From Death Becomes Her to Dead Outlaw, Boston Conservatory Actors Are Killing It This Awards Season
Jennifer Simard and costar Christopher Sieber in Death Becomes Her
Matthew Murphy and Ethan Zimmerman
Spring is awards season in the theater world, and this year’s nominee lists—from Broadway’s Tony Awards to New England’s own Elliot Norton Awards—are loaded with graduates of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s musical theater program.
Leading the pack are two alums who scored lead-actor nominations at the Tony Awards: One for playing a woman whose vanity is punished with immortality; and the other, an outlaw who experienced a strange afterlife when his mummified corpse was displayed at carnival sideshows.
Many more Boston Conservatory–trained performers were recognized for their outstanding work in musical productions originating off-Broadway and in regional theater. Here are four characters who made the 2024–2025 theater season a memorable one, and the four actors who earned nominations for the roles:
1. Andrew Durand as Elmer McCurdy in Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand with costar Julia Knitel in Dead Outlaw
Matthew Murphy
Andrew Durand (BFA '08) earned his first-ever Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, playing the titular character in this new musical inspired by a true story of a bungling train robber. When Elmer’s embalmed body went unclaimed by family members, an enterprising funeral home director decided to make a quick buck by putting the Dead Outlaw on display.
Durand sings six songs during the first half of the show, in a performance that’s been acclaimed for its frenetic energy. His work in the second half has been equally praised—though he stands motionless in a coffin and never speaks a word. “Durand’s stage presence is undeniable,” said Variety magazine, “even as a corpse.”
2. Jennifer Simard as Helen Sharp in Death Becomes Her
Jennifer Simard (BFA '92) earned a third Tony nomination for her drily hilarious performance as Helen, a beauty-obsessed writer doomed to fight with her frenemy for all eternity. Simard debuted this Broadway version of Helen in a new musical adaptation of the 1992 movie, which originally featured Meryl Streep in the role.
Simard’s costar Megan Hilty plays Helen's rival, Madeline, and also was nominated in the same category: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. The New York Times has heaped praise on their performances, calling both actresses “tireless, forever pulling vocal drama and line-reading surprises out of their Swarovski-encrusted imaginations.”
3. Nick Adams as Alexis Gillmore in Drag: The Musical
Nick Adams (left) and costar Alaska Thunderfuck in Drag: The Musical
Matthew Murphy
Nick Adams (BFA '05) won Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for playing this glamorous muscle queen—and he had the time of his life in the process. “I’ve never looked forward to going to work more than I have with this production because [of] the camaraderie, the connection, the family that we’ve created,” he told People magazine. As Alexis, Adams also had to master the laborious art of drag makeup and did his own before every performance. “The two hours that we're getting ready for the show, it's the most joyous work environment I've ever had,” he said.
The cast of Drag was packed with Boston Conservatory alumni costars: Eddie Korbich (BFA '83) received an Outstanding Featured Performer nomination from Outer Critics Circle; and the Drama League recognized Adams, Korbich, and Jan Sport, aka Charlie Mantione (BFA '15), with Distinguished Performance recognitions.
4. Cortlandt Barrett as Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal
Cortlandt Barrett with costar Anthony Pires in Next to Normal
Maggie Hall
Cortlandt Barrett (BFA '27) played the overachieving daughter of a mentally ill mother in this Cambridge, Massachusetts–based production, directed by Assistant Professor of Theater Pascale Florestal. Barrett was a second-year student at Boston Conservatory when she landed the role and earned praise from the Boston Globe, who called her “a formidable voice.”
Her Elliot Norton Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical is “very surreal,” Barrett says. “I feel so blessed and incredibly honored, especially because that show was so close to my heart.”
Barrett followed up her performance as Natalie with a role in a Boston-based production of the Gospel-rich musical Crowns, and will return to Boston Conservatory for her junior year this coming September.
Learn more about Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s leading theater programs.
