LGBTQ Critics Announce 3rd Annual Dorian Theater Awards Nominees

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA) has announced its nominees for the 3rd annual Dorian Theater Awards honoring excellence on and off-Broadway this year. Full disclosure – I am a longtime voting member of GALECA. Via press release: The awards celebrate both mainstream achievements and works that reflect LGBTQ+ themes and perspectives—in the spirit of GALECA’s longer-established film and television honors. Leading the Broadway categories with seven nominations is Death Becomes Her, the musical adaptation of the cheeky 1992 fantasy film about two women seeking eternal (outer) beauty. Boosted by appreciation for their well-represented cast members, three productions scored six Dorian nominations each: the provocative The Crucible-meets-#MeToo tale John Proctor is the Villain, the reflective civil rights drama Purpose, and the second-ever Broadway revival of Sunset Blvd., another musical take on a film about ephemeral beauty (the first stage mounting premiered in 1994). In the Off-Broadway categories, Cats: The Jellicle Ball leads with five nominations, including acting nods for André De Shields, Sydney James Harcourt, and ballroom icon “Tempress” Chastity Moore. DRAG: The Musical and its stars Alaska Thunderfuck and Jujubee, both of TV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, all hold nominations. And the Manhattan Theatre Club’s We Had a World, by playwright Joshua Harmon, is in the running for Outstanding LGBTQ Off-Broadway Production World‘s stars Joanna Gleason and Jeanine Serralles are nominated as well. Nominees for GALECA’s LGBTQ+ Theater Trailblazer Award—which honors a lifelong commitment to creating art that inspires empathy, truth, and equity—include performer André De Shields, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, actor Andrew Scott, costume designer Paul Tazewell, director George C. Wolfe, and Drag Race alum turned multihyphenate Jinkx Monsoon. GALECA will once again help kick off Pride Month by announcing the winners of the 2025 Dorian Theater Awards on Monday, June 2. GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and its Dorian Awards honor the best in film, television, and, under its theater wing, Broadway and Off-Broadway.  For more informations, visit galeca.org. Full list of 2025 Dorian Theater Awards nominees: Outstanding Broadway Musical Death Becomes Her Dead Outlaw Just in Time Maybe Happy Ending Operation Mincemeat Real Women Have Curves Outstanding Broadway Play English The Hills of California John Proctor is the Villain The Picture of Dorian Gray Purpose Outstanding Broadway Musical Revival Floyd Collins Gypsy Pirates! The Penzance Musical Sunset Blvd. Outstanding Broadway Play Revival Eureka Day Our Town Romeo + Juliet Yellow Face Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Production Cult of Love Death Becomes Her Purpose Redwood SMASH Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Musical Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd. Jonathan Groff, Just in Time Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her Audra McDonald, Gypsy Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd. Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Play Kit Connor, Romeo + Juliet Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California Mia Farrow, The Roommate Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face Sydney Lemmon, JOB Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow Jon Michael Hill, Purpose LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Musical Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat Jinkx Monsoon, Pirates! The Penzance Musical Lea Salonga, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends Christopher Sieber, Death Becomes Her Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins David Thaxton, Sunset Blvd. Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress Joy Woods, Gypsy Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Play Alana Arenas, Purpose Tala Ashe, English Molly Bernard, Cult of Love Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day Francis Jue, Yellow Face Marjan Neshat, English Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross Zachary Quinto, Cult of Love Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain Amalia Yoo, John Proctor is the Villain Kara Young, Purpose Outstanding Broadway Ensemble Cult of Love Death Becomes Her John Proctor is the Villain Real Women Have Curves Sunset Blvd. The Broadway Showstopper Award — To a standout production number or scene Death Becomes Her – “For the Gaze,” performed by Megan Hilty Gypsy – “Rose’s Turn,” performed by Audra McDonald John Proctor Is the Villain – “Green Light,” performed by Sadie Sink, Amalia Yoo Maybe Happy Ending – “Chasing Fireflies,” performed by Darren Criss, Helen J. Shen Sunset Blvd. – “Sunset Boulevard,” performed by Tom Francis Outstanding Off-Broadway Production Cats: The Jellicle Ball Grangeville Liberation Vanya Wine in the Wildernes Outstanding LGBTQ Off-Broadway Production Cats: The Jellicle Ball DRAG: The Musical Grangeville The Fires We Had a World Outstanding Lead Performance in an Off-Broadway Production Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire Susannah Flood, Liberation Brandon Flynn, Kowalski Joanna Gleason, We Had a World Marla Mindelle, The Big Gay Jamboree Paul Mescal, A Streetcar Named Desire Andrew Scott, Vanya Paul Sparks, Grangeville Alaska Thunderfuck, DRAG: The Musical Olivia Washington, Wine in the Wilderness Outstanding Featured Performance in an Off-Broadway Production Betsy Aidem, Liberation Billy Crudup, Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Drew Elhamalawy, We Live in Cairo Sydney James Harcourt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Jujubee, DRAG: The Musical Ahmad Kamal, SUMO Julia Lester, All Nighter Paris Nix, The Big Gay Jamboree Jeanine Serralles, We Had a World Kyra Sedgwick, All of Me “Tempress” Chastity Moore, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Jenny Lee Stern, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song Jason Veasey, The Fires Natalie Walker, The Big Gay Jamboree LGBTQ Theater Artist of the Season Michael Arden Tommy Dorfman Jonathan Groff Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Jinkx Monsoon LGBTQ+ Theater Trailblazer — For a lifelong commitment to creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity André De Shields Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Jinkx Monsoon Andrew Scott Paul Tazewell George C. Wolfe