe 39 Steps Donald Holder - &ampampnbspLes Liaisons Dangereuses Peter Kaczorowski - &ampampnbspYoung Frankenstein OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY Kevin Kline - &ampampnbspCyrano de Bergerac Kevin Anderson - &ampampnbspCome Back, Little Sheba Ben Daniels - &ampampnbspLes Liaisons Dangereuses Patrick Stewart - &ampampnbspMacbeth OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY Deanna Dunagan - &ampampnbspAugust: Osage County Eve Best - &ampampnbspThe Homecoming Laura Linney - &ampampnbspLes Liaisons Dangereuses S. Epatha Merkerson - &ampampnbspCome Back, Little Sheba OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL Paulo Szot - &ampampnbspSouth Pacific Roger Bart - Young Frankenstein Daniel Evans - &ampampnbspSunday in the Park With George Boyd Gaines - Gypsy OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL Patti LuPone - Gypsy Kelli O'Hara - South Pacific Faith Prince - A Catered Affair Alice Ripley - Next to Normal OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY James Earl Jones - &ampampnbspCat on a Hot Tin Roof Ra&ampampuacutel Esparza - &ampampnbspThe Homecoming Jim Norton - &ampampnbspThe Seafarer David Pittu - &ampampnbspIs He Dead? OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY Laurie Metcalf - &ampampnbspNovember Jessica Collins - &ampampnbspLes Liaisons Dangereuses Jayne Houdyshell - &ampampnbspThe New Century Si&ampampacircn Phillips - &ampampnbspLes Liaisons Dangereuses OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL Danny Burstein - &ampampnbspSouth Pacific Christopher Fitzgerald - &ampampnbspYoung Frankenstein Shuler Hensley - &ampampnbspYoung Frankenstein Tony Yazbeck - &ampampnbspGypsy OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL Laura Benanti - &ampampnbspGypsy Harriet Harris - &ampampnbspCry-Baby The Musical Sherie Rene Scott - &ampampnbspThe Little Mermaid Amy Warren - &ampampnbspAdding Machine OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE Laurence Fishburne - &ampampnbspThurgood Stephen Lang - &ampampnbspBeyond Glory Chazz Palminteri - &ampampnbspA Bronx Tale April Yvette Thompson - &ampampnbspLiberty City JOHN GASSNER AWARD (Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright) Liz Flahive - &ampampnbspFrom Up Here Bob Clyman - &ampampnbspSecret Order Michael Hollinger - &ampampnbspOpus George Packer - &ampampnbspBetrayed Members of the OCC are critics and journalists who cover New York theater for TV, radio, magazines and newspapers that reach outside of Manhattan. For the major awards, Broadway and off-Broadway are split into separate categories. The other categories mix both Broadway and off, a la The Drama Desk Awards.