Ellen Burstyn, Brian d’Arcy James, Annie Parisse, Thomas Sadoski and More Receive Lucille Lortel Nominations

The Lucille Lortel Awards, which honor the best in Off-Broadway, have announced the nominees for the 2009 awards, which will be handed out on May 3 at the Marriott Marquis. This year’s ceremony will benefit The Actors Fund.

Theatre for a New Audience’s production of Othello — which is due to return later this month — received six nominations, the most of any production. The new musical Fela! picked up five nominations, while TFANA’s production of Edward Bond’s Chair and The Atlantic Theater/Druid Theater Company’s production of Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan each received four nominations.

Among the notable acting nominees are Brian d’Arcy James (Port Authority), Ellen Burstyn (The Little Flower of East Orange), Annie Parisse (Becky Shaw), John McMartin (Saturn Returns), Thomas Sadoski (Becky Shaw), Mamie Gummer (Uncle Vanya), and Lisa Emery (Distracted).

The 2009 Voting Committee includes TheaterMania contributors Peter Filichia and David Finkle, along with Jeremy Dobrish, John Clinton Eisner, Barrack Evans, Kurt Everhart, Jeffrey Fiske, Elizabeth Frankel, Melanie Herman, Linda Herring, Matthew Kelty, Walt Kiskaddon, Renée Lasher, Russell Lehrer, Niclas Nagler, Barbara Pasternack, Richard Price, Mark Rossier, David Savran, and Barbara Toy.

A full list of nominations follows:

Outstanding Play:

Animals Out of Paper by Rajiv Joseph

Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo

Ruined by Lynn Nottage

The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson

The Sound and the Fury (April Seventh, 1928), created by Elevator Repair Service

Outstanding Musical:

Fela! A New Musical; Book by Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones, Music and Lyrics by Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Add’l Music by Aaron Johnson and Jordan McLean, Add’l Lyrics by Jim Lewis.

My Vaudeville Man!; Book by Jeff Hochhauser, Music by Bob Johnston, Lyrics by Bob Johnston and Jeff Hochhauser

Road Show; Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by John Weidman

Saved; Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman, Book and Lyrics by John Dempsey and Rinne Groff

This Beautiful City; Composer and Lyricist Michael Friedman, Librettist Steve Cosson and Jim Lewis, Created by The Civilians

Outstanding Solo Show:

Humor Abuse, created by Lorenzo Pisoni and Erica Schmidt, performed by Pisoni

Sleepwalk With Me, written and performed by Mike Birbiglia

Outstanding Revival:

Enter Laughing, The Musical

Othello

Our Town

The Cripple of Inishmaan

The Glass Cage

Outstanding Director:

Arin Arbus, Othello
David Cromer, Our Town
Garry Hynes, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Kate Whoriskey, Ruined
Robert Woodruff, Chair

Outstanding Choreographer:

Martha Clarke, Garden of Earthly Delights
Bill T. Jones, Fela! A New Musical
Janet Miller, The Marvelous Wonderettes
Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Shonn Wiley, My Vaudeville Man!
Sergio Trujillo, Saved

Outstanding Lead Actor:

Ned Eisenberg, Othello
Brian d’Arcy James, Port Authority
Josh Grisetti, Enter Laughing, The Musical
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela! A New Musical
John Douglas Thompson, Othello

Outstanding Lead Actress:

Ellen Burstyn, The Little Flower of East Orange
Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Ruined
Carmen M. Herlihy, crooked
Kellie Overbey, The Savannah Disputation
Annie Parisse, Becky Shaw

Outstanding Featured Actor:

Utkarsh Ambudkar, Animals Out of Paper
Francois Battiste, The Good Negro
John McMartin, Saturn Returns
Aaron Monaghan, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Thomas Sadoski, Becky Shaw

Outstanding Featured Actress:

Annika Boras, Chair
Kerry Condon, The Cripple of Inishmaan
Lisa Emery, Distracted
Mamie Gummer, Uncle Vanya
Juliet Rylance, Othello

Outstanding Scenic Design:

Beowulf Boritt, Animals Out of Paper
Marina Draghici, Fela! A New Musical
Roger Hanna, The Glass Cage
James Schuette, Wig Out!
David Zinn, Chair

Outstanding Costume Design:

Marina Draghici, Fela! A New Musical
Ann Hould-Ward, Road Show
Toni-Leslie James, Wig Out!
Karen Perry, The First Breeze of Summer
Theresa Squire, Rafta, Rafta

Outstanding Lighting Design:

Christopher Akerlind, Garden of Earthly Delights
Mark Barton, Chair
Lap Chi Chu, The Good Negro
Marcus Doshi, Othello
Jason Lyons, Mourning Becomes Electra

Outstanding Sound Design:

Quentin Chiappetta, Irena’s Vow
John Gromada, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment
Robert Kaplowitz, Wig Out!
Jane Shaw, The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd
Matt Tierney, The Sound and the Fury (April Seventh, 1928)

Special Awards:

Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence: Ira Weitzman

Outstanding Body of Work: The Lark Play Development Center

For more information, visit www.LortelAward.com.