New York Drama Critics Circle votes ‘Good People’ best play

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The New York Drama Critics’ Circle voted ‘Good People’ as best play of the year in a close race against ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Other Desert Cities,’ while ‘The Book of Mormon’ won best musical in a cake walk.

Both shows are Tony Award nominees, unlike other recent productions hailed by the critics’ circle. The group spurned all Broadway shows last year to pick ‘The Orphan’s Home Cycle’ as best play and, in 2009, it opted for Pulitzer Prize recipient ‘Ruined.’ No award for best musical was bestowed last year.

The circle is comprised of most of Gotham’s leading drama critics, except the critic for the New York Times, which does not permit its journalists to participate. You can follow their voting rounds ballot by ballot here.

Most interesting is how poorly ‘War Horse’ fared considering most pundits believe it will win the Tony Award for best play over ‘Good People.’ ‘War Horse’ even lost best foreign play, an award bestowed only when an American work wins the prize for best play.

‘Good People’ stars Frances McDormand as a Boston single mom desperate to find a job. It was written by David Lindsay-Abaire (‘Rabbit Hole’).

-- Tom O’Neil