Breaking News: HELLO, DOLLY! & COME FROM AWAY Top Outer Critics Circle Winners; Full List! — Page 2

I'm terribly confused as to how Come From Away won Best Sound Design over The Great Comet. If I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere that the sound design team for TGC literally had to invent code for the sound to be effective with people running all over the huge theatre. I guess now I understand why the Tonys are putting together a special committee of voters for the Sound Design awards next year so that stuff like this doesn't happen.

''The Band's Visit'' was NOT a ''surprise win'' at the New York Drama Critics Circle; it was the expected favorite, getting 16 out of 22 votes. (I even hinted as much the day before in another posting.) If another show had won, THAT would've been a ''surprise win.''

You might be under the impression that all shows are given equal consideration by the various critics' groups, and that's just not true. Year after year, Broadway shows win about 90% of the Drama Desk Awards, and there's a reason for that: They do a much better job (on the whole) than Off-Broadway shows at inviting their members. Broadway shows are in bigger houses, so they have more seats to offer. Off-Broadway shows are in smaller houses, and while they might accommodate the 2 dozen first-night members of the N.Y. Drama Critics Circle, not many of them (like the Atlantic) will put in the over 100 members of the Drama Desk. Off-Broadway shows often can't afford to give away that many press comps and/or don't see the benefit. Their shows usually are limited runs.

And here's another area where Broadway shows benefit. ''Come From Away'' and ''Anastasia'' are two Drama Desk nominees up for Best Musical. They're still on Broadway, and they can make sure that Drama Desk members see them (or are at least invited). ''The Band's Visit'' only played Nov. 11-Jan. 8; if you missed it during the 2-month run, there's nothing the Atlantic can do to get Drama Desk members to see it now, so they can consider it for awards. Ditto, for ''Hadestown'' and ''The Lightning Thief,'' the remaining Drama Desk nominees for Best Musical. They're also Off-Broadway shows that have closed. As a rule, they rarely ever win Drama Desk Awards.

Updated On: 5/9/17 at 11:06 AM

When somebody earlier said that the OCC Awards don't "mean" anything, I think he or she meant it purely from a sales perspective. Of course these awards are meaningful and humbling and, for the most part, extremely deserved for the winning and nominated performers. But ticket-buyers don't head to the box office on the basis of a show's OCC wins; only Tonys have that kind of awards-related sales power.

Wayman,

Can you please explain why Warren Carlyle was even considered eligible for Best Choreography?

I don't understand how that makes sense given the circumstances and his percentage of 'new material" for the show. Was it a prize for best reconstruction of steps and concepts of Gower Champion?

And what about the last King & I revival - weren't there brand new dances but then a lot of Robbins' stuff thrown in? Wasn't CG eligible and nominated for a Tony?

Same as Chet Walker recreating Fosse's choreography for the PIPPIN revival and he was nominated for a TONY!