The cast of ‘A Strange Loop.’ (Photo: Joan Marcus)
The nominations for the 35th annual Lucille Lortel Awards were announced, with A Strange Loop and Heroes of the Fourth Turning, and In The Green leading the pack.
The Awards will be presented during a special online event on Sunday, May 3, broadcast on the official website 7 p.m. EST. A virtual “host” and presenters will be announced at a later date. As always, the Lortel Awards will be a benefit for The Actors Fund and fans are encouraged to make donations at actorsfund.org/Lortel.
Leading the nominations this year with seven is Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop, produced by Playwrights Horizons in association with Page 73 Productions. The Outstanding Musical nominee also earned nominations for Stephen Brackett as Outstanding Director, as well as three acting nominations, Costume Design, and Choreographer.
Just behind with six nominations each – Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning, produced by Playwrights Horizons, received nominations for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Director Danya Taymor; and Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3’s In The Green earned a nomination for Outstanding Musical for writer Grace McLean, who was also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. As previously announced, special honorees this year include Playwrights Horizons’ Tim Sanford, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award; and Anna Deavere Smith, who will be inducted onto the famed Playwrights’ Sidewalk in front of the historic Lucille Lortel Theatre.
2020 LUCILLE LORTEL AWARDS NOMINATIONS

The cast of ‘Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie.’ (Photo: Ben Arons)
Outstanding Play
BLKS
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Is This A Room
Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie
Outstanding Musical
A Strange Loop
In The Green
Octet
Soft Power
The Secret Life of Bees
Outstanding Revival
A Bright Room Called Day
Fires in the Mirror
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Little Shop of Horrors
MAC BETH

Jonathan Groff in ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’ (Photo: Emilio Madrid Kuser)
Outstanding Solo Show
Bella Bella
Dana H.
the way she spoke
We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time
Where We Stand
Outstanding Director
Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop
Tina Satter, Is This A Room
Danya Taymor, Heroes of the Fourth Turning Annie Tippe, Octet
Les Waters, Dana H.
Outstanding Choreographer
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Camille A. Brown, Toni Stone
Raja Feather Kelly, A Strange Loop
Sam Pinkleton, Soft Power
Travis Wall, The Wrong Man
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
Charles Busch, The Confession of Lily Dare
Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements
Raúl Esparza, Seared
Hamish Linklater, The Pain of My Belligerence
Aaron Yoo, The Headlands

Aaron Yoo in LCT3’s ‘The Headlands.’ (Photo: Kyle Froman)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Liza Colón-Zayas, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Emily Davis, Is This A Room
April Matthis, Toni Stone
Zoë Winters, Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Kara Young, All the Natalie Portmans
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Christopher Borg, The Confession of Lily Dare
Marc Bovino, Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie
Garcia, Continuity
Francis Jue, Cambodian Rock Band
Ken Narasaki, Greater Clements
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Okwui Okpokwasili, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Estelle Parsons, A Bright Room Called Day
Michele Pawk, Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Stephanie Wright Thompson, Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie
Alexandria Wailes, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
Jonathan Groff, Little Shop of Horrors
Joshua Henry, The Wrong Man
Francis Jue, Soft Power
Larry Owens, A Strange Loop
Conrad Ricamora, Soft Power

Beth Malone in Transport Group’s ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown.’ (Photo: Carol Rosegg)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Eisa Davis, The Secret Life of Bees
LaChanze, The Secret Life of Bees
Beth Malone, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Janelle McDermoth, We’re Gonna Die
Grace McLean, In The Green
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Little Shop of Horrors
Alex Gibson, Octet
Gus Halper, Sing Street
Jay Armstrong Johnson, Scotland, PA
John-Andrew Morrison, A Strange Loop
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Ashley Pérez Flanagan, In The Green
Ari Groover, Little Shop of Horrors
L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop
Ciara Renée, The Wrong Man
Kuhoo Verma, Octet
Outstanding Scenic Design
You-Shin Chen and Laura Jellinek, Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie
Yu-Hsuan Chen, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord
Tim Mackabee, Seared
James Noone, London Assurance
Clint Ramos, Soft Power
Outstanding Costume Design
Dede Ayite, BLKS
Montana Levi Blanco, A Strange Loop
Oana Botez, In The Green
Toni-Leslie James, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Rachel Townsend and Jessica Jahn, The Confession of Lily Dare
Outstanding Lighting Design
Isabella Byrd, Heroes of the Fourth Turning Alan C. Edwards, Fires in the Mirror
Tyler Micoleau, Socrates
Barbara Samuels, In The Green
Jen Schriever, Power Strip
Outstanding Sound Design
Justin Ellington, Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H.
Lee Kinney and Sanae Yamada, Is This A Room
Hidenori Nakajo, Octet
Nicholas Pope, In The Green

The cast of ‘Emojiland.’ (Photo: Jeremy Daniel)
Outstanding Projection Design
Stephan Mazurek, Mojada
Lisa Renkel and Possible, Emojiland the Musical
Ruey Horng Sun, The Headlands
Hannah Wasileski, Anatomy of a Suicide
Hannah Wasileski, Fires in the Mirror
HONORARY AWARDS Lifetime Achievement Award
Tim Sanford
Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee
Anna Deavere Smith